We successfully hosted the webinar titled “𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 – 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬”, which was attended by more than 80 participants from the region.
Our expert panelists – Jelena Peranic Attenelle (DG JUST D3), Marija Risteska (Center for Research and Policy Making), Slavica Striković (Ženska Akcija), Alina Andronache (Partnership Center for Development), Amina Dizdar (Sarajevski otvoreni centar), Dita Dobranja (Economic expert), and Jano Puškar (father that used paternity leave in Vojvodina, Serbia) shared their insights and experiences, and we had some great audience participation as well.
It’s clear that there is a growing awareness of the EU Directive on work-life balance for parents and carers, costs and benefits – including changes to gender norms that can result from the alignment of national legislation with the EU directive. There is an immense need for parental leave policies that support both mothers and fathers.
The civil society organizations (CSOs) should increase their role in monitoring the implementation of these regulations and advocating for changes that would benefit families. This includes raising awareness among fathers about their paternity leave entitlements and encouraging them to take advantage of them. CSOs should also work to ensure that the regulations are effectively implemented and that families have access to the support they need.
The governments in the region should continue to align their legislation with the EU directive from 2018 and provide more generous benefits for parents and carers. This would help to create a more family-friendly work environment and promote gender equality in the workplace and at home.
There is a need for greater collaboration between CSOs, governments, and other stakeholders in the region to create policies that effectively support families and promote gender equality. By doing so, we can create a more inclusive society where both men and women have the opportunity to balance their professional and personal lives.
The webinar was organized in synergy between the two projects “Strengthening Transparency and Accountability for Gender Equality in Western Balkans and Moldova”, supported by the Austrian Development Agency and the Sida – Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete and the project “Through gender Lenses appraising budgets and policies; watch-dogging local action plans for gender equality implementation” funded by the European Union.
