Dads’ revolution

The idea that raising children is a responsibility that falls exclusively on mothers is now outdated—or at least it seems to be. In fact, many men would like to take a more active role in caring for the home and the family, a job (in every respect) that still falls mostly on women’s shoulders. It is therefore no surprise that women workers are the ones who fear dismissal or demotion the most when they decide to have a child; in some cases, they are forced to resign voluntarily: 20% of women leave their job after becoming mothers, often due to the lack of childcare services and the absence of shared caregiving responsibilities within the family.

Today, three out of five fathers take paternity leave (with differences between Northern and Southern Italy and depending on contract type), so that domestic duties and child-rearing do not fall solely on mothers. This helps promote shared caregiving between both parents and, consequently, supports women in returning to work with fewer (though still present) forms of discrimination. Today’s fathers are carrying forward a revolution that challenges the traditional idea of the “mammo”—the dad who merely helps his partner at home—and rejects the male breadwinner model, which holds that men must provide for the family financially while women take care of domestic tasks. Shifting from traditional fatherhood to a shared, intentional model of parenting is the goal of Parola ai Padri, a cultural project created to redefine fatherhood and place it at the centre of public debate.

The creator of Parola ai Padri is Carlo Crudele, an entrepreneur and strategist who, after several episodes of denied paternity leave that led him to resign twice, asked himself: Why does this work model—which separates the worker from the father—seem unfair and discriminatory only to me? Are there other men who want to change the rules, just like I do? And from that point on, he understood it was time for fathers to speak up.

The opportunity came with the zero edition of Parola ai Padri, an event held in April 2025 in Rimini (supported by companies such as Generali, Edison, Lavazza, Fastweb+Vodafone), which brought together numerous guests, including sociologist and philosopher Chiara Saraceno, economist Azzurra Rinaldi, writer and philosopher Maura Gancitano, sociologist Elena Buccoliero, writers Luca Trapanese, Matteo Bussola and Matteo Saudino, manager Sonia Malaspina, pedagogist Daniele Novara, and journalists Francesca Folda and Mariangela Pira.

Parola ai Padri 2025 offered a space for dialogue and reflection on what it means to be a father today, guided by four keywords:

1. inclusion, to explore the role of fathers in shaping the narrative around diversity;
2. adolescence, a crucial stage of life in defining the relationship with one’s children;
3. school, to discuss fathers’ support in their children’s educational journey and emotional development;
4. gender gap and shared parenting as key drivers for a more equitable future.

This imbalance in caregiving responsibilities causes psychological difficulties for mothers—especially new mothers. According to the international NGO Make Mothers Matter,¹ over 67% of mothers report feeling mentally overwhelmed, and half say they have experienced episodes of anxiety, depression, or burnout. Before motherhood, 74% of respondents worked full time, but that percentage drops to 49% after their first child, while 15% leave the workforce entirely. Only 35% benefit from a gradual return to work, and 46% have access to flexible working hours. Often, the issue lies in workplace policies rather than in fathers’ lack of interest—many fathers would actually like to take on a more central role.

Today, Parola ai Padri is constantly evolving: the goal is to launch new content dedicated to fatherhood online, through social media and audio platforms. And what about a new edition of the event? “It’s a project I care deeply about and have been working on for months, but it remains small,” said Carlo Crudele. “So nothing is certain. Every activity we plan depends on many factors. What we lack in resources, we make up for with ideas and determination. We are working on the first official edition, which will once again take place in Rimini on 9 May 2026: we would like to make it bigger and more diverse—almost a widespread festival that involves not only fathers but also partners and children. After all, without them, there’s very little that can truly be called a family.”

1. The reference study, State of Motherhood in Europe 2024, analyzes motherhood across Europe ↩︎