Cooperation between European EQUAL Projects

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One of the first common activities undertaken within the Equal CHOICES transnational project has been to collect gender mainstreaming good practices.

If by ‘mainstreaming’ is meant the inclusion of equal opportunities measures in all EU and national policies, the expression ‘gender mainstreaming’ specifically refers to the European Union’s strategy to combat inequalities between men and women in economic, political, civil and social life, to change roles and to eliminate stereotypes in this area. The European action programme for equal opportunities has accompanied this strategy by supporting awareness-raising campaigns, improving the collection of statistical data, and by promoting transnational projects.

Within the CHOICES transnational project, the main features shared by the partners is their use of a gender approach, their endeavour to implement experimental actions, and to spread local-level good practices in order to close the gender gap still persisting in various domains of everyday life: family, education, work, and so on.

By the expression ‘good practices’ is meant actions which produce change in culture, behaviour and social organization, the purpose being to remove inequality and discrimination based on gender stereotypes. The promotion of good practices therefore serves not only to publicize their innovativeness, but also to facilitate their transfer to other areas: company policies, training policies, actions financed by European programmes, and so on.

There follows a survey of the good practices collected by the partners in the CHOICES Project (Finland, Spain, Denmark and Italy) through examination of different institutional, organizational and territorial contexts.

The good practices have been grouped together by considering three different areas of implementation:

� Ministerial and/or national level policies:

the application of gender mainstreaming in national policies, in programmes, and in general projects, is a complex undertaking which concerns every phase in a policy’s development: its conception, implementation, assessment, and revision. Cooperation with bodies and/or committees in promoting equal opportunities is vital if projects and initiatives are to implement a gender approach;

� projects in the field of education and training:

the inclusion of gender mainstreaming in training schemes, and the identification of good practices to develop a gender culture in schools and the associated institutions, are indispensable if the obstacles against equal opportunities are to be removed, and if equal participation by women and men in education, training and the labour market is to be achieved;

� positive actions in the labour market:

the purpose of such actions is to encourage gender mainstreaming and to improve the quality of life and the work/life balance. The purpose of implementing innovative ideas on achieving a gender balance in labour market participation is to facilitate career development, to reduce vertical and horizontal gender segregation, and to introduce new forms of flexibility that enhance the work/life balance for women and men.

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GOVERNMENTAL AND GOVERNMENTAL AND GOVERNMENTAL AND GOVERNMENTAL AND GOVERNMENTAL AND GOVERNMENTAL AND GOVERNMENTAL AND GOVERNMENTAL AND NATIONAL POLICY LEVELNATIONAL POLICY LEVELNATIONAL POLICY LEVELNATIONAL POLICY LEVELNATIONAL POLICY LEVELNATIONAL POLICY LEVELNATIONAL POLICY LEVELNATIONAL POLICY LEVEL

Title: Government resolution on the action plan for the finnish government.

Duration: 2004-2007.

Implementing Agency: The Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

Funding: Governmental.

Objectives: The Government Resolution on the Action Plan for Gender Equality of the Finnish Government 2004 – 2007 initiates, compiles and co-ordinates the measures by which the Government promotes the equality between women and men. The action plan aims to implement the objectives that the Government has specified in its policy programme with a view to promoting gender equality.

Activities: The Government Action Plan for Gender Equality 2004-2007 consists of various elements. The measures of the action plan are related, among other things, to the reform of the Act on Equality between Women and Men, promoting gender equality in working life, facilitating the reconciliation of work and family life, increasing the number of women in economic and political decision-making, alleviating segregation, reducing stereotypic gender images in the media, combating violence against women, men and gender equality, and enhancing gender equality in regional development and in international and EU co-operation. The Action Plan for Gender Equality incorporates a project presupposing extensive co-operation of the ministries, namely mainstreaming gender equality in state administration.

The aim is to influence the decisions to be taken and thereby to increase the equality between women and men in society.

The preparing and carrying out of the Action Plan for Gender Equality is a part of the implementing and monitoring of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 in order to promote the status of women. The measures of the Action Plan for Gender Equality cover the most important areas of the Beijing Platform for Action. The implementation of the action plan requires commitment of the Government and the ministries, and of the agencies and institutions under the ministries, to promoting gender equality as well as an extensive co-operation between the ministries and various actors. The Government follows the implementation of the action plan and reports on how it progresses.

Impact: In March 2006, the Government ministries´ joint working group compiled interim information on the implementation of the Action Plan. According to the working group's follow-up report, all measures linked to the Action Plan have been successfully initiated. The most extensive complexes of measures are development of gender equality in working life, mainstreaming of measures undertaken within the state administration, and reduction of violence against women and if intimate partner violence.

Contacts: Government Action Plan for Gender Equality Government Action Plan for Gender Equality 20042004--2007. Helsinki 2005. 42 pp (Publications of the 2007. Helsinki 2005. 42 pp (Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland, ISSN Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland, ISSN 12361236--2050, 2005:1) ISBN 9522050, 2005:1) ISBN 952--0000--16001600--7 (print) ISBN 7 (print) ISBN 952952--0000--16031603--1 (PDF).1 (PDF).

FINLAND

FINLAND

FINLAND

FINLAND

FINLAND

FINLAND

FINLAND

FINLAND

Title: GOVERNMENT BILL FOR THE EQUALITY between men and women.

Duration: Permanent, although subject to minor or major reforms.

Implementing Agency: The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Funding: Governmental.

Objectives:� To achieve Equal Treatment between women and men.

� To eliminate all kinds and forms of discrimination against women.

� To establish Equal Opportunities in all fields of action.

� To achieve equal representation of women and men in public administrations.

� To contribute to the fair share of household chores between men and women.

� To implement a series of mainstreaming measures in the political, social and legal fields.

Activities: Main measures made provision for in the law:

� Positive discrimination measures are to be included in collective bargaining processes.

� Flexible working hours: substantial reductions in working hours for workers with children aged 8 or less or dependant family members.

� Recognition of paternity leaves; increase of the length of leaves due to adoption, birth or fostering.

� Equality plans are made compulsory for enterprises with

more than 250 workers.

� In public positions, removal of those hiring requisites that

may act in the detriment of women; women will have

preferential access to training programmes after periods of

reduced working hours or leaves.

� The Government will be committed to periodically devise

Strategic Equal Opportunity Plans and to issue gender

impact reports of all relevant measures and plans approved

by the Council of Ministers.

� Recognition of paternity and maternity leaves for the self-

employed.

� More severe sanctions and punishment are established in

cases of discrimination of any kind, and in case of non-

compliance of this organic law.

� Special housing measures for women undergoing any

discriminatory or exclusion situation.

� The media will be expected to fight discrimination and

prevent gender-biased and sexist advertisements.

� Special inclusion measures and training programmes will be

designed for rural women to be more represented in

farming enterprises.

Impact: This Organic Law Project has been approved very recently ( June 2006) and therefore there are no specific impacts to comment on yet.

Contacts: The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs ((www.mtas.eswww.mtas.es)

SPA

INSPA

INSPA

INSPA

INSPA

INSPA

INSPA

INSPA

IN

Title: The Danish inter-ministerial gender mainstreaming project.

Duration: 2002-2006.

Implementing Agency: Minister for Gender Equality and Social Affairs; Department of Gender Equality.

Funding: Governmental.

Objectives: The gender mainstreaming strategy is a new strategy for Denmark’s gender equality work. It springs from the adoption of the new Danish Act on Equal Status for Women and Men of May 2000. The overall objectives are to promote gender equality between women and men by incorporating the gender and gender equality perspective in every aspect of state policy, planning and management.

The objectives of the inter-ministerial gender mainstreaming project are: to ensure that gender and gender equality perspectives become a natural and integrated part of key ministerial core tasks, and that ministries are able in their work to perceive society’s gender equality challenges in the context of their own policy areas.

Activities: To achieve the overall objectives, methodologies and tools must be developed and disseminated to other parts of the organisation. Immediate targets have been formulated on an annual basis.

The individual ministries have their separate projects. Information by the ministries on their projects form the basis for a charting of their mainstreaming activities, their challenges in the gender equality areas and any need for joint initiatives. The aim is to enable the steering committee for the gender mainstreaming project to establish a comparable, common model for gender mainstreaming work in the individual ministries.

Impact: The steering committee, which is inter-ministerial, annually evaluates the over-all project progress based on launched joint initiatives and progress reports from individual ministries on their projects. Ministries evaluate their own projects and pass on their experience and knowledge to the steering committee. This practice of self-evaluation makes it difficult to assess the impact of the over-all project.

Inter-ministerial work groups have published campaign materials and set out their views on various aspects of gender equality in brochures and booklets. See, for example, “Check on gender equality” (n. d.) that refers to municipal planning; “Women in management”(2004); “Women’s and men’s educations and jobs”(2006) on gender segregation in education and the job market; “Employment, participation and equal opportunities for everybody” (2005) on how to do away with gender-based barriers to education and work among women and men with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contacts:Contacts: www.lige.dkwww.lige.dk; Department of Gender Equality; Department of Gender Equality DENMARK

DENMARK

DENMARK

DENMARK

DENMARK

DENMARK

DENMARK

DENMARK

Title: National Action Plan: “Actions to promote women's empowerment and to recognise and ensure freedom of choice and a better quality of social living for women and men”.

Duration: The plan was approved the 27th March 1997.

Implementing Agency: Council of Ministers.

Funding: The plan does not provide for a proper budget; all actions and initiatives are financed by different sources and acts such as the annual Financial Law of the State, the Law 215/92 on Female Entrepreneurship, the Law 125/91 on Positive Actions, the Law 53/00 on Parental Leaves etc.

Other sources of financing are represented by Structural Funds and other budget lines of the European Union.

Objectives: � Empowerment.

� Mainstreaming a gender perspective into government policies.

� Statistical analysis and impact evaluation.

� Disseminate gender-sensitive culture in education.

� Employment and job-creation policies.

� Women's skills and entrepreneurship.

� Policies to re-organise the use of time, working hours and the organisations of work-strategic objective.

� Health protection and disease prevention.

� Prevention and repression of violence.

� International relations and co-operation .

Activities: The application of this Action Plan had a further implementation and was reinforced as a consequence of the approbation of the Treaty of Amsterdam. See, for instance, the approval by the Council of Ministers, Equal Opportunities Department, of the "Guidelines for the evaluation of strategic impact on equal opportunities actions (V.I.S.P.O.)", in June 1999.

Impact: The main result of the document has been the improvement of the life condition and independence of women as well as a better evaluation of the female resources. In consequence of the V.I.S.P.O., the Council of Ministers, Equal Opportunities Department, also approved the Guidelines for preparing and evaluating the regional integrative programme in relation with the principle of equal opportunities between women and men. The document have the aim to facilitate the realisation of the mainstreaming in the new programming period of Structural Funds and to support it on the transition from the strategies to the concrete measures and, so, it wanted to assure a real gender-equity not only with reference to the access but also and above all in the results.

Contacts: Contacts: http://www.cantieripa.it/allegati/Prodi_Finocchiaro.pdfhttp://www.cantieripa.it/allegati/Prodi_Finocchiaro.pdf

ITALY

ITALY

ITALY

ITALY

ITALY

ITALY

ITALY

ITALY

Title: Attractiveness of science education in the finnish comprehensiveschool.

Duration: 2002-2005.

Implementing Agency: Department of Applied Sciences of Education at the University of Helsinki.

Funding European Social Fund / EQUAL Community Initiative.

Objectives: The goal of the GISEL (Gender Issues, Science Education and Learning), a subproject of the Equal Community Initiative project MIRROR, is to improve teaching and learning in science and technology in Finnish comprehensive schools with the aim to motivate particularly girls to learn science and technology (including information and communication technology, ICT) at school and specifically to help them to continue their educationwithin science and technology oriented studies.

The general goal of the GISEL is to improve science teaching andlearning by developing models of teaching and ways how information and communication technologies (ICT) are utilised atschool. In particular, it was stated that the GISEL shall: (i) develop new approaches for science and technology education that motivate especially girls to learn science, (II) develop new approaches where ICT can be used in a versatile manner within several teaching methods, (iii) help science teachers to adopt and develop models of teaching and pedagogical models for utilising ICT in science education, and (iv) foster collaboration between schools and University, other institutions and industry to provide professional development opportunities for teachers.

Examples of activities: In the GISEL project's framework, teaching methods of science have been developed in cooperation with

teachers from the cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. Those teaching methods demonstrate the attractiveness of science and promote young people's, girls´ in particular, interest in science; thus, motivating them to study science and to choose advanced science courses especially in the upper secondary school.

In the GISEL project, a survey has been carried out on the attractive-ness of science education among pupils in the ninth grade of comprehensive school. Most of the survey questions were adopted from the international ROSE survey (The Relevance of Science Education) in which about 40 countries are involved. TheGISEL project survey was answered by 3626 students (out of them 1772 girls) in 61 Finnish schools which corresponds to 73 % of pupils in 81 % of the selected schools.

According to the GISEL project's findings, it is important to beaware that boys and girls, as groups, on average, have differentinterests and everyday experiences in the various school subjects or scientific disciplines. Concerning the teaching of science, a specific wish was expressed to increase the number of different visits toindustry and museums as well as to involve experts in the science classes. Specifically, this was expressed by girls.

Further details of the survey results are available in the publication: Research findings on young people's perceptions of technology and science education – Mirror results and good practices (2005), ISBN 951-817-886-0.

Impact: The study provides topical information about the attitudes of the generation on the verge of leaving comprehensive school towards science and science education. A deeper analysis of the materialcollected is ongoing. International cooperation is being carried out on the basis of the information gathered.

Contacts: : http://www.mirror4u.net/english/osaprojektit.htmlhttp://www.mirror4u.net/english/osaprojektit.html

EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONSINSTITUTIONSINSTITUTIONSINSTITUTIONSINSTITUTIONSINSTITUTIONSINSTITUTIONSINSTITUTIONS

FinlandFinlandFinlandFinland

Title: Web Quest “MY SCHOOL AND THE WORLD – VALUES AND EDUCATION”.

Duration: Permanent.

Implementing Agency: The background entities are several trade unions, promoted by the AECI (Spanish Agency of International Cooperation):

FETE-UGT (Spanish trade union, branch of the educational sector).

FETE-UGT Madrid.

ISCOD (Cooperation institute dependant of UGT, a Spanish trade union).

Education Internacional (International trade union).

AECI ( Spanish Agency of International Cooperation).

Objectives: � Allow teachers and educationalists from all over the world to post

didactic units, articles, reports, activities, books, videos, games etc.

� To promote and disseminate values within education based on equality, solidarity and coeducation.

� To present tools and activities in innovative formats.

� To provide with activities and methodologies regarding specific subject matters (gender inequality, racism, violence, drugs, environment etc.).

� To act as platform for other initiatives involving schools, teachers and students: associations, educative networks, projects etc.

� To exchange experiences and know-how, as well as to receive feed-back on activities, initiatives etc.

Activities: “My school and the world” is a multicultural webpage that gathers all types of material on gender mainstreaming in schools. Its contents are in 7 languages: Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque,English, French and Arabic.

Main types of documents that can be found: videos, pictures; topic-oriented didactic units addressed to different age groups; web-based lessons; activities linked/independent from didactic units; guides and manuals; studies and reports; didactic games; articles; essays; seminaries etc.

The contents of the webpage are arranged in the following sections:

Photographic exhibition: In this section it is possible to post photographic collections whose subject matters are related to the aims of the webpage.

Library: Vast resource for all kinds of related documents.

Notice board: Meant for the interchange of ideas and information.

Didactic Tools: Didactic units and exercises are collected in this section.

Impact: This web quest has been working very successfully since it was created, and many new materials are posted daily from many different countries.

Contacts: : http://www.educacionenvalores.org/sommairehttp://www.educacionenvalores.org/sommaire--en.php3 en.php3 (web quest page)(web quest page)

info@miescuelayelmundo.org (web quest email)info@miescuelayelmundo.org (web quest email)..

SpainSpainSpainSpain

It is voluntary for a student with ethnic minority background toenter the mentor/mentee network program, and effort is put into making the right match. Mentors are recruited from within the field of social and health care.

Examples of activities: The mentor offers support and guidance to the mentee. Such support may be academic, social or linguistic. The two parties meet once a month or now and then according to the mentee’s needs. At the meeting they may do homework with a special focus on written and spoken Danish. Or they may define and discuss the mentee’s professional and personal goals and how to reach them. It is always for the mentee to decide the topic of conversation when they meet.

Impact: Interviews conducted with both mentors and mentees (ten pairs) after the program has been in work for about a year suggested that both parties were very satisfied with the program. Some mentees argued that it has helped them completing their education. According to some mentors the program has had the side effect ofbreaking down prejudices and stereotypes.

A total of 44 pairs of mentor/mentee have been matched during the two years in which the mentor network has existed. Currentlythere are about 20 pairs, and mentors are in demand. It is not really possible to assess the impact of the mentor program because it is just one of several so-called factors that influence the learning environment and it cannot be isolated and subjected to measurement. However, if the students say it works, this is whatcounts.

Contacts:Contacts: SocialSocial-- og Sundhedsskolen i Kog Sundhedsskolen i Køøbenhavn, Brbenhavn, Brøøndby ndby afdeling; afdeling; www.sosukbhamt.dkwww.sosukbhamt.dk

Title: Mentor network program in social and health care assistant training programmes.

Duration: 2005-2006.

Implementing Agency: The Social and Health College in Copenhagen, Brøndby department.

Funding: The Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs.

Objectives: Social and health care training programmes are increasingly popular among both women and men with ethnic minority backgrounds, especially in the larger cities. Educating people with ethnic minority backgrounds in this field potentially solves twoproblems at one time. One is the problem of unemployment on the part of ethnic minorities. The other is that both the home care system and the hospitals find it difficult to recruit labour force. There is a catch in it, however, in that students with ethnic minority backgrounds drop out or do not complete their education to a much larger degree than ethnic Danes. The mentor network program is meant as a way to overcome this tendency. It may alsobe seen as a special practice to maintain men with ethnic minority backgrounds.

The purpose of the mentor network is to create a professional contact between mentee and mentor who can yield both professional and personal support to the mentee.

DenmarkDenmarkDenmarkDenmark

�developing basic and transverse skills, particularly for women, as part of an overall skills assessment procedure aimed at promoting self-knowledge, self-confidence and self-esteem.

Impact: During 2000/01 academic year were supported projects on entrepreneurship for young people. In the 2002/03 academic year,schools began developing its own initiatives for secondary students and adult women, followed in 2003/04 by projects for teachers. The projects were based on suggestions and instructions from theMinistry, involving:

�young people: improving communicative and relational skills, promoting the entrepreneurial spirit and developing scientific and technological competences;

� adult women: promoting linguistic, communicative and relational skills, use of the information technologies, corporate culture and employment-oriented thinking, preparation for future occupations based on initial standards, and the legal field, concentrating on rights relating to equal opportunities between women and men;

� teachers: “looking at oneself”, gender and occupational identity, knowledge as an instrument for the spatiotemporal construction of individual identities, and gender orientation and difference.

The role of educational guidance was stressed in order to boost self-esteem and self-reliance, the ability to formulate projects through an awareness of oneself, one’s abilities, skills, knowledge and expectations, in all their spatiotemporal contexts.

Contacts: Contacts: http://www.pubblica.istruzione.it/fondistrutturali/allegati/http://www.pubblica.istruzione.it/fondistrutturali/allegati/documenti/2003/documento_po.pdfdocumenti/2003/documento_po.pdf

Title: Equal opportunities between women and men in Objective 1 Schools.

Duration: Activities were initiated at the beginning of the 2000/01 academic year.

Implementing Agency: Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily).

Objectives: Trying to construct and to develop a diversity-based culture transcending prejudices and stereotyping on the basis of male orfemale gender identity, the Ministry has proposed the following aims:

� creating the conditions for trying out the gender-culture approach and transferring the competences, knowledge and training models into the individual schools’ educational options;

� reducing the high level of female unemployment and the difficulties experienced by women on the labour market, due to widespread problems with vocational guidance and training, family responsibilities and the persistent exclusion of women from training courses leading to innovative, high-level professional outlets.

Activities: � in-house training for teachers on equal opportunities issues

and identification of teaching models and instruments capable of achieving gender mainstreaming in schools;

� guidance and “looking at oneself” with a view to developing technological, scientific and entrepreneurial skills, particularly for girls;

ItalyItalyItalyItaly

Title: Tasa-arvo todeksi – käsikirja, Ilka Haarni (author)

[Making Gender Equality A Reality In Enterprises –Handbook, Ilka Haarni].

Duration: Published in 2005.

Implementing Agency: The National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health STAKES, Finland (publisher).

Funding Employment and Economic Development Centre in Uusimaa, Finland.

Objectives: Since public and private employers are obliged to promote equality between men and women in work places in Finland, the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health STAKES in cooperation with the network of Finnish Business and Society has produced a toolkit for fostering gender equality in the private enterprises. The main aim of the handbook is to introduce the obligations that the reformed Gender Equality Act,effective since 2005, imposes on enterprises who employ a minimum of 30 staff members. The Act contains definitions of what should be done by the employers in order to promote gender equality. In addition, the goal is also to offer tools that enterprises can use in their Human Resources Management processes to develop an action model for gender equality planning. The reader of the handbook will become acquainted with the process of drawing up a plan for promoting gender equality in the work place.

Activities: The handbook, only available in Finnish, deals with practical questions and gives examples of issues that must be considered by employers when they initiate the work on producing a gender equality plan. A concrete company case illustrates, explains andclarifies the process of working out and documenting successfully such a written gender equality plan. The handbook is also expected to encourage employers together with their employees to discuss gender equality and what it means in practical terms in the daily life of the company. A variety of relevant links on gender equality is also provided in the handbook.

Impact: According to research, less than a third of enterprises with more than 30 employees have prepared a gender equality plan as stipulated by the Act. Therefore, the handbook is expected to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality in the work places and hopefully it will contribute to a positive development of gender equality issues within private and public organisations in Finland in the future.

Contacts: : D.Soc.ScD.Soc.Sc InkaInka HaarniHaarni, Senior Researcher, , Senior Researcher, inka.haarni@stakes.fiinka.haarni@stakes.fi

The handbook (in Finnish) is available as a The handbook (in Finnish) is available as a pdfpdf--publication publication on the internet at: on the internet at: http://www.businessandsociety.net/tasahttp://www.businessandsociety.net/tasa--arvotodeksiarvotodeksi//

LABOUR MARKETLABOUR MARKETLABOUR MARKETLABOUR MARKETLABOUR MARKETLABOUR MARKETLABOUR MARKETLABOUR MARKET

FinlandFinlandFinlandFinland

Title: Programme Optima.

Duration: It is a NOW Europe initiative that started in 1995.

Implementing Agency: This initiative was developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, through the Women’s Institute.

Objectives: � To implement Equal Opportunities measures within enterprises.

� To support the promotion of women within enterprises.

� To provide assistance and counselling to the entities achieving the collaborator status.

� To provide with training and awareness raising activities.

� To provide with information on mediation and counselling methodologies, available bibliographic sources, existing training offer, funding etc.

Activities: Programme Optima is managed by means of a telematicplatform, where it is possible to find information on how to participate, on mediation and counselling methodologies, bibliographic sources, existing training offer, funding etc. it also has a forum for the participating entities.

The recognition as collaborating entity entails a process:

Application: The application form can be downloaded from the Optima site.

Diagnosis: Upon acceptance of the application, the Women’s Institute sends a detailed questionnaire to the enterprise and meets its Human Resources Department.

Positive Action Plan: The Women’s Institute devices a tailored Positive Action Plan proposal, including areas as recruiting processes; training; promotion; wages policy; conciliation of work and family life; social policy; grants and incentive policies; safety at work; collective bargaining; employer-employee relationships and Equal Opportunities committee.

Evaluation: Once the agreed deadline expires, the Institute will carry out an assessment report on the implementation of the Plan.

Acceptance: If the assessment is positive, the enterprise qualifies as “Collaborating Entity in the Equal Opportunities for men and women”, which is to be considered as a quality seal.

Follow-Up: The Institute will also carry out a follow up of the measures implemented and of the results achieved by the collaborating entity.

Impact: In the present 35 entities have achieved this recognition, and many others are undergoing the process. It was selected as good practice by the EU.

Contacts: : http://http://www.mtas.es/mujerwww.mtas.es/mujer// (Women(Women’’s Institute s Institute Website)Website)

http://http://www.tt.mtas.eswww.tt.mtas.es/optima//optima/ (Optima programme)(Optima programme)

spainspainspainspain

Activities: The employees get information about “Dad’s Hug” at the workplace. They have direct access to a web side with detailed and clear information on the campaign and the official rules of parental leave.

New fathers get a package containing a bib, a thermos bottle, a rucksack with ample room for a portable pc, and a letter with information about the company’s policy on parental leave.

Impact: An increasing number of men/fathers employed in TDC have used the possibility to take their share of the parental leave. And compared with Danish men in general, men employed in TDC take far more leave than the average share.

According to the company’s recent statistic the campaign seems to work. Since 2002, the number of men who use their right to parental leave has increased from 13 per cent to about 61 per cent. On average, the new fathers in TDC take one and a half week more leave in 2005 than they did in 2002.

The campaign has also caused a good deal of public interest, andTDC representatives have been invited to present “Dad’s Hug” at for example conferences on men and fatherhood.

Contacts: Contacts: www.tdc.dkwww.tdc.dk

See also: See also: ReinickeReinicke, Kenneth et al.: Fathers on Parental Leave , Kenneth et al.: Fathers on Parental Leave in Denmark. In: A. in Denmark. In: A. TereskinasTereskinas and J. and J. ReingardieneReingardiene (eds.): (eds.): Men and Fatherhood. New Forms of Masculinity in Europe. Men and Fatherhood. New Forms of Masculinity in Europe. Vilnius 2005: Vilnius 2005: EugrimasEugrimas; pp. 59; pp. 59--91.91.

Title: “Fars kram” [Dad’s Hug].

Duration: Campaign launched in December 2004.

Implementing Agency: TDC, a Danish telephone company.

Funding TDC

Objectives: Since 1989 it has been possible for men employed in the Danish telephone company TDC to get a full pay during parental leave in up to ten weeks in addition to the standard two weeks of paternity leave. In December 2004 the campaign “Fars kram”[Dad’s Hug] was launched in order to make more men make use of this standing offer. The campaign was meant to signal that taking parental leave does not have to conflict with one’s career and that men may even become better employees/workers by taking their share of the parental leave.

The company wants to contribute to striking a balance between work and private/family life. And the company believes that a policy on parental leave as characterized by “Dad’s Hug” is an obvious part of the company’s views on gender equality. The company also believes that its policy contributes to making employees more motivated and balanced.

DenmarkDenmarkDenmarkDenmark

� quantitative analysis of men and women’s careers, of the models of competences evaluation and of gender organizational cultures;

� qualitative and quantitative analysis focused on the subjects that work with atypical contracts;

� analysis of existing practices of work/life balance;

Experimentation:� focus group;

� individual and group training;

� creation of working groups;

� interventions to managerial and organizational level;

� plan action to restructure career paths;

� valorisation of existing good practices;

� proposal of innovative solutions;

Sistematization of results in a mainstreaming perspective:� guidelines to support personnel management and training in

a gender perspective;

� promotional activity;

� creation of a certification for gender organizational politics;

� cost’s analysis related with the unsuccessful implementation of gender politics.

Impact: The project is currently in phase of experimentation.

Contacts: Contacts: www.unitn.it/gelso www.unitn.it/gelso

Title: GE.L.S.O – GEnere, Lavoro E Segregazione Occupazionale.

Duration: June 2005 – December 2007.

Implementing Agency: Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento.

National partners: FIDIA srl; FORES srl; Gender - Genere, Consulenza, Formazione, Ricerca Scarl; Scuola di Preparazione Sociale.

Transnational partners: Finland, National Board of Education; Denmark, The Danish Research Centre on Gender Equality, Roskilde University; Spain, Ayuntamiento de Cacabelos – Bierzo.

Objectives: To analyse and combat gender occupational segregation in some of the main employment sectors in the province of Trento (public administration, health service and cooperation).

Analysis concentrates on the difficulties in career advancement experienced by women (‘glass ceiling’) and their structural and cultural features. The action-research will concentrate on three linked aspects:

� patterns of career structuring and assessment;

� the use of flexible employment contracts (which mainly involve women and give rise to significant problems in career development and the work/life balance);

� forms of work/life balance and their intrinsic ambiguities.

Activities: Research: � a literary review about gender occupational segregation

and a good practices booklet on work/life balance;

ItalyItalyItalyItaly

Gender, Ethnicity and Guidance

The Danish Research Centre on Gender Equality Roskilde University – Denmark

Developing career counselling services to prevent social exclusion of young people –Finnish National Board of Education - Finland

GEnere, Lavoro e Segregazione Occupazionale - Universitàdegli Studi di Trento -Dipartimento di Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale - Italy

Ayuntamiento de Cacabelos - Spain