On April 3, 2024, five associations signed agreements with National Foundation for Civil Society Development for inclusion in Thematic systemic support for five thematic areas that will be significant for the development of Croatian society in the next four years. New project of the BaBe association within the framework of Thematic Systemic Support it refers to balancing private and business life and represents a continuation of the 2015 project "Women in the Labor Market - Assessment of Gender Impact" and the project that ended in 2023 "The Impact of Public Policies on the Quality of Family and Working Life and on the Demographic Picture of the Republic of Croatia - Spaces of Change" which, thanks to scientific research (Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb and Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar, Department of Sociology), confirmed that the issue of balancing obligations in private and business life is closely related to social policy and measures aimed at providing assistance for the care and attention of dependent family members, flexibilization of work and working hours of employees, tax policy, health insurance, poverty rates, demographic trends and generally available services at the national and local levels, and is closely related to the roles and expectations that women and men have in the family, but also to the expectations imposed by the labor market.
The project includes continued cooperation with higher education institutions, an advocacy campaign that contributes to raising public awareness of the complexity of the topic, thematic conferences on models of work-life balance, where we expect synergy between scientific institutions, the economy, public policy makers and civil society. We expect that the media visibility of this topic will contribute to raising public and decision-makers' awareness and result in a comprehensive public policy for balancing the family and work lives of men and women. We are faced with various forms and methods of work, the key ones being: advocacy for a coherent public policy regulating the reconciliation of family and work life at national and local levels, with clear indicators of progress; monitoring of legislative solutions and their social impact on balancing private and business obligations; public campaigns with the aim of raising awareness among the public, employers and decision-makers about the inequalities produced by gender stereotypes and traditional gender roles; structured dialogues with all relevant stakeholders on how to eliminate stereotypes about the role of women and men in the family and in the labor market, including the media and the education system; effective dialogue with employers and providing support and assistance to their efforts to enable employees, especially women, to more easily balance their responsibilities; open discussions and expert conferences about new trends, research and contemporary models of harmonizing private and business life with the aim of improving employers' practices; establishing a common platform for activities in this area with civil society organizations.
