HAVANA TIMES – On Saturday, October 17, ExpoFamily 2026 was held in Chile, an event that brought together figures from the Chilean and international far right. Under the banner of defending the family, the event was part of a political and cultural offensive against feminism and sexual diversity, which participants portrayed as threats to traditional values.
Watching Agustín Laje’s talk, titled “The Siege of the Family,” (1) it becomes clear that his concern is not how families deal with their everyday problems, but rather what he identifies as ideological threats. Feminism, abortion, voluntary childlessness, and so-called “gender ideology” all figure prominently in this narrative.
This is where I think it is necessary to stop and reflect. I do not share the idea that feminism is a threat to the family. On the contrary, many of the changes promoted by feminist movements have sought to ensure that women do not bear the burden of raising children alone, that we men take on greater caregiving responsibilities, and that different types of families can live with the same rights and dignity.
The problem is that when the family is portrayed as an institution under constant siege, a much broader discussion is shut down. There is plenty of talk about who supposedly threatens the family, but nothing about how families actually live, who provides care, who has to miss work when a child gets sick, and who shoulders most of the household responsibilities.
There are concrete issues that are absent from this discussion. When a child gets sick, someone has to miss work. When postnatal leave ends, families must figure out who will take care of the child. Women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of these responsibilities. Defending families requires adequate parental leave and working conditions that make caregiving possible.
Same-sex-parent families, single-parent families, and blended families also raise children and build meaningful bonds. Yet they are excluded from the concept of family defended by some conservative sectors. There is no reason why their members should have to prove that they deserve the same respect and recognition as everyone else.
The participation of priest Javier Olivera Ravasi drew criticism from Fundación Iguales over his dissemination of testimonies about alleged ways to overcome homosexuality (2). It is difficult to talk about protecting families while spreading messages that portray some people’s sexual orientation as something that needs to be corrected.
Laje and the Kaiser brothers have turned their confrontation with feminism into a political crusade. In this way, criticism of gender inequalities is presented as an attack on the family, while feminist challenges to the unequal distribution of housework and child-rearing responsibilities are denied or delegitimized.
In the schools where I work with students and teachers, talking about masculinity means addressing issues that are often left out of these discussions. As men, we are taught to be strong, to compete, and to prove that we can provide for our families. By contrast, learning to care for others, express our feelings, and take responsibility for raising children tends to receive far less attention.
Through my work on masculinity, I believe we need to talk more about what we men do—and fail to do—when it comes to raising children. Saying that family is important is easy. What is difficult is taking on the everyday responsibilities that family life entails, questioning the unequal distribution of caregiving duties, and no longer expecting women to be the ones who take care of everything.
ExpoFamily claims to defend the family, but its culture war targets feminism and sexual diversity, denying the gender inequalities that shape family life and challenging the struggles aimed at transforming them. Defending families requires recognizing those inequalities, sharing caregiving responsibilities, and ensuring that all types of families can live with dignity and equal rights. What is the point of championing the family while denying the inequality that exists within it?