Fatherhood clubs in Armenia: How to become attentive dad and supportive partner

• Gayane Mkrtchyan

JAM News

Fatherhood clubs have been established in three regions of Armenia, providing an educational platform for men. The initiative aims to help participants become more engaged fathers and husbands in addressing family issues.

The clubs operate in the Shirak, Tavush, and Lori regions and were created as part of the regional program “EU for Gender Equality: Together Against Stereotypes and Violence.”

Who has joined these clubs, and how effective are they? Organizers and participants share their insights.

Participants of fatherhood clubs in Armenia become facilitators

Arthur Najaryan, the project quality supervisor and head of the Gyumri Youth Initiatives Center, shares insights into the initiative:

“There were doubts about whether we should try opening such a club in Gyumri, given that Shirak region residents are known for their traditionalist views. However, we actually faced more challenges recruiting men in Tavush than in Shirak. The Fatherhood Club welcomes men from diverse backgrounds—some are university-educated, while others have vocational training. One participant is a teacher, another is an auto mechanic. It’s an environment full of interesting contrasts.

At first, some men were hesitant. They would say, ‘Let people think I’m attending a youth program rather than a Fatherhood Club meeting.’ They were shy. But at the next session, they brought friends along and even teased newcomers for their outdated stereotypes.”

Fatherhood clubs host thematic discussions for men aged 18 to 40. Among them are both fathers and those who are just considering marriage.

Narek Varshamyan, a father of two daughters, has been attending the Ijevan Fatherhood Club since 2021. He describes the atmosphere as friendly and engaging. Beyond acquiring knowledge, members build connections and find support.

“We discuss our role in the family and how to strengthen it. A father’s role is truly important, and both husband and wife need to recognize that. Often, even women believe that fathers can’t actively participate in certain family matters, but that’s just a stereotype. Spouses need to communicate and figure out the real issues. Simple conversations and mutual understanding bring great results,” Narek emphasizes.

In the initial phase, meetings are led by professionals from the healthcare, social, and psychological services sectors.

From the second phase onward, past participants take on the role of facilitators in the Fatherhood Clubs.

“They undergo training and become facilitators—not through formal courses, but through structured discussions. There are clear guidelines, and within the context of each topic, the trained moderator effectively delivers key insights to participants. Former members lead the discussions, passing on educational content to new club members. A participant becomes an expert, sharing their own experiences.

This also encourages other fathers to open up about their own experiences. They discuss relationships, sexual health, and challenges they faced before marriage, during their partner’s pregnancy, and after childbirth. They talk about childcare, the role of parents in caregiving, and child health,” explains program director Arthur Najaryan.

Narek Varshamyan, who has been a facilitator since 2024, shares how he applies his knowledge and personal experience to help others:

“We have an exercise where participants write down how they spend their 24 hours. It often surprises them. When they read what they’ve written, they realize how little time they actually spend with their families. Of course, there are both subjective and objective reasons for this—work, responsibilities, and so on. But after this exercise, many say they need to rethink their approach to family life.”

“It’s not helping wife—it’s his responsibility”

Organizers believe that fatherhood clubs help break stereotypes about the roles of men and women in the family.

Taguhi Arutyunyan, an expert at the UN Population Fund, emphasizes the importance of raising a generation that recognizes and values the role fathers play in their upbringing and development.

“Fathers are often seen as people who leave for work in the morning and return home at night. However, in a healthy family, the role of a father and husband is much more than that.

Fatherhood clubs educate men on their role in the family, especially during a woman’s pregnancy, when she undergoes significant physiological and psychological changes. They also learn about the responsibilities that arise after childbirth and how parents should share them or handle them together. The sessions cover everything from diaper changing to serious discussions on gynecological health.

Some topics spark such interest among participants that additional training sessions have to be organized. The goal is clear—to break stereotypes. A man must understand that sharing family responsibilities is not just about helping his wife. It is his duty,” says Taguhi Arutyunyan.

Arthur Najaryan believes that stereotypes arise due to insufficient knowledge and understanding::

“What do we judge based on stereotypes? Things we don’t know enough about. There are taboos, certain emotions, and stereotypes form around them. We then manifest these in our behavior as insecurities. Unfortunately, this leads to the formation of rigid societal norms. In practice, we often see that men think differently from how they act—their behavior is shaped by their environment and societal expectations.

By working in small groups, we change mindsets. Wives later admit that if their husband only gave them flowers once in nine years of marriage, now he expresses love more often. Their thinking shifts. They begin to value their partner, and they no longer feel ashamed to show their emotions.”

In fatherhood clubs, men share problems with each other—issues they would have never discussed before.

“What surprises me as someone overseeing the program is that, regardless of whether they are 20 or 40 years old, many have never even considered that these topics can be discussed. Take sexual health, for example—it directly impacts women and the overall social and psychological climate in the family. But once the discussion starts, they ask each other: ‘You have this issue too?’

These topics are often taboo. But through these discussions, men realize that talking about them is completely normal. And if something isn’t normal, we provide them with access to professional help,”says Arthur Najaryan.