PBS to Air Documentary BECOMING PAPA Father's Day Weekend

This Father's Day, the PBS women's news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbé, turns American concepts of feminism on their head. For women to reach parity in the workplace, fathers need to split domestic care equally. That is the thesis of the NGO Promundo and its founder, Dr. Gary Barker, working in 11 countries to end domestic violence in the world's poorest neighborhoods.

View the trailer for the documentary here.

In Brazil, in one of the most violent, hyper-macho cultures on earth, men are forsaking machismo and violence both inside and outside the home for involved fatherhood. This, in turn, frees women to access education and satisfying careers. Equal caregiving equals gender parity. The solution to the ongoing quest for women's equality is men doing half the home care and child care.

"Becoming Papa" travels an arduous journey with two men who live in homes riven with domestic violence as they transition to living violence-free. Host Bonnie Erbé calls their remarkable transformations to equal caregiving, "the final chapter in feminism." By watching "Becoming Papa" men & women in the U.S. and other countries can discover the secrets to beneficial and egalitarian relationships in which couples and families thrive.

The story is set against the backdrop of Rio's hyper-masculine, hyper-violent culture. Children are exposed to violence, rampages and murders outside of the home, as well as constant fights inside the home. Promundo finds men most at risk for violence in Rio de Janeiro's favelas or shantytowns and guides them to become loving fathers. They also take better care of themselves and excel in their own work lives as a result.

This wild ride of a documentary, airing on PBS stations in the US and elsewhere globally, shows the intersection between humanity and violence in one of the world's largest countries and most exciting cities.

To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbé is public television's successful all-female news analysis series, now in its 23rd season. To The Contrary is produced by Persephone Productions Inc. To the Contrary airs in 91% of U.S. markets on PBS stations nationwide, in Canada, internationally on VOA-TV and streams globally on PBS Online. The program has won scores of journalism awards in its 23 years on-air. For local airtimes, please visit http://www.pbs.org/to-the-contrary/airdates.

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