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Description
The project TERA addresses the work-life balance (WLB) in rural areas. The multifaceted burden of women, accompanied by non-recognition of their role and contribution to the household(s), agriculture and wider community on the one hand, and the deep-rooted gender stereotypes of men in rural areas on the other, contribute to the high absence of women in rural socio-economic environment. Research shows, among other things, that the share of women in Slovenia who participate in work on farms as carriers and family members is 46%, which is higher than the EU average, but only 9% of them are owners of the same agricultural economy.
In this context, the project addresses the challenges of WLB in rural areas, namely: (1) low awareness of the possibilities for work-life balance in rural areas; (2) markedly deteriorating economic independence of women in rural areas; (3) fragmentation of stakeholders in the region in addressing the challenges of work-life balance; (4) physical remoteness and thus difficult access to (public) services.
The main goal of the project is to empower men and women in rural areas to effectively address the challenges of WLB, with which the project establishes local systems and partnerships in Posavje and Pomurje for achieving work-life balance. The specific objectives of the project are: (1) to involve 100 stakeholders in two established multi-stakeholder local partnerships in Pomurje and Posavje region to foster WLB in rural areas; (2) to include 500 people living rural areas in educational and awareness-raising program to facilitate WLB in rural areas; (3) to include 40 mentors in an active mentoring scheme for the implementation of workshops of the educational and awareness program for men and women from rural areas. The goal of the project is (also) to overcome gender stereotypes in rural areas and strengthen the institutional capacities of both regional consortium partner.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the work-life balance in rural areas. The multifaceted burden of women, accompanied by non-recognition of their role and contribution to the household(s), agriculture and wider community on the one hand, and the deep-rooted gender stereotypes of men in rural areas on the other, contribute to the high absence of women in rural socio-economic environment. Research shows, among other things, that the share of women in Slovenia who participate in work on farms as carriers and family members is 46%, which is higher than the EU average, but only 9% of them are owners of the same agricultural economy (Gerold, 2019).
In this context, the project addressed the challenges of work-life balance in rural areas, namely: (1) low awareness of the possibilities for work-life balance in rural areas; (2) markedly deteriorating economic independence of women in rural areas; (3) fragmentation of stakeholders in the region in addressing the challenges of work-life balance; (4) physical remoteness and thus difficult access to (public) services. Based on this, the main goal of the project was to empower men and women in rural areas to effectively address the challenges of work-life balance, with which the project established local systems and partnerships in the Posavje region and the Pomurje region for achieving work-life balance.
The main project outputs include:
- Implementation of a gender equality survey (including 707 participants living in rural areas) which revealed a gender-differentiated view of the current situation of gender power relations in rural areas, with 43% of women saying that their situation has not changed significantly (compared to the roles and positions of previous generations), while 67% of men were of the opposite opinion – that we are moving towards gender equality. In addition, 47% of women expressed being overburdened in aspects of professional and family life compared to 16% of men. 80% of men are convinced that the mental and physical loads are evenly distributed.
- Launch of an educational and awareness-raising programme with its dissemination in 20 different locations across Slovenia and more than 1000 participants (60% of women and 40% of men).
- Establishment of a mentoring scheme to mentor people living in rural areas to facilitate work-life balance. 88 mentors were trained to transfer knowledge to more than 300 participants to better understand and provide information on possible solutions to improve their work-life balance in rural areas.
- Establishment of a local project committee in the Pomurje region and the Posavje region - representatives of local authorities, educational institutions, social work centres, employers and economic interest associations, youth centres, cultural institutions and NGOs agreed to the establishment of a local TERA project committee in both regions.
The main target group were women and men living in rural areas. The project addressed also local stakeholders and general public to raise awareness of the role and position of women and men in rural areas (including the state as regards gender equality in rural areas).
Workshops hosted more than 300 participants. Overall, the participants reported to have benefitted from the TERA education and awareness-raising programme. 90% of the participants reported having an improved knowledge of work-life balance in rural areas after participating in the course. In this sense, the project has undoubtedly filled an important knowledge gap in rural Slovenia, and is considered to foster awareness regarding issues related to gender equality.
Summary of bilateral results
Cooperation with the Norwegian project partner was valuable and contributed to better quality results. Conducting the survey and evaluation and enhancement recommendations for project tools were key bilateral activities and outcomes of the joint efforts. The bilateral collaboration is planned to continue. Building on the success of previous joint activities, Slovenian and Norwegian project partners are already exploring ideas for additional follow-up projects in the future. These projects will aim to further deepen the partnership and expand on the knowledge and insights gained thus far, with a focus on addressing emerging challenges and opportunities in key areas.