Description
The project is promoted by the Women´s Institute, with the participation of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, FEMP, and the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, KS. In the context of equal opportunities, the debate over conciliation of life spaces and co-responsibility in terms of the equitable distribution of domestic tasks and care between women and men has acquired a significant importance in Spain. This project’s main objective is to develop conciliation plans in 15 Spanish and 2 Norwegian locations, and to do this from an integrated perspective since the societal agents in each location will be involved from the very beginning. The design, development, and implementation of the plans should be the fruit of a participatory building process. The project will provide incentives and support for putting measures into practice when they are shown to make a real contribution to personal, family, and professional life balance. KS will contribute with their expertise and the project will include an exchange of best practices from Spain and Norway.
Summary of project results
The main goal of the project, started as of June 2013 until the end of 2015, was the design, development and implementation of measures to promote conciliation of family, personal and work life plans in fifteen Spanish and three Norwegian municipalities . The project’s methodology was grounded on an integral perspective and with a transnational character. Thus there have been a close collaboration throughout the project between all agents involved: partners’ technical teams and local social agents from both Spain and Norway. The project’s goal was to support the launching of a set of initiatives selected because of their innovative and exportable basis. In 2015, the project has focused on strengthening cooperation between municipalities from both countries and on the development of a set of selected initiatives in the territories.Technical meetings, seminars and visits have been organised to monitor the implementation of the conciliation plans. Besides, there have been learning share and best practices visits and seminars in five Spanish municipalities selected by the Norwegian partner -Madrid, Majadahonda, Pedro Muñoz, Cádiz y Jaén-, along with three Norwegian ones: Gran, Kristiansand, Sagene (Oslo). The IWEO technical team has actively participated in these activities. In turn, the selected initiatives have received technical and economic support for their implementation. Among the activities developed, there have been those towards raising-awareness and social behaviour generation (e. g. guides, training, events); technical advice to companies; activities to balance work-life time (e.g. playrooms, support activities, etc.). A final seminar has been celebrated, in which the projects results and milestones have been disseminated, with 96 attendants.
Summary of bilateral results
The project has been successfully implemented in different municipalities across Spain and Norway, which should permit its extrapolation to other areas. The close collaboration between partners, participating municipalities and public institutions makes the program a success and its result sustainable and lasting. The methodology used contributes to create a sustainable model for local public bodies. The delivered products related to knowledge-sharing, best practices and design of conciliation plans are lasting and could also be considered sustainable. The partners have shared experiences and mutual concerns about how to address particular issues and found concrete solutions collectively. The Norwegian partner, KS has collaborated in the project in different ways: - Working with the Norwegian municipalities on the diagnosis and design of the conciliation plans. - participating in the Seminars and meetings to provide their points of view, good practices and policies on conciliation; As well as providing with some material about conciliation on each of the municipalities of Norway for the Project’s Web page. - strengthening the bilateral relationship between Spain and Norway by participating in the follow-up and evaluation visits, besides contributing to the exchange of experiences and ideas in the meetings celebrated in Spain and Norway.