Equal opportunities for women and men

Wage inequality, the low number of women in politics, science, and top management, and domestic violence are just a few of the persistent examples of the unequal position of women in the Czech Republic. Open Society Fund Prague remains practically the only source of funding in this area, providing support to organizations working to promote systemic changes while taking advantage of new approaches to providing men and women with equal opportunities.

In this program, OSF does not issue open calls for grant applications, but engages in long-term cooperation with strategic partners. The foundation works with its partners to identify areas in need of support and to implement solutions leading to social change. Long-term strategic partners include Forum 50 %, Gender Studies, the Open Society's ProEquality Centre and Nesehnutí.

OSF works with Forum 50 % in order to increase women's political participation. Forum 50% engages in systematic pressure on political parties to promote female politicians among their ranks, works to increase female politician's self-confidence and networking, and promotes quotas for women in politics. The organization's efforts run up against politicians' negative stances, improper views on the part of the media, and a frequent lack of interest or understanding on the part of the public. Nevertheless, the 2010 election year can be considered a success in terms of increased female representation in politics – thanks in part to a campaign in support of women politicians, parliament seated 14 more women than in the previous electoral cycle, and for the first time in history, 22 % of parliamentarians were women.

OSF is also a long-term supporter of family policies and gender issues in this area – issues systematically addressed by the Gender Studies civic association. One of this project's main outcomes has been the creation and promotion of a family policy proposal that respects equal opportunities for men and women.

With support from OSF, Open Society's ProEquality Centre analyzes various aspects related to the position of men and women in society. In particular, the ProEquality Centre received a foundation grant in order to prepare a study and analysis of the social reforms being planned by the current Czech government, with a particular focus on pension reform and its impact on men and women.

Since networking and the joint presentation of demands by several organizations at once have proven to be a successful strategy, OSF is also actively involved in supporting cooperation among organizations involved in equal opportunities, including joint campaigns and media strategies. For instance, in 2003 OSF initiated the formation of a coalition of ten non-profit organizations in order to prepare a campaign on the subject of domestic violence. This campaign not only called attention to the prevalence of domestic violence in the Czech Republic, but also significantly contributed to the passing of changes to the criminal code.

 

Contact person:

Zdenka Almerová

Tato emailová adresa je chráněna před spamboty, abyste ji viděli, povolte JavaScript