The exhibition of Swedish photographer Johan Bävman "Swedish Dads" (#SwedishDads) opened at the Parliament of Ukraine building on the initiative of the Inter-Factional Deputy Association Equal Opportunities. This is a series of portraits of men with children, aimed at drawing attention to the problems of modern fatherhood.

The exhibition is organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine in cooperation with the Swedish Institute.

“Being a dad is always a big responsibility. A father is often disengaged from parenting. Unfortunately, 63% of Ukrainian men think that caring for children is a woman's duty,” said Pavlo Zamostian, Assistant Representative of UNFPA office in Ukraine.

By these photographs, Johan Bävman raises the issue of responsible fatherhood and explores why these fathers decided to stay home with their children, what experience they gained, and how it changed their relationships with their partners and children. It is in Sweden that dads most often take childcare leaves.

The exhibition also includes 7 portraits of well-known Ukrainian men raising children along with mothers. These are the families of the frontman of the Antibody group Taras Topolia, the Chairman of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission Tymur Khromaiev, FC Shakhtar football player Taras Stepanenko, Head of EdCamp Ukraine Oleksandr Elkin. Members of Parliament Volodymyr Ariev (European Solidarity party), Volodymyr Tsabal (Holos party) and Sviatoslav Yurash (Servant of the People party) also joined the project.

“Responsible parenting is not only about cooking together in the kitchen, but to understand what kind of person your child is, especially when he or she is growing up. Shared activities and interests are conducive to trust, which means the child will listen to the advice of experienced parents more carefully,” says Member of Parliament Volodymyr Ariev.

The exhibition hosted by the Ukrainian Parliament will last until November 15, 2019.