Shifting gender stereotypes and engaging men 

Gender stereotypes are deeply rooted in Moldova society and affect the daily life of citizens. The rigid gender division of labour restricts men’s roles to the breadwinner and ties women to their reproductive role, maternal care, and house chores. UNFPA embarked on a transformational journey to shift societal perceptions around gender stereotypes and create a modern environment in Moldova, where all women and men will enjoy equal rights and choices for life. UNFPA focuses on engaging men in the gender transformational approach, through various innovative interventions including creating father’s networks and peer-exchange programmes, campaigns to challenge gender stereotypes and strengthening systems capacity to promote role of men in pre and post-natal care.      

Expanding family-friendly policies in the private sector

While the normative framework supporting working parents with children in Moldova is quite advanced, in reality, few parents benefit from flexible working arrangements, and few fathers take child care leave. As a result, more women feel the extra burden of combining jobs and family, and more couples end up having fewer children than they would like to have. UNFPA leads the way to change these practices in Moldova by working with the private sector to build family-friendly policies and expand women's choices.