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[29.12. 2009] EQ-TRAIN newsletter no. 2: Gender Pay Gap in Europe

Welcome to the second EQ-Train newsletter. In the course of this international project we would like to inform you about new angles and emphases in the area of gender-sensitive vocational orientation. Our central focus is on Equal Pay, the equality of income between women and men. In this newsletter EQ-Train partners from the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Spain, and Slovakia describe five of the main obstacles on the way to Equal Pay.

[27.12. 2009] EQ-TRAIN: international project

In the course of this international project we would like to add new angles and emphases to the area of gender-sensitive vocational orientation. The focus will be on Equal Pay: (Un)Fairness in income between women and men is one of the central issues of equality politics today. Inequality on the labour market has one of its roots in the choice of profession. The reasons why people choose a certain profession or type of education or training have a lot to do with traditional gender roles: Professions in the technical sector are still seen as "the man's domain", whereas "supporting" professions in the area of education or health care are still "the woman's domain". Very often women do not take into account the financial effects of their decision. Because, despite legal regulations designed to assure equal opportunities and equal payment for work of equal value, it still goes today: Professions normally exercised by men are considerably better paid. For this reason, one of the concerns of EQ-Train is to contribute to a raising of awareness on a broad scale and to connect all the main actors in the areas of education and training, labour market and equal treatment, in order to foster cooperation.

[15.12. 2009] Women in Times of Change, 1989-2009 (Publication by Heinrich Böll Stiftung)

The twentieth anniversary of the 1989 breakthrough is an occasion for summaries. In spite of the twenty years of democratic transformation, women did not manage to reduce their distance from men enough for their voice to be clearly heard in public debate. Furthermore, the account of the past two decades, as seen from the women's perspective, is not exactly in tune with the celebratory anniversary atmosphere. It is a paradox that for women in the former Eastern Bloc the freedom regained in 1989 was often combined with significant limitations of economic, social and reproductive rights. Publication is available in pdf.

[23.11. 2009] Gender Issues 2007: Violence against Women, Gender Pay Gap, Access to Childcare Facilities, Implementing Gender Policies (Publication by Heinrich Böll Stiftung)

The publication contains summaries of national reports devoted to the mentioned issues in particular countries. Along with the analysis of existing laws and case studies each report includes recommendations addressed to state governments. Publication is supposed to reach political decision makers at different levels, including public administration in charge of implementation of the gender equality and anti-discriminatory policies; women’s and feminist organizations, including informal groups and human rights, as well as minorities’ rights organizations; experts in gender equality and human rights framework; media.

[23.11. 2009] Gender Issues 2008: Gender-Sensitive Education (Publication by Heinrich Böll Stiftung)

The objective of the reports prepared by Gender Studies from the Czech Republic, the Feminoteka Foundation from Poland, Aspekt from Slovakia and the Liberal Society Institute from Ukraine was to examine to what extent gender equality issues are represented in schools, teaching programmes, handbooks and during lessons conducted by teachers. Furthermore, the authors of the reports analysed the extent to which the state actively included those issues in the system of education, according to the principle of gender mainstreaming, which is one of the pillars of the EU’s equality policy.

[19. 6. 2009] What is the situation of employed women looking after young children in the Czech Republic?

On 18 June, 2009, a press conference was held where journalists became acquainted with the results of Gender Studies research among working mothers with children to 10 years of age. Equal opportunities audit, offered to the companies in the Czech Republic by Gender Studies, was also introduced for the first time. The research confirmed that mothers are interested in balancing work and family, as they are in alternative work loads in particular in the period of parental leave and in using child-care facilities. Mothers were also interested in working in the period of parental leave.

[27. 4. 2009] Prohibition of adoption in Registered Partnership Act is unconstitutional.

Government Council for Human Rights approved initiative of its Committee for sexual minorities on June 18, 2009 which is directed at abrogation of Section 13, paragraph 2 of Act No. 115/2006 Coll., on Registered Partnership as amended, according to which “Lasting partnership prevents any of partners to become an adoptive parent”. Suggestion of the Committee for sexual minorities derived from Analysis of Czech legal regulations for adoption of a child by gays, lesbian and bisexual people in the light of the European Union law and European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms processed for Gender Studies, o.p.s. by JUDr. Mgr. Janem Wintrem, Ph.D. (hereinafter referred to as “Analysis”).

[6. 4. 2009] NEWSLETTER: EQ-TRAIN: Pay discrimination is no game. .

In this international project we would like to inform you about new angles and emphases in the area of gender-sensitive vocational orientation. Our central focus will be on Equal Pay – the equality of income between women and men. Additionally, EQ-Train is also concerned with raising awareness on a wider level and with connecting all the main actors in the areas of education and training, labour market and equal treatment, in order to foster cooperation. In the course of EQ-Train we want to contribute to an improvement of the quality of gendersensitive vocational orientation.

[9. 2. 2009] Barcelona targets will secure wider options for Czech parents. Gender Studies organization doesn´t agree with questioning the targets of the Barcelona process.

The Czech Republic was criticised in the context of discussing the targets of the Barcelona process by the European Parliament for proposing measures that force women to interrupt their careers in order to care for their children. We agree with this argument. Currently, approximately 1% of children in the Czech Republic are placed in nurseries. This statistic represents the full capacity of these institutions. Nurseries may be under-utilized because parents, who place their child in nursery care more than five times per month, lose their state parenting benefit (amounting to 7,600 CZK per month). Additionally, the nursery fees are several times higher than kindergarten fees.

[31. 12. 2008] People continue to be discriminated on the basis of age and gender, say half of all Czech women and men

Age and gender are the most common causes of discrimination in the labor market, at least according to the respondents of a qualitative study carried out for Gender Studies by the Ipsos Tambor market research group in September and October 2008. The study aimed to find out how women and men employees in the Czech labor market perceive the issue of equal opportunities among women and men. The study also looked at the different ways employers support the family and work life balance of their staff.

“[31. 12. 2008] Company of the Year: Equal Opportunities 2008” Awards go to...

The Competition for the Company of the Year: Equal Opportunities 2008 Award results were announced at conference Parents Return To Work After Parental/Maternity Leave held by Gender Studies, o.p.s. in the O2 Žluté Lázně on November 12, 2008. Many influential Czech companies have participated in this annual competition organized by Gender Studies in the last five years. This year telecommunication companies and banks took the lead in equal opportunities.

[31. 10. 2008] Czech Republic: Disagreements on New Anti-Discrimination Directive Proposal

On Thursday, November 30, 2008, a roundtable discussion on the anti-discrimination legislation in the Czech Republic and in the E.U. took place in the European House in Prague. The goal of the discussion was to initiate debate among experts on the new anti-discrimination directive proposal, and to develop a conversation on combating discrimination on all grounds. A debate among experts is the first step to a larger public debate.

[18. 9. 2008]Czech Women´s Lobby protests against influencing of European Structural Fund against gender organizations

Czech Women's Lobby platform requests an investigation into the content and the footnote of the No. 26 E.U. grant competition announcement for the area 3.4. Equal Opportunities of Men and Women at the Labor Market and Reconciling Family and Professional Life (OP LZZ) published by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on August 25, 2008. The request concerns specifically the footnote in the grant qualifications section that states: “Note: Projects may not be of political nature and must not promote any political or ideological aims, including feminist or masculinist ideologies." Here you can read letter, Czech Women´s Lobby wrote to the Minister without portfolio Džamila Stehlíková who is also responsible for human rights and equal opportunities issues.