All photos: Ramzi Haidar/Dar Al Mussawir for UN Women
When fathers share the care As COVID-19 impacts parents around the world, sharing the care work is critical. This Palestinian couple living in a refugee camp in Lebanon shows how it’s done. MAHMOUD CHARARY ENJOYS PLAYTIME WITH HIS ONE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, JOURI.
In a community that views men who share domestic and care work as a sign of weakness, even emasculating, Mahmoud Charary stands out as an exception. But not for too long, he hopes. Malak and Mahmoud Charary are a young Palestinian couple living in a refugee camp in
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Lebanon and parents to a one-year-old girl. “Women should not only be perceived as mothers and responsible for the home; they are an integral part of the community who have demands, needs, and likes and dislikes of their own,” says Mahmoud Charary. “My wife and I share responsibility in everything at home, and I am proud of it. I cook, clean, do the laundry, care for my baby
daughter and wife, which grants Malak time for herself and for her work. I don’t expect to be awarded for it, rather I believe it is my responsibility,” he adds. Both parents consider themselves as primary caregivers of Jouri, their joyful daughter. Their 90-year-old great aunt who lives with them also cares for her, and Mahmoud’s mother helps when she can.
