Gender equality and work-life balance

Programme Summary

Why is the programme needed? Spain is one of the European countries at the forefront when it comes to generating equality friendly policies. The last years have seen Spain introducing ground-breaking legislation to combat gender violence and to uphold principles of gender equality in private and public life. Despite these significant efforts however, gender gaps remain both in the private sphere and in the labour market, where women are over-represented in lower-paying sectors of the economy, and under-represented on company boards and other decision-making positions. Spain’s ethnic minority women are more vulnerable to social exclusion, and face additional obstacles and discrimination in the labour market. What will the programme achieve? The programme addresses persistent gender gaps in Spain, with a focus on gender equality in employment. The programme promotes female entrepreneurship, increased participation of women on company boards, reduced pay gaps and improved balance between work and family life. The particular needs of women from disadvantaged ethnic groups are addressed in the programme. In addition, the programme will see bilateral cooperation between Spain and Norway on issues related to tackling gender-based violence. How will it be achieved? The programme consists of five pre-defined projects, three calls for proposals and two small grants schemes, and will result in the following:

• Mentoring, training and coaching for female entrepreneurs

• Awareness raising and training to create a pool of women for future management boards

• Awareness raising campaigns addressing the gender pay gap

• Activities to ensure labour market integration for women from vulnerable groups, including Roma

• Exchange of successful national policies and good practices on gender-based violence in Spain and Norway

How will bilateral relations be strengthened? The programme is implemented in cooperation with the Norwegian Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombud (LDO) as Donor Programme Partner, and has significant potential for continued collaboration between Spain and the Donor states. While Spain is recognised for its progressive legislation on gender-based violence, many European countries are looking to emulate Iceland and Norway's quota for women on company boards. Mutual learning and experience sharing is a central element of the programme. In addition, the programme supports the continuation of a cooperation project on work-life balance between the Spanish Women’s Institute and the Norwegian Association of Regional and Local Authorities. What are the partnership opportunities? The programme is well suited for bilateral project partnerships, and the establishment of project partnerships under the programme is encouraged. Before the launch of the first call, a match making seminar will be organised in order to facilitate the search for partners from the Donor countries. The project size will range from €170,000 to €250,000 under the open call, and from €30,000 to €90,000 under the small grants schemes. One open call will be held in 2013. Who can apply for funding under this programme? Local and regional authorities, trade unions, trade associations, universities and non-governmental organisations are eligible for funding under the programme. Only entities registered in Spain and certain intergovernmental organisations are eligible as project applicants.