Dads-to-be join the baby shower tango

It takes two to tango and men are now having their own baby showers.

While in the past baby showers were considered to be women’s functions, more recently many couples have had joint baby showers.

The trend has been welcomed by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE).

CGE national spokesman Javu Baloyi said gender stereotypes were slowly being broken down.

“It is no longer taboo for men to be involved in their partner’s pregnancies. Men are present in the delivery rooms, cutting umbilical cords, so it is only natural that they are involved in other aspects as well,” Baloyi said.

“We do not want men to be outsiders in their children’s lives.

"That is why we are fighting for paternity leave to increase from 10 to 30 days.

“We want men to be able to be away from the office to take their babies for immunisations.”

Wanga Mjoli, 30, an East London man who recently had a baby shower, said: “It was really a shocker for me, I never expected it. I felt like running away but I was grateful for the gesture.

“I had never seen a baby shower specifically for the father . . . I received the typical things that people give to women at baby showers. I got clothes, nappies and bath items.”