Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Promoting Work-Life Balance

Programme Summary

Why is the programme needed? Estonian society has historically been marked by traditional values towards family and gender equality. Today, Estonian women earn on average 28% less than men (Eurostat, 2013), making up one of the highest gender pay gaps in Europe.  Women are facing limited opportunities in the labour market, while being underrepresented in decision making bodies and experiencing difficulties combining work and family responsibilities. Possibilities for flexible working arrangements are limited, and awareness amongst citizens and professionals on gender equality is generally low. What will the programme achieve and who are the beneficiaries? The programme will contribute to mainstreaming gender equality and promoting work-life balance through awareness raising and promotion of research on gender issues; improving opportunities for reconciling work, private and family life and strengthening the capacity of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and networks.How will it be achieved? The programme consists of two pre-defined projects, two calls for proposals and a small grants scheme and will result in the following: -    Development and implementation of high-quality, comprehensive and sustainable systems for promoting gender equality; -    Improvement of the balance between work, private, and family life via the development of research-based concepts to promote a better work-life balance and via the promotion of employee and family friendly social and working environments; -    A new strategy for gender pay gap statistics to be developed by Statistics Estonia; -    A project by the Office of Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner to raise awareness of different actors on issues of gender equality and discrimination and to introduce gender mainstreaming as a concept; and -    Strengthening the capacity of gender equality organizations and networks.How will bilateral relations be strengthened? The Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion has been appointed as the donor programme partner (DPP) and will play an active role during the implementation of the programme to ensure that expected outcomes are achieved through providing technical expertise and advice and to facilitate contact with potential Norwegian project partners. Who can apply for funding under this programme? Public or private, commercial or non-commercial and non-governmental organisations as well as certain inter-governmental organisations are eligible to apply for funding under the programme. Only entities registered in Estonia are eligible as project applicants. The project size will range from €170,000 to €225,000 under the calls for proposals. There will be two calls for proposals, to be launched in the first half of 2013. A small grants scheme will make available smaller scale funding for NGOs and employers implementing measures to enhance work‐life balance. The small grants scheme will make available grants ranging from €5,000 to €40,000, and it will involve only one call to be launched in the third quarter of 2013.What are the partnership opportunities? The programme is well suited for bilateral project partnerships, and it will encourage and support project level partnerships between entities in Estonia and Norway. The Programme Operator will organise informational and networking seminars for potential project promoters in search of Norwegian partners. Confirmed project promoters may apply for funds to facilitate networking and exchanges of best practices between project promoters and entities in Norway.