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Women
Combining their Professional Careers with their Family Life
Prepared by ATHENA-Association for Education and Development of
Women, Czech Republic
Introduction Women in Central and Eastern Europe formally have
better access to equal opportunities than in the „old” countries of
European Union. But this is not true in reality. Women experience
particular obstacles in relation to the harmonization of professional
career and family life. A lot of services which had previously been
widespread (nurseries, kindergartens, cleaners, mending of cloths,
shoes) disappeared and have not been adequately replaced by a complex
range of services and tools which would help women to combine
professional and family life. That is why women in these countries
primarily have to decide if they want to have a family or to pursue
their carrier.
This situation is perceived within society as very undesirable and that is why
there are efforts to find a systemic solution to this problem. In this article
we would like to present the training course and advisory centre
“Harmonisation of the professional career and family life of women” which was
developed under the framework of EQUAL programme, where the Czech organisations
co-operated with partners from Scotland and Sweden. The project enables the
existence of an extensive media campaign, designed to influence public opinion
and change attitudes within society towards more equality of opportunity between
women and men. Articles in the newspapers are published, press conferences are
organized and regular bulletins devoted to women in society are published. The
action called “Round Tables”, where the representatives of all target groups
discussed, took place at national level last year. The workshops and meetings of
various organisations, which use the gender approach in their training
activities, take place in the scope of the project.
The international partnership is also of great importance – the Czech women have
participated in the training organised by Scottish trade unions in Inverness
(UK) in March 2004, where they participate in work and discussion in groups to
explain and to practice how to combat salary discrimination against women – how
to detect, define and address it. These processes are not well known in the
Czech Republic so far, but they will form part of the work of trade unions in
future. That is why the experiences acquired through the project are very
valuable and will be used by our advisory centre.
Aim and objectives
Through the advisory centre we aim to raise awareness about women’s role
and importance in society and to change mentalities and attitudes concerning:
- Perceptions of the woman’s role in society
- The change of civil attitudes towards gender influenced attitudes (definition
of woman’s position in the society)
- Development of cognisance of the equal
position of women
- Strengthening of women’s self-confidence and self-esteem
- Ability of gender-oriented communication among women, employers, trade unions,
state government and the regional government
- Development and support of the
professional independence of women
- The support of family life (development of
services and the possibility to use them)
Target group
- Women disadvantaged by
the age, looking after family, women from socially disadvantaged families
- State and regional authorities
- Employers
- Workers in the sphere of provision
of public services
- General public
The work of the Advisory Centre represents a
long-term aim which it will be possible to achieve only via a series of partial
steps and tools, which have a cumulative impact. The position of the family in
the order of social priorities depends on it’s the willingness to listen and to
change the attitudes of citizens, institutions, political parties, private
enterprises and companies.
Topics and description of advisory centres
The methodology of the advisory
centre for women was developed as a result of the EQUAL project’s
implementation. The centre provides a holistic range of services, which create
conditions for the harmonization of family and professional activities. An
existing example of good practice is an advisory centre in Ostrava, the third
biggest city of the Czech Republic run by the association ATHENA. It helps women
to find themselves, to learn how to develop themselves, their self-confidence,
their self-esteem, helps them to be active, positive, and not to lose optimism.
This is very difficult especially for older women with a lower education who
have difficulties seeking new jobs. How does the advisory centre work?
a) Promotion (contacts with employment
offices, municipalities)
b) First appointment (previous education, experience,
motivation, and orientation)
c) Individual consultancy (personal ideas about own
fulfilment and her real opportunities, looking for a conformity)
d) Therapy in
small groups (short intensive training)
e) Short training (40 of the most often
asked questions asked at job interviews; effective phone communication; how to
improve an image through appropriate body language; communication skills; ways
of negotiation, etc.)
f) The help in looking for contacts for acquiring a job
g)
Consultation (further contacts, a long-term self-development through an
education)
Training courses
Thanks to the work of developing and creating the
partnership, methodologies for education on gender equality issues (training
materials and guidebooks) for women, employers, and the employees of state
government have been developed as well. The Czech educational and training organisations, non-profit organisations, chambers of commerce,
employment offices and further institutions process them. They should influence
the attitudes of the Czech society towards a more sensitive perception of gender
mainstreaming.
Methodology 1 – a general manual for all target groups with the aim of
motivating society to change its attitudes concerning equal opportunities.
Methodology 2 – a training course oriented mainly to disadvantaged groups of
women; the main aim being to motivate them; to improve their self-confidence,
self-esteem, and their communication skills.
Methodology 3 – a manual for employers – what the employer should know about
gender policies and why.
Implementation in Czech Republic
Creation of the network of advisory centres is
planed all over the Czech Republic. Czech legislation needs some changes (they
are already prepared for discussion and adoption in the Czech Parliament). NGOs
and the private sector will be given the opportunity to provide social services.
Sources/references
You can find more information on these websites:
www.csz.cz
(Czech Union of Women)
www.athena.euweb.cz (ATHENA - Association for Education
and Development of Women)
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