As part of the B.a.B.e project, which is being implemented with the support of the National Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, on November 29, 2024, the second thematic conference entitled 'Reconciling family and work life: the role of employers in creating balance' was held at the premises of the Croatian Employers' Association. The conference brought together numerous experts who spoke about this current topic, and a video from the 'Equality without excuses' campaign was premiered.
The president of the B.a.B.e association, Petra Kontić, opened the conference by emphasizing that the main goal of the conference is to identify obstacles in working practices that can be changed without significant investment, which will benefit both employees with small children and employers, taking into account the difficulties faced by working parents. As an interesting part of the research, she particularly highlighted the statements of male respondents who said that they do not participate in household chores because they do not know how, and that is why, in the campaign with the motto 'If you don't know, learn. Let's share the chores at home', in collaboration with designer Goga Golik , we have provided ten instructions on how to perform simple household chores.
The Gender Equality Ombudsperson Višnja Ljubičić spoke about the importance of balancing work and private life, and in this context the position of women in the labor market, creating conditions for the active inclusion of women in the labor market through appropriate balancing of work and private life, the activities of the Ombudsperson institution, including those from the EU Ombudsperson project "Towards real equality between men and women: balancing professional and family life".
Anita Džapo from the Croatian Employers' Association stressed that employers should provide employees with both flexible working conditions and adequate support. She suggested the possibility of working from home or remotely as concrete measures. She particularly highlighted the importance of lifelong learning and the need for more active engagement of local authorities in solving problems such as the lack of kindergartens and preschool teachers.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Ksenija Klasnić from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, Department of Sociology, addressed the gap between the theory and practice of gender inequality in unpaid domestic work in Croatia. She emphasized that changing the position of women is made more difficult by the transmission of unequal relations to new generations, with girls copying their mothers and boys copying their fathers. She also added that, unfortunately, there is no country in which complete gender equality has been achieved.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Valerija Barada from the University of Zadar addressed the situation of working parents in Croatia, emphasizing that men are increasingly involved in childcare, while women still bear the brunt of other aspects of household responsibilities. She presented the results of research conducted in 2022 and 2023, which examined what family life is like in Croatia and what changes could improve their situation. The research in six Croatian regions revealed, among other things, that women are more likely to work part-time, while as many as 15% of women in the coastal region were employed "in the black". She described the stigma and ridicule that men faced for taking parental leave as particularly worrying.
Dr. Sc. Blanka Čop from the Faculty of Law in Split warned that the conflict between private and work life negatively affects the quality of life, health and productivity of employees. She particularly highlighted the problem of overlapping work and private obligations, noting that the results of the survey showed that 54.7% of respondents were contacted by employers outside of working hours, while 46% worked overtime. When it comes to sick leave due to a child's illness, mothers more often took on this responsibility (64%), while the fact that 18% of respondents did not have the opportunity to use sick leave in such situations is worrying. On the other hand, 60% of respondents had the opportunity to perform private obligations during working hours, but here too men were in a more favorable position, because they used this opportunity more often.
Asst. Ph.D. sc. Željka Zdravković from the University of Zadar spoke about the working conditions of young people in Croatia and presented the results of research on the transition of young people from adolescence to adulthood, with finding their first paid job, entering into a marriage/partnership and becoming a parent being some of the most important life events. The research showed the presence of gender differences in the labor market, while working conditions are the most important predictors of young people becoming independent from their parents, entering into a life partnership and becoming a parent.
The lecture was followed by a panel on examples of good practices of employers who encourage the creation of a positive work environment, which was attended by representatives of various companies: Andreja Gracin (Telemach), Antonija Vojnović (Span), Danijela Haralović (Helen Doron), Martina Bastašić (Undabot) and Kristina Volf (Brigada).
The participants presented a range of measures that their companies are implementing to make it easier for employees to reconcile family and work life. These measures include free medical check-ups, gifts for newborns, paid leave to take a child to the doctor, a day off on the first day of school, reboarding for mothers returning from maternity or parental leave to adapt to changes in the workplace, flexible working arrangements, remote work, flexible working hours, breastfeeding rooms, and the organization of family days within the company. These measures show how employers can actively contribute to the balance between employees' work and private obligations.
The conference brought together 38 participants from various sectors, including representatives of employers, ministries, local authorities, academia, civil society and the media, which enabled a dynamic exchange of experiences and ideas. It is expected that the conclusions of the conference will contribute to the design of concrete measures and initiatives to facilitate the reconciliation of family and work life in Croatia.
