THE ROAD TO GENDER EQUALITY Guidelines and documents for the implementation of the gender equality policy
The handbook The Road to Gender Equality: Guidelines and Documents for the Implementation of the Gender Equality Policy was produced as part of the project Gender Equality in Local Development, in which the following three EU countries participated: Luxembourg, Denmark and Slovenia. The project was co-financed by the European Commission from the funds of the Community Programme Relating to the Community Framework Strategy on Gender Equality (2001–2006). The purpose of the project carried out in Slovenia by the Office for Equal Opportunities is to introduce the gender equality perspective into policy at the local level. In 2007, ten workshops were organised in ten statistical regions, where female co-ordinators for equal opportunities and representatives of the municipal administrations, the regional units of the Employment Service of Slovenia, social work centres, NGOs, educational institutions, municipal councillors and other individuals of both genders jointly identified problems in the area of gender equality in the local environment. In addition, a special workshop was devoted to the search for possible solutions to these problems. The handbook is divided into four parts. Part I is the Guidelines for Gender Equality in Local Development, which offer assistance to local and regional authorities in introducing and implementing the gender equality policy at the local and regional level, i.e. in developing strategies, action plans and other programmes for the purpose of achieving equality between women and men. These guidelines address seven priority areas, in which local communities can contribute to change and to the implementation of gender equality: decision-making processes; economic independence; reconciling work with family and private life; violence against woman; social inclusion of vulnerable groups of women and men; traditional social roles and stereotypes about women and men; and gender mainstreaming in local and regional development. Part II includes two educational and awareness raising methods of gender equality: gender role play and the stereotypes method. In gender role play, participants of both genders acquaint themselves through specific situations and examples with everyday situations where it is possible to discuss gender relations and aspects of this which are naturally and socially conditioned. Through the stereotypes method, participants identify and problematise prejudices and stereotypes regarding the roles of women and men in society. The purpose of the first method is to identify the differences between biological sex and social gender, whereas the second aims at raising the awareness of stereotypes and the roles and images of women and men in society. Part III presents legislative and political documents in the area of gender equality. In addition to the Equal Opportunities Act and the Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment Act, it also includes a collection of EU directives in the area of gender equality and two UN documents: the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. The final, fourth part of the handbook contains a dictionary of terms relating to the equality of women and men, entitled A Hundred Words for Equality. The purpose of the dictionary is to facilitate the implementation of equality between women and men and to make information
on European policies more accessible and easier to read. The concepts included in the dictionary should be considered as a standard and a criterion in the area of the gender equality policy. We hope that this handbook will assist you in your efforts in the area of gender equality. Office for Equal Opportunities Ljubljana, September 2007
Dear user of this handbook The road to gender equality is a long one, and the obstacles we encounter sometimes force us to make detours and overcome obstacles. However, at the Office for Gender Equality we are sure that with the right equipment and the right map, as well as adequate preparation, it is possible to walk this road to the end. Part of the equipment needed is the handbook The Road to Gender Equality: Guidelines and Documents for Implementation of the Gender Equality Policy. By adequate preparation we mean knowledge, arguments and a commitment to the realisation of democratic standards, while the map represents the policies of the binding national and international documents in the area of gender equality. Yet the road to gender equality also has its particular features. In contrast to the majority of other roads, which only require the right equipment, adequate preparation and a proper map, there is something more that is needed on the road to gender equality, namely a political commitment to the idea that reaching the goal is important to everyone. Slovenia made a political commitment to the achievement of gender equality some time ago, not least through the adoption of specific legislation prohibiting unequal gender-related treatment. However, this political commitment should be understood not only as the commitment of the state to the provision of conditions for the realisation of gender equality among its citizens, but also as the commitment of local government to contribute at the local level to the improvement of the status of women and men alike in all those areas in which either gender is disadvantaged. Indeed, gender equality can also be achieved through small steps and at the local level. Thus, together with female co-ordinators for equal opportunities in municipalities, as well as with city and municipal councillors, and those employed in municipal administrations, educational and health institutions, social work centres, regional Employment Service units, nongovernmental organisations, and with other stakeholders and individuals, we drew up the Guidelines for Gender Equality in Local Development. These guidelines are a set of possible measures through which local communities can contribute to the provision of equal starting opportunities for women and men alike. Of course, we know that things cannot be changed overnight. Nevertheless, we know that everyone can contribute to change. We hope that the present handbook will offer you sufficient ideas as to how you can contribute to gender equality, either in your workplace or in your private life. I wish all of you many successful steps on the road to gender equality. Tanja Salecl, MSc Directress of the Office for Equal Opportunities Ljubljana, September 2007
GUIDELINES FOR EQUALITY BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
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