Association BaBe Be active. Be emancipated.. launched a new project with partners to investigate the needs of women and men of working-productive age and young people, and to analyze and propose public policies for a better harmonization of private and business life.
A project called "The impact of public policies on the quality of family and working life and on the demographic picture of Croatia - spaces of change" was selected within the framework of an open provisional Call for Grants "Thematic networks for socio-economic development and the promotion of social dialogue in the context of improving working conditions", and its implementation began on October 28, 2020.
The project will build a network of civil society organizations (CSOs) and strengthen their capacities for partnership work and cross-sector cooperation to establish a meaningful and comprehensive public policy for harmonizing private and business life in accordance with the development specificities of the regions in which the Network members operate.
European Institute for Gender Equality warned of the adverse impact of the recession back in 2015, specifically in the case of the Republic of Croatia. They believe that the crisis has diverted attention from the issue of balancing family and work responsibilities, and decision-makers are not showing much interest in the topic.
"Research shows that work commitments pose difficult obstacles for women with families", he says Zdravka Sadžakov, coordinator of the BaBe association "Women are less active than men, their employment rate is lower, while the unemployment rate for women is higher than for men. Women are twice as likely as men to prioritize family over work and spend three times as much time on housework. Addressing these problems requires changes in legal frameworks, new policy guidelines and meaningful social dialogue between families, CSOs, researchers and national and local governments.".
In addition to women's inequality, poor demographic trends are significantly influenced by high youth unemployment and frequent employment under fixed-term contracts for seasonal work.
"As one of the target groups of the project is older youth, the Croatian Youth Network (MMH) joined this project with the aim of improving the quality of life of young people and creating a support system for young couples who are planning or starting a family. I look forward to this project cooperation and joint work on contributing to the harmonization of private and professional life of both young people and other citizens of the Republic of Croatia.", she said Jovana Kepčija Pavlović, coordinator of MMH activities within the Network.
The project "The Impact of Public Policies on the Quality of Family and Working Life and on the Demographic Picture of Croatia - Spaces of Change" strengthens civil society organizations included in the Thematic Network through partnerships, cross-sectoral cooperation with higher education institutions, and local and regional self-government units in order to achieve effective social dialogue, develop and propose adequate public policies, adapted to the cultural specificities of each region. The project lasts 36 months and is carried out in City of Zagreb and the following counties: Sisak-Moslavina, Koprivnica-Križevci, Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Zadar, Split-Dalmatia and Istria counties.
The project leader is BaBe, and the project partners are: University of Zadar, City of Novska, Vukovar-Srijem County, Association for Human Rights and Civic Participation PaRIter, Association 'HERA' Križevci - For the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, Center for Civic Initiatives Poreč, Women's Association "IZVOR", Croatian Association of Business Women Krug, Dominoes - organization for the promotion of women's rights, Space for Gender and Media Culture K-Zona and Croatian Youth Network.
The value of the project is 3,599,941.69 HRK, of which 15% is financed from the state budget of the Republic of Croatia, and 85% from the European Social Fund. The intermediary bodies are Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy and National Foundation for Civil Society Development within the Operational Program Effective human resources (European Structural and Investment Funds in the Republic of Croatia in the financial period 2014-2020).
