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European Commission

Directorate-General for Education and Culture

ISSUE 25 2005EDUCATION AND CULTURE IN EUROPEThe Magazine

ISSN 1023-3725

EUROPE:beyond gender


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Directorate-General for Education and Culture

European Commission, B-1049 Brussels Tel. (32-2) 299 11 11 Fax (32-2) 295 01 38

Education and Culture DG, Fax (32-2) 296 42 59 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_cu lture/index_en .htm

Edited by: Jaime Andreu Romeo

Coordination: Frank Pierobon and Jean Jauniaux

Graphic design and illustration: Rumeurs and Mostra communication, Brussels The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Commission.

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2005 European Communities, 2005 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium

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Foreword

Towards a more egalitariansociety as regards gender

What the new Constitution couldoffer women and men in Europe

The school of equality

Gender equality, a subject of study and research

The words to say it

Migrant father, missing father?

Women as senior executives:the right vocational training

Technical training courses case studies

@lfa-bet@ or how to teachmigrant women the numerical approach

Soccerlingua: scoring goals

The voice of women

WWW Women Writers Words

Meetings without borders

New Europe, new equality, new citizenship

Girls in the scrum


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Foreword

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Dear reader,

For Europe and Europeans, equality between women and men is a fundamental right provided

for under Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which was

solemnly proclaimed in Nice in 2000 by the European Parliament, the Council and the

Commission. It is also enshrined in the EC Treaty, which states under Article 3 that, in all its

activities, the Community shall aim to eliminate inequalities and to promote equality between

men and women.

The Constitution supports our efforts to promote gender equality and non-discrimination by

giving an added impulse, as the new Article 3 refines the existing Treaty duty to state that the

European Union shall combat social exclusion and discrimination, and shall promote socialjustice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and

protection of the rights of the child.

This duty is particularly relevant for the policy areas under my responsibility: education, vocational

training, youth, culture, citizenship and multilingualism. Therefore, the Directorate-General for Education

and Culture has been ensuring that the European programmes supporting transnational projects in these

domains play an important role in addressing discrimination in all its forms. The nature of our policies and

activities puts us in the front lines of the battle for equality between women and men, and non-

discrimination in general.

As the classic author Charlotte Bront put it, Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate

from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education; they grow there, firm as

weeds among rocks. Our aim has always been that the European programmes fertilise the heart of each

citizen with the values of tolerance.

All European programmes have the promotion of equal opportunities as a core principle. A large number

of projects promoting equal opportunities and combating discrimination have been financed under these

programmes, from Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci to Youth, Citizenship and Culture 2000. Some of them

are illustrated in this magazine. I hope they will be a source of inspiration for concrete actions in the areas

you are working in.

I wish you an enjoyable read of our twenty-fifth edition of the Education and Culture magazine,

Equality between womenand men in Europe

Jn Figel'

Commissionerfor Education,Training, Cultureand Multilingualism


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Equality between men and women was at the heart of a great

many social and political struggles in postwar Europe. It was

an indicator of a decisive evolution in civil society in several

European countries. This evolution was independent of the

European integration process, but it goes without saying that

discrimination between the sexes like all discrimination

is contradictory to the principles and values at the heart

of the European project. Furthermore, this type of discrimination

would hamper and hinder the most central policies in the

current, historical phase of the European Union, aimed at

inspiring a spirit of economic and social renewal across the

continent. However, we cannot hope for any significant and

durable change without the participation of the women of

European society. Without women, without their contribution

to employment, their creativity and their participation in

politics, Europe will not be able to achieve the ambitious

programme of reforms planned for the current decade.

Discrimination against women constitutes an obstacle to

a flourishing democracy in the European Union and a waste

of talent, energy and motivation.

In numerous legislative texts and in a good number of

political debates, equality between men and women, also

called gender equality, is already prominent. However, men

and women are not, in fact, remunerated, valued or perceived

on an equal basis, and this long-standing situation is

becoming increasingly less acceptable.

There is still a lot of ground to be covered between the

principles and the reality. This path must start in education,

at all levels, and continue through culture, politics and society

as a whole. Of course, undeniable progress has been made in

many respects, but certain disparities remain, perpetuated by

deep-rooted resistance.

European society is evolving slowly and surely under its own

steam. The balance of power and values between the sexes

seems to be evening out.

These basic trends are highlighted in numerous statistical

analyses. In its February 2005 report on equality between

men and women (1), the European Commission emphasised

this development by collecting information in the areas of

employment, education and social life in the 25 European Union

Member States. The overall result was that disparities between

men and women seem to be waning.

In particular, the rate of employment is continuing to increase

and now covers 55.1 % of women. However, an average wage

difference of 15 % in favour of men continues to prevail in the

enlarged Union. Before enlargement, this percentage was 16 %.

This situation is partly explained by the higher proportion of

women in part-time employment (30.6 %) than men (6.6 %).

Furthermore, part-time employment is less common in the new

Member States owing to the rigidity of the labour market and the

lower levels of pay. Although unemployment increased only

slightly in 2004, there is still a significant gap between women

(10 %) and men (8.7 %).

Reconciling family and professional commitments in daily life

remains a major preoccupation for women. The rate of

employment of mothers with young children is 13.6 points lower

than that of women without children. As the Commissions report

points out, this is the result of limited access to childcare and

gender stereotyped family patterns. Indeed, women perform the

major part of the domestic work and consequently have more

limited time for paid work. Men do less than 40 % of all domestic

work and between 25 % and 35 % of childcare work in couples

with children aged up to six years.

If we then look at the world of education, the disparity in the

respective participation of women and men is even greater, but in

the opposite sense. According to the same report, women still

outnumber men in education. The percentage of women with a

diploma in higher education increased to 58 % of the total

student population in 2003, if we take into account the high level

of education in the new Member States.

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(1) Report from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, theEuropean Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regionson equality between women and men, COM (2005) 44, 14 February 2005.

, b g h n m l k c v x ., b g m n m l k c vg , j h l g g

Towards a more

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A fundamental challenge

The European Union has long been committed to promoting

gender equality as much in its internal policies as in the

international arena. During the fourth World Womens

Conference, which was held in Beijing in 1995, a certain number

of facts were presented that called for decisive action. At the 10thanniversary of the Beijing conference, the European Parliament

assessed the situation in a resolution and encouraged both the

Member States and the European institutions to go even further

in order to fully take into account the gender dimension, notably

in European education, training, and health policies and in the

fight against social exclusion.

For its part, the European Commission devised a Community

framework strategy (2) in 2000 founded on a dual approach: the

integration of the gender dimension in all Community policies

and activities (gender mainstreaming), and setting up specific

actions specifically targeting gender equality. It is also based on

three major points: raising awareness, collecting precise data andstrengthening collaboration between all the players concerned.

Through this strategy, the Commission is encouraging gender

equality in five areas: economic life, political and social life,

civil society and, finally, the fight against stereotypes.

Given that women are underemployed, the primary and most

important area of focus is the world of work, where we must

endeavour to reduce the differences in wages and improve the

rate of employment amongst women. This will require an even

greater effort given that the women who are the most affected

(especially if they have children) are from regions where

unemployment is increasing.

Because there are fewer women higher up the hierarchical ladder,

the second area concerns in particular decision-making, in

political and economic life, with a view to ensuring a better

promotion of equal participation and representation as regards

women in decision-making bodies.

In order to encourage the balance between personal life and the

world of work, promoting the full exercise of social rights takes

us back to a desire to improve the implementation of Community

legislation, in particular as regards social welfare, parental leave,

maternity protection and career development. The civil life

section concerns the fight against violence linked to sex and the

crackdown on trafficking in women. Finally, stress is placed on theneed for a change in the roles and stereotypes linked to sex.

The 200005 framework strategy was extended until 2006,

and the Commission has included the funding programme for

gender equality in a broader social programme entitled Progress

which will begin in 2007 in line with the start of new programmes

concerning education and training. Furthermore, the Commission

presented a proposal (3

) to the European Parliament and theCouncil for the creation of a European Gender Institute, whose

task it will be to gather information and create a reliable database

and to support the action of the European Union in the long term.

Through its programmes in the sectors of education, training,

youth, culture, citizenship and multilingualism, the Directorate-

General for Education and Culture plays a strategic role in the

elimination of sexist stereotypes and the promotion of respect for

differences in other people. Moreover, the promotion of gender

equality is one of the objectives of programmes such as Socrates,

Leonardo da Vinci and Youth. On a policy level, for instance, the

aim is to strengthen the qualification level of women and

strengthen the participation of women in scientific and technicalfields and those linked to the new technologies, all areas that

remain male bastions. Encouraging women to embrace scientific

vocations, despite generally accepted ideas, will not only help

them to blossom intellectually and professionally, but also

provides a response to Europes shortage of qualified scientists at

a time when it is committed to becoming a knowledge-based

society.

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(2) See the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Councilamending Council Decis ion No 51/2001/EC establishing a programme relating tothe Community framework strategy on gender equality and Decision No

848/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Com-munity action programme to promote organisations active at European level inthe field of equality between men and women [COM (2004) 551, 19 August2004].

(3) Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation concerning the crea-tion of a European Institute for Equality between Men and Women [COM (2005)81, 14 February 2005].

m x n j h k g , j h l g gm n j h k g , j h l g g, b g h n m l k c v .


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T

he achievements made by the Community in terms of

equality are already considerable. Equality between women

and men is a principle of Community law that expressesa true basic right, as confirmed by the European Court of

Justice. This principle of law, which is enforced in all areas

governed by the Community, had led to positive action; it is

enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which was

adopted in Nice, and serves as a reference for judges and

legislators in interpreting the law and decision-making. Indeed

the principle of gender equality has been a common thread

running through all Community policy since the Treaty of

Amsterdam, which also included specific measures relating to

wage equality and equal treatment in employment and work.

The Charter of Nice also states the need to reconcile professional

and family life, which translates into a large number of social

rights, all of which are decisive tools in helping to evolvetowards true equality. Furthermore, numerous rules of secondary

legislation (hard law as well as soft law) amplify and reinforce

the Community standard of equality and provide the necessary

framework for a social acquis that is already considered as

a hallmark of our Europe.

This acquiscomplements other existing regulations concerning

equality between women and men, present in the international

treaties ratified by the Union or the Member States. Should the

standard recommended in the Charter of Fundamental Rights be

less extensive than that set out in these other regulations, the

Charter itself stipulates that the furthest-reaching provision

must prevail. This provides Europe with a highly efficient legaltool as regards equality between women and men.

The drafting of the European Constitution provided an

opportunity to act on two fronts to better emphasise equality

between women and men. On the one hand, it was necessary to

maintain the existing acquisand, on the other, this had to be

improved by writing new laws on gender as well as furtherspecifying the legal guarantees contained in all regulations

governing gender equality.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to obtain all of this from

the Convention on the future of Europe, even though a major

battle was waged by the Commission and the European

Parliament and by womens organisations. The Convention, in

which only 17 % of the seats were held by women, showed great

resistance, not only to the incorporation of new rights, but also

to maintaining a Community acquisthat, in the final phase of

its work, it finally agreed to keep. It was only at the level of the

intergovernmental conference that the text was enriched with

the most significant new items, in particular the mention ofequality between women and men in Article I-2 of the

Constitution. By examining what figures in the text with regard

to gender equality, and what emerges from an interpretation of

all of the Constitutions texts in these terms, we can see an

improvement if we take into consideration the following

remarks:

> The Constitution maintains the Community acquis

concerning equality between women and men, as well as the

above-mentioned regulations. Between this statutory corpus

and the objective of equality between women and men that

the Union has set itself in all its policies, the issue of gender

equality has taken on a whole new dimension that hasfurther increased with the enlargement of the Union and the

adoption of a new legal framework for external action as well

as the disappearance of the former pillars, which have been

transformed in the Constitution into Community policies.

Prof. Teresa Freixes

Professor of Constitutional Law

(Independent University of Barcelona)

Jean Monnet Chair for European Constitutional Law

EU network of independent experts in fundamental rights

What the new Constitution

could offer women

and men in Europe


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> The new Constitution tackles very specific new areas such as

the fight against the trade in humans, focusing especially on

the trade in women and children and sexual exploitation.Similarly, the need to combat all forms of domestic violence

and to do everything possible at Member State level to prevent

and crack down on these criminal acts and help and protect

the victims is proclaimed in a declaration annexed to the

Constitution.

> The Constitution has added several general clauses to the

Charter of Fundamental Rights. Henceforth, it will be

necessary to refer to these clauses to precisely determine the

constitutionally appropriate interpretation of all of the

fundamental rights, which naturally include gender equality.

Of course, the distinction between rights and principles

with reference to the explanations that the Presidium willgive on the Charter, and requested by the Convention for the

future of Europe may hinder that interpretation favouring

the highest standard regarding equality between women and

men with a view to aligning the underlying social rights and

actual equality itself. The principle of the single and

systematic interpretation of the constitutional text may,

in this sense, provide a suitable response to the needs of

equality.

> The Constitution states that equality between women and

men is a characteristic of European society and this initial

claim, in Article I-2 concerning the Unions values, allows us to

interpret this equality as also covering the gender dimension.Indeed equality is not defined as such as a strict value and its

content remains to be identified through the reference made

to it in all of the Constitutions texts. In other words, equality

between women and men is set out in the Constitution as a

legal structure, as the Unions objective, as a fundamental

right (including positive actions) and, finally, as a common

thread running through the Communitys policies; it can alsobe found in those parts of the text concerning the world of

work, migration policy and external action. We can therefore

claim on this basis that equality between women and men also

constitutes one of the Unions fundamental values, under the

general title ofequalityand is thus protected by the sanction

procedure of Article I-59. This legal expression of equality

between women and men is in fact the principal new item in

the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

, b g h n m l m


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The world of education and training is one of the places in

which we can most clearly observe the problems, prejudices

and preconceived ideas concerning the respective roles of

men and women in European society. Thus, whilst women make

up the majority of students aged between 20 and 24 (55 % in

2004), and generally obtain better results, there are no more than

20 % in the teaching profession at university level (according to

data collected in 2002).

The stereotypes persist, both as regards the supposedly male

character of scientific research and the male stranglehold on all

forms of power (of which the control of knowledge is clearly

part). Therefore, we can see a severe imbalance in the technical,

technological and scientific subjects, which girls still tend to

neglect. There are two to four times as many male students

studying scientific and technical disciplines, although a more

in-depth analysis would show great disparities within these

specialisations themselves. There are far more women following

technical training for professions in healthcare and the

environment than in IT, for instance; this leads us to believe that

this is due to the continuous portrayal of certain domains as

characteristically male technology, industry or female services, healthcare.

For as long as women do not feel accepted in these domains,

which are strategic for the development and prosperity of

European society, this imbalance will continue to exacerbate the

lack of students in science subjects and will consequently reduce

the potential for innovation and scientific research in the Union.

This is why the Council of Ministers of Education agreed in 2003,

amongst the decisions taken within the framework of the Lisbon

strategy (March 2000), to increase the total number of students

qualified in mathematics, sciences and technology by 15 % by

2010 and, at the same time, reduce the gender imbalance. The

objective, established by the Stockholm European Council in2001, is to attract 100 000 new female students each year so that

they represent 15 % of graduates in these disciplines in Europes

25 Member States in 2015. These guidelines are based on a range

of common objectives to be achieved by 2010 (1) and henceforth

constitute the framework for political cooperation at Community

level as regards education and training. The question of equality

is one of the key objectives of this new political framework and

the work programme that underpins its implementation.

The education ministers have undertaken to fully integrate the

dimension of equal opportunities into the objectives and

workings of education and training, and to ensure fair access to

the acquisition of skills for the underprivileged and those who,for the time being, do not fully benefit under the existing

systems. In order to ensure that these commitments are

implemented in reality and encourage the exchange of good

practices between Member States, the concrete progress achieved

at national level in this domain will be regularly assessed through

follow-up reports on the implementation of the Lisbon objectives.

The specific tools of the Socrates and

Leonardo da Vinci programmes

These programmes endeavour to fight against exclusion in all its

guises: they naturally aim to promote equality between men andwomen, just as Community cooperation at political level is

devoted to doing. The Socrates programme, which is dedicated to

education, and the Leonardo da Vinci programme, devoted to

vocational training, are two important strategic instruments in

the promotion of equal opportunities. Their strength is derived

from the fact that they act as closely to the field as possible,

directly involving players from the world of education and

training through cross-border exchange and mobility projects.

Each of the projects that these programmes support must outline

at every stage in their development (conception, implementation,

assessment) how gender equality is taken into account and

promoted.

The Community programmes Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci offer very concrete opportunities tofurther equality between men and women in the world of education and vocational training.This action, which is essential within the framework of the Lisbon strategy, will reinforce the

expected results of the political cooperation between the Member States. The success of rebalancingthe genders, both as regards education and the world of work, relies on the active participationof all concerned. The positive results already obtained provide us with a glimpse of all that stillremains to be done.

(1) For more information on the implementation of the Lisbon strategy inthe areas of education and training:http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/2010/et_2010_en.html

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Why study gender issues? This is the first question we asked

Marlise Mensink, coordinator of the Athena network.

Marlise Mensink: The gender dimension comes up time and

again in the life of a society just as it does in the personal sphere

of each individual. It is present in the world of work, in issues

concerning public health, in cultural frameworks, etc., with

consequences for individual identity. Gender studies allow us to

approach this dimension in a scientific manner. By explaining the

mechanisms according to which identity and individual roles are

built socially, such studies provide useful information for society.

The findings of our research allow us to objectively compare

situations over periods of time and in different geographicalregions, and this could prove to be of great help within the

framework of a policy to promote equal opportunities.

Is the situation the same across Europe?

Historically, the Scandinavian countries were the first in Europe

to devise, set up and recognise study programmes on women and

gender at university level. On this basis, similar programmes were

set up in the rest of Europe, but the idea has not yet been

accepted everywhere. Significant residual resistance remains.

We must fight every day to have this kind of study recognised as

a discipline in itself. In this respect and generally speaking,

I am not convinced that the university environment really plays

a driving role as regards equal opportunities.

One of Athenas tasks is to measure the consequences of

the Bologna process for studies dedicated to gender...

The initial results of our survey concern 74 universities in

26 countries. This year, 41 of these partners are offering

a masters degree in gender studies. The remaining universities

blame delays in setting up the system, but the cause is sometimes

a lack of clarity in the recommendations of the institution

concerned. Masters degrees in the domain of gender studies are

offered through programmes in different disciplines, although

this is in fact essentially an interdisciplinary issue. Some of the

study programmes offered focus on practice and others,

of course, research. The main disciplines that include gender

studies programmes are the social sciences, sociology andanthropology, as well as equal opportunities itself, social work

and even the arts, literature, political science, history,

international relations, European studies, education, psychology

and theology. Although the transition has taken place quite

easily in certain universities, it is necessary to take into account

the real risk that gender studies might not be perceived as an

individual discipline. And that is worrying insofar as this situation

makes it particularly difficult to disseminate and exchange

certain data and the results of various pieces of research.

The Athena network groups together approximately 100 higher

education institutions located in 30 countries. Through this

synergy, it aims to stimulate cooperation and debate

regarding the analysis of various issues in society linked

to gender problems. Coordinated by the University of

Utrecht in the Netherlands, this thematic network

is supported by the Erasmus action within the

framework of the Socrates programme.

, b g h n m l k c v x ., b g h n m l k c v x

, b g h n m l k c v x . mGender equality,a subject of study and research

g h n m l k c v x


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Apart from the Bologna process, which major issues is the

Athena network dealing with at the moment?

First of all, it is strengthening the links between university

teaching and research through the development and

improvement of European courses at doctorate level, a theme we

are paying particular attention to this year. We must also

continue to build bridges between academia and the rest of

society. This is why we encourage cooperation with study and

documentation centres on womens positions in society, public

libraries and organisations that run training courses for women.

We also dedicate work seminars to certain precise themes, such as

public health, in order to supply the debate with research results.

The network organises conferences and training courses andproduces publications (The making of European women's studies

series). We are also organising Noise, a summer school that is

taking place in Barcelona in 2005, as well as meetings within the

framework of our student network the Athena Student Forum,

which gives students from a large number of countries the

opportunity to exchange their thoughts on major issues

concerning women. Furthermore, a host of information on the

various actions of our workshops can be found on our website

(http://www.athena2.org).

Contact

Athena: Advanced Network

in Activities in Womens Studies in Europe

Athena Central Coordination

c/o International Office Womens Studies

Utrecht University, Faculty of Arts

Muntstraat 2A 3512 EV Utrecht, The Netherlands

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: http://www.athena2.org

x n j h k g , j h l g gm x n j h k g , j h l g g

x n j h k g , j h l g g

. m x n j h k g , j h

kj

Athena

Athena


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Schoolbooks convey a large

number of female and male

stereotypes, reflecting a

traditional sociological reality without

fully taking into account the evolution

of roles, identities and customs.

In order to encourage people to think

about the continued existence of

these preconceptions and commonplaceideas, the Polite project is working

on raising the awareness of publishers

and authors of school publications

worldwide as to gender issues.

This project, which benefits from

the support of the association of

publishers and the Italian department

for equal opportunities, is supported

by the Socrates programmes

Comenius action.

After reviewing the most common

textbooks in use, the Italian sponsors

of the Polite project (Pari opportunit nei

libri di testo or Equal Opportunities and

Textbooks) drafted an ethical code

according to which publishers of

textbooks agree to focus particularly on

the development of gender identity and

the culture of equal opportunities asdecisive aspects in the education of

people in training, whatever their gender.

The publishers have access to a variety

of tools developed by the Polite project,

in particular a handbook which outlines

various available teaching media that

meet with equal opportunities criteria.

This handbook, entitled Knowledge and

freedom Male and female in textbooks,

schools and life, is available on the

projects website (http://www.aie.it/polite).

Still today, bringing up the children within the family

remains the exclusive domain of women particularly

within migrant families. Fathers do not perceivethemselves as playing an active role in the upbringing of

their children, states Elfi Thurow, coordinator of the

Committed Fathers project. Thanks to pilot experiments

conducted in seven countries, this project, supported

by the Socrates programme's Grundtvig action, is

encouraging fathers to get more involved.

Making fathers more sensitive to how their children are brought

up may help them to make current models less rigid and existing

roles more flexible, both at an individual and social level, Elfi

Thurow believes. Supported by the Grundtvig action, which

encourages lifelong forms of adult education, the Committed

Fathers project has attempted over two years to identify efficientforms of dialogue with a view to making migrant fathers aware

of the part they can and must play in order to provide their

children with a successful upbringing. Ten organisations have set

up pilot projects in seven countries (Austria, the United Kingdom,

Romania, Poland, Germany, Italy and Spain). In seeking to

perfect a system of teaching that particularly addresses fathers,

our approach also aimed at improving democracy between the

sexes in these families. But the question was how to reach this

target group. At the beginning of the operation, we were not at

all sure that people would understand us. But after two years of

work, I believe that the project has met the challenge with great

success, states Elfi Thurow.

Meetings in a tearoom

The approaches used in the seven different countries were

adapted according to situation. In Cologne (Germany) for

instance, the health centre for migrants targeted fathers of

Turkish origin, seeking to make contact with them by organising

seminars and meetings in mosques and tearooms. During thesemeetings, different themes concerning, for instance, the role of

parents and child development were broached, including the

problems of drug and alcohol dependency in teenagers.

In Florence (Italy), the project endeavoured to encourage the

husbands of pregnant women to take greater responsibility for

the preparations for the birth. In Barcelona (Spain), the focus was

placed on improving the contact between fathers and the schools

their children went to, through cultural mediators and the

organisation of extracurricular events. Other initiatives were

undertaken in Graz (Austria) seminars on the respective

structures of the education system and the family, with the

emphasis on the role of the father as well as in Manchester,

where men recorded traditional stories and tales for childrenwithin the framework of activities that allowed the involvement

of both fathers and children. In Poland and Romania, discussions

on intra-family relations made it possible to identify and

sometimes go beyond traditional automatic reflexes and become

aware of the stakes of parental upbringing and the consequences

of certain types of behaviour.

In the end, we managed to reach fathers originally from some

20 countries, from Iran to the Congo to Russia, says Birgit

Oberhofer, whose school for adults, PBW, based in Cologne,

headed the European project. Each initiative involved a detailed

analysis of the methods and results it was able to gather. All this

information allowed us to highlight the linguistic, cultural,religious, administrative and practical factors that can be

problematic in the way in which these fathers live out their role.

Amongst all the operations carried out in these different

The

wordsto

say

it

The

words

tosay

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Migrant father, missing father?


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countries with a view to interacting with migrant fathers,

we were able not only to find a large number of differences and

specific characteristics but also major abiding features; and thisconfirmed our conviction that in all cases, cultural mediation and

cooperation with migrant organisations are crucial in helping

fathers fulfil their role.

Community associations

These sorts of actions would be worthless if the migrants

themselves did not get involved. This is a prerequisite for greater

mutual understanding between the educational institution and

the migrant families. Indeed the children, who are at the centre

of this action, are the ones who suffer the most from being

uprooted, from the often harsh and precarious living conditions

of their parents and the cultural shock they have to overcome toget the best out of their schooling. By involving Community

associations, we have achieved much better results, explains

Birgit Oberhofer. We also had to adapt to the daily routines of

the people we wanted to reach. If the men work all day, how can

you possibly hope that classes organised in the afternoon will

achieve their objective? What we learned through these

experiences was that each time, we have to adapt our method of

communication to the situation at hand, and carefully choose the

place and time for the meetings.

Comprehensive information concerning the pilot project,

including the main broad conclusions, is available on CD-ROM.

This is a long-term job: it is not only about educating the fathers,it is also about making them responsible and bringing them closer

to their children and the latters experiences, because the main

problem is the situation created by immigration itself. Indeed,

children often find it easier to integrate than adults. They adapt

more quickly to the new culture, which also engenders conflicts

in the contrast between this new culture and the values andtraditions of the parents generation.

The multilingual CD-ROM referred to by Birgit Oberhofer was

created within the framework of the project to bring together an

analytical presentation of all the projects that come under the

aegis of Committed Fathers, by showing the underlying

theoretical concepts and offering and critically evaluating

a series of educational tools (1).

Contact

Birgit Oberhofer

Parittisches BildungswerkLandesverband Nordrhein Westfalen e. V.

Loher Str. 7, DE-42283 Wuppertal, Germany

(1) To obtain the CD-ROM, contact: [email protected]

As it includes a series of highly in-depth

analyses on learning with the help of

textbooks, the handbook proposes ideas

that help in understanding the different

ways of approaching the knowledge and

culture of those people in training, who

are not neutral, but female and male.

Like knowledge itself, which is never

neutral either.

Beyond borders

Depending on precise teaching need and

the lessons of individual past experience,

this publication provides inspiration for

all. Amongst its numerous themes,

it offers thoughts on the use of linguistic

forms in the construction of sexuation

or on the psychology of development

and learning. Polite has also made a video

cassette which features examples of

dramatised situations with fictitious

dialogues as a basis for discussion within

the framework of actions to raise

awareness. This tool was presented before

a group of education professionals during

an international conference that included

teachers from Austria, Spain, France,

Ireland and Portugal.

The fight against dropping out and

exclusion from school, specifically

through the promotion of equal

opportunities, is also one of the priorities

of the Comenius action and covers the

entire education cycle from nursery

school to secondary education. It aims

to strengthen quality, the European

dimension, mobility and the teaching

of languages.

Contact

The Polite project website:

http://www.aie.it/polite/

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To encourage top women managers to fully exercisemanagerial positions within the public health sector, the

Swedish region of Vstra Gtaland has introduced new

vocational training methods.

With 49 000 employees, the regional authority of Vstra

Gtaland in the west of Sweden is the countrys

second-biggest employer. The public health sector has

17 hospitals, of which only seven are run by women. Although

women represent 83 % of staff, their numbers become fewer and

fewer the higher up the hierarchical ladder they climb.

To encourage more women to occupy managerial posts,

the Vstra Gtaland department of regional development andhuman resources has set up a certain number of vocational

training projects, which have been earmarked by the Leonardo da

Vinci programme for financial support. Starting in 2002,

the regional government drew inspiration from leadership

methods specifically designed for women and formally set out in

a publication entitled A start guide for attracting and sustaining

women in leadership positions, the fruit of an earlier Leonardo

da Vinci project. The results of this programme were also used by

the Directorate-General for Education and Culture to devise

support actions.

Training adapted to senior women executives

There is considerable demand in Sweden for learning, training

and education throughout working life. A wide range of skills are

offered but they do not meet the specific needs of top managers,

in particular women, says Carina Abru, head of the Women and

Management project for the Vstra Gtaland authorities. The

region of Vstra Gtaland has extended this initial experience by

setting up new training programmes within the Earlall network

the European Association of Regional and Local Authorities for

Lifelong Learning. We have designed a programme aimed at the

acquisition of new skills in areas related to leadership and

management in conjunction with the gender dimension, issues of

internationalisation in the public sector and trans-regionalperspectives, points out Carina Abru. While training allows

people to better understand the psychological motives behind

decision-making and conflict management, it also relies on the

exchange of experiences and the construction of knowledgeexchange networks with female colleagues in partner regions.

Work visits have been organised in Catalonia (Spain), Wales

(United Kingdom) and Tuscany (Italy). This cooperation will allow

us to exchange our knowledge and training methods, while

better pinpointing the difficulties encountered by women who

hope to embark upon a career anchored in their skills and

qualifications. It is a question of using mobility in training

alternated with group meetings to plan and assess the

experiences of colleagues in other countries and plan out one's

own training. All this based on the tools produced by an earlier

Leonardo da Vinci project, entirely supported by the Vstra

Gtaland region.

Following the assessment of this vocational training programme

in the autumn of 2005, the Vstra Gtaland region plans to

concoct a new pilot project in collaboration with six regions from

other countries and several European universities. We are in the

process of developing international cooperation with training

programmes that fully embrace the gender dimension. Our

project uses examples of current managers whose experiences

and competences can help the leaders of tomorrow. This will

enable us to calm the fears encountered in various European

countries and to offset the lack of qualified professionals

including managers and administrators in the healthcare

sector. The public sector must ensure it is able to attract andretain more competent leaders [...] amongst whom numerous

women, concludes Carina Abru.

ContactThe Earlall network: Internet: http://www.earlall.org

Vstra Gtaland region: Internet: http://www.vgregion.se


Women as senior executives:

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Technical training courses

case studies

By encouraging active learning methods based on

corporate experiences, the Loupe project renderstechnical subjects more attractive, in particular for girls.

A project supported by the Leonardo da Vinci vocational

training action programme.

Higher education in technical subjects is suffering from

dwindling interest from students in general and in

particular girls. Across all of the countries of the European

Union, female students are in the minority in technology,

mathematics and science subjects in non-university higher

education. The proportion of young women rarely reaches 30 %.

For Eliane Smits van Waesberghe, from the national Dutch

association for women in technical education (VHTO), schools

need to have greater recourse to active learning methods in orderto attract more students, including girls. Indeed, these methods

strengthen the relationship to the concrete and real, thus

reassuring students who risk being scared off by the abstract

nature of mathematics. They restore the pragmatic dimension,

which is essential for technical and professional training. This is

the hallmark of the European Loupe project, which is the fruit of

cooperation between organisations based in Spain, Estonia, Italy,

Sweden and the Netherlands, and is coordinated by the VHTO.

Loupe not only gathers, analyses and distributes available

information on the various existing active training courses, but

also offers a selection of practical work typical of this form of

education, in order to make it more attractive to students who

wish to choose technical training. Vocational training based onthe completion of practical work, according to a format dictated

by the reality of corporate life, facilitates the insertion of

qualified young men and women into the job market. But this

method of learning requires a closer link between the world of

technical teaching and the private sphere. Another appealing

feature of the Loupe project is that it provides information on

innovative teaching experiences that have been successfully

employed in specific countries in the Union. The vocational

training systems used in Sweden and in the Netherlands have

broad experience of this methodology. But this is not yet the case

in countries like Spain, Estonia and Italy.

More girlsAt the final conference of the Loupe project (http://www.vhto.nl/

loupeconference), a specific search engine was presented in the

form of a CD-ROM. It is also available on the Loupe project

website (http://www.loupesearchtool.net). Within the context of

proactive learning, this tool allows users to design innovative,tailored projects, which take the gender dimension fully into

account. The main idea is to indicate certain constraints that must

be borne in mind in order to come up with a truly efficient

project. Designed as a tool to raise awareness, this search engine

invites users to think about innovation and the impact of gender

on their projects.

Furthermore, from June 2005, all teachers will be able to consult

detailed descriptions of concrete examples on the Loupe project

website and assess whether they are adapted to their subject area

as well as to the objectives they have fixed with their students.

Taken from experience and tested in the field of education, each

case comes with a detailed description, which, amongst otherthings, specifies the tasks attributed to each student. Before

submitting the cases, we analyse them according to three criteria:

practical reality, innovation and taking gender into consideration

in the different disciplines, explains Eliane Smits van Waesberghe.

The Loupe tool highlights those experiences that were the most

appealing to both teachers and students, including girls. But it

also suggests elements that could strengthen the appeal of a

project. Multidisciplinary projects are generally the most

successful: they are linked, for instance, to the environment or

health. This helps to explain their integration and their role in the

functioning of society, observes Eliane Smits van Waesberghe.

Moreover, subjects based on these principles attract more girls,as do technologies linked to the environment, medical research

and industrial design.

Contact

VHTO

National Organisation for Women in Technical Education

and Functions

Eliane Smits van Waesberghe

PO BOX 2557 1000 CN Amsterdam The NetherlandsInternet: http://www.vhto.nl

The Loupe project website:

http://www.loupesearchtool.net

Loupe


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@lfa-bet@ or how to teach migrant women thenumerical approach

The @lfa-bet@ project unites

organisations that work in very

different contexts with highly variedpopulation groups. Why?

There is significant variation in the living

conditions of migrant people, and in

particular women, according to socio-

economic environment. Furthermore,

the possibilities for access to a computer

at work are not the same in an agricultural

region as they are in a big town. Through

the @lfa-bet@ project, we are hoping to

bring together the most complementary

skills in order to efficiently deal with all

eventualities. Amongst the partners,therefore, is an association specialising in

adult education (Formazione 80 in Turin),

an organisation (Heure exquise!) which

designed a telematics network in

Mons-en-Baroeul (a dormitory town in the

suburbs of Lille where around 30 groups of

different ethnic origins co-habit), a teaching

network (in the north of London) which

encompasses some 100 000 school children

as well as adults, and the Slovak Technical

University and Institute of Education

Sciences in Bucharest, both specialising

in distance learning.

What are the objectives of

the platform?

The @lfa-bet@ project aims to identify

and pool the most efficient teaching

models, both from an organisational and

educational point of view, in order to

come up with numeracy actions that can

be easily adapted to the constraints

imposed by the considerable disparity in

the places in which we offer our training

courses. It is important to remember that

we especially want to reach migrant

women. We have already gathered all the

necessary information on what are known

as good practices, i.e. proven types of

training in other parts of Europe from

which we can take inspiration to set up

similar actions. Moreover, we haveplanned a series of publications to make

this type of information more accessible

and we also want to increase the number

of multimedia access points in certain

areas so that migrants, who are our

primary target in this project, have as

much access to electronic services as

European citizens. The platform reinforces

local synergies between all the people

involved in the course of migrants lives:

cultural mediators, public authorities,

schools, institutional decision-makers, etc.

To what extent can computer training,

even where this is elementary, improve

the quality of life of a migrant?

The rudimentary skills needed to use the

resources offered by the new technologies

known as numerical competence

as well as access to an appropriate

computer, are sufficient to transform

a life. In my town of Turin, a Peruvian

woman who earns a little money by doing

cleaning jobs spends a large share of her

earnings on calling her family. Despite

the high cost, in her eyes the public

telephone remains the most accessible

way of staying in contact with her

country. If this woman had the simple

possibility of exchanging e-mails with her

friends and family, this would bring about

a change to her life. Furthermore, by

learning a few basic notions, and provided

she had adequate access to a computer,

she would also be able to deal with

certain administrative formalities and

would not waste entire mornings waiting

in queues to obtain forms on paper that

are easily available online. Finally, thanks

to the computer, she could acquire new

knowledge and skills and improve her

employment potential.

The main beneficiaries of the

@lfa-bet@ project are people of

extra-Community origin. What isthe specific situation of women

in this respect?

Immigrant women very often have to

take on enormous responsibilities, and

they need a maximum of support. They

are also in the majority in a large number

of schools for adults, where they show

their willingness to master all the tools

that could further their social integration.

Many women are keen to study in the

evening, after completing their domestic

tasks. They also wish to help their childrenin their schooling, and all the more so

if they encounter problems at school.

This reality can be seen day in, day out

in schools for adults. But this does not

mean the project is closed to men!

Contact

Associazione Formazione 80

Corso Re Umberto 10-12

10121 Turin, Italy

Internet: http://www.formazione80.it

The level of education and skill of migrants, and especially migrant women, is highly varied. In general, the latter tend

to be on the wrong side of the numerical gap, with no numerical skills or access to information and the latest forms of

communication. However, in a great many cases, with a little help, access to new information technologies can offer

migrant women the means to better integration and real emancipation. With this in mind, Piazza Pucci is coordinating

a project entitled @lfa-bet@, for which the association Formazione 80, based in Turin and

specialising in adult education, has received the support of the e-Learning programme.

This new education and culture programme encourages recourse to technology in lifelong

learning to train people in the new technologies who have not benefited from complete

and uninterrupted schooling.g m


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Players like Zidane, Ronaldinho, Nedved and Ballack speak

three languages. A player like Ruud van Nistelrooy speaksDutch, English, German and Spanish. The stars have to speak to

the rest of their team, understand the referee, catch what the

public are singing, but also manage in everyday life and do the

shopping at the supermarket, emphasises Richard Weaver, the

promoter of Soccerlingua.

With the help of an interactive DVD in five languages, an album

and a website, this project encourages fans and young players,

aged between 10 and 14 years old, to be inspired by their idols,

not only for their ability as footballers, but also for their

multilingual talents. We show them that learning English,

German, Catalan, Italian or Spanish can be fun, especially in the

company of a few of these famous players, points out RichardWeaver. We make them feel that the knowledge of other

languages is useful for everyday life. For instance, speaking about

football in another language can lead to making acquaintances in

other countries.

A quiz on football knowledge, linguistic tests and interviews

feature on the menu of tools developed for this initiative.

Different football stars relate their experiences of multilingualism

in particular stars of womens football. The project has

succeeded in giving an equal part to men and women. For

instance, interviews were recorded with female players from the

English, Spanish, German, Czech and Brazilian national teams.

We really want the results of our project to be as attractive for

the girls as for the boys. Womens football is the fastest-

developing sport in the entire world and in our DVD and book we

present the greatest female and male players together.

The tools will be available in the summer of 2005. We will

distribute several thousand free copies to football federations as

well as to sporting club networks and schools. We also have

contacts with magazines that will publicise this initiative. The

project, which is also included in the European Year of Education

through Sport (2004), has aroused the curiosity of clubs such

as Barcelona (a partner in the project), Bayern Munich, Schalke04, Manchester United, Arsenal, Lazio, Real Sociedad, etc.

Currently, only some major professional clubs are known to

maintain preferential ties with local schools. But all the teams

train young players. A certain number of these young players

already have the opportunity to travel. We help them to become

aware of the possibilities offered by these trips to meet other

cultures, providing they are interested in languages.

Contact

European Sports Linguistics Academy

31, rue Keyenveld

B-1050 Brussels, Belgium

Tel. (32-2) 513 51 74


Internet: http://www.soccerlingua.net

Soccerlingua: scoring goals

Boys seem to find learning languages more difficult than girls.This is both a question of motivation for foreign languages and

the more pronounced disinterest in boys than in girls for theschool environment as a whole. Within the framework of theSocrates programme, the Lingua action raises awareness of

the diversity of languages within Europe and, in sodoing, has found the ideal stimulus for encouraginga taste for languages amongst adolescent boys:football.


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The voice of women

In 2003, girls accounted for 52 % of the participantsin all of the programmes under the Youth project.

With actions such as the European Voluntary Service

and Youth for Europe (exchange programme for

young Europeans), this programme stimulates active

participation and citizenship in young people through voluntary

work. How? By encouraging mobility, international exchange and

meetings combined with debates.

Thanks to the actions of the Youth programme, thousands of

young people travel abroad and get together every year, sharing

new experiences. In Cyprus and Israel, for instance, young girls

from a variety of horizons have taken an active interest in the

specific role that women can play in resolving conflicts.In Finland, a group belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority

brought together young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and

Serbia and Montenegro to discuss the links between cultures and

genders. Year after year, the Youth programme ensures a

balanced distribution of young girls and boys amongst the

participants according to the different participating countries.

We all know that a stark contrast between the roles of the sexes

is more predominant in Mediterranean cultures than in any other

in Europe. There is probably no answer to the question of whether

the behaviours of the sexes are more theatrical than real, all the

more so given that the evolution of European society is very

sensitive in the south, where traditional reflexes are juxtaposedwith resolutely modern ways of living and thinking. Euro-Med

Youths objective is to intensify the participation of young women

from the southern Mediterranean in all levels of economic, social

and political life by financing a series of projects that bring

together young people from Europe and Mediterranean countries

around a series of societal themes: womens rights, the impact of

religion, the situation of single mothers and access to work,

culture and healthcare.

The European Year of Education through Sport in 2004 made

it possible, amongst other things, to support the emancipation

and improved status of young girls, in particular immigrants and

those from underprivileged backgrounds. The 200 or so projects

co-financed within this framework created links between

educational or academic institutions, and sporting organisationsfrom 28 countries.

Some of these projects aimed expressly to modify attitudes and

stereotypes linked to gender. In Sweden, for instance, young

immigrant girls were invited to discover team sports, enabling

them to establish links with educational structures and

associations. Another pilot project, also conducted in Sweden,

was given the mission of training sports managers amongst young

underprivileged people, including girls. In Greece, the European

Year took advantage of the Athens Olympic Games to create a

network of teachers and educators seeking to overcome

discrimination through sport.

Subject to its ratification and its coming into effect, the Treaty

establishing a Constitution for Europe offers new perspectives for

European action in the domain of sport. And a host of indicators

stress the extent of the task to be accomplished in the area of

gender equality in sports. In 2003, the European Parliaments

report Women and sport, established on the initiative of Mrs

Genevive Fraisse, drew particular attention to the strong

disparities in access to sports activities between women and men,

and also between women themselves, based on social background

and conditions of employment.

Within the European Union, 29.5 % of men, as opposed to 16 %

of women (and 63 % of young men aged 15 to 24, as comparedto 37 % of young women of the same age) say that they regularly

take part in physical or sporting activity. Contrary to other equal

opportunities themes, the parliamentary report points out, the

number of women practising sports corresponds to the classic

north-south divide in Europe. For instance, according to the

Kompass study carried out on the Council of Europes initiative in

1999, 70 % of Swedish women practise a sport (an identical rate

to that of men) compared with only 15 % of Italian women

(32 % of men).

Youthand equality

Gender equality is also promoted through youth,

culture, sport and civil society: all domains in which the

Directorate-General for Education and Culture is active.

Sport:

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The standards and values that define male and female roles in

society, as well as mens and womens perception of behaviours

and attitudes, are greatly shaped by culture. European action in

this domain aims, in particular, to eliminate certain cultural

prejudices and social stereotypes. For instance, the Face of

20th Century Woman project allows us to take a critical look at

female characters in European stage productions at the beginning

of the 20th century. German, Danish, Italian, Norwegian and

Swedish theatrical research organisations pooled their

competences to analyse the works of Strindberg, Ibsen, Chekhov,Brecht, Pirandello and Garcia Lorca.

Other initiatives highlight womens creative output in Europe

up to the present day as the CyberfeminismLab project shows.

This network of Belgian, Dutch, German, British and Finnish

associations uses the best of the new technologies to improve the

visibility of female artists and theoreticians.

But despite the wealth and relevance of these few examples, we

must not lose sight of the groundwork done by the Culture 2000

programme to encourage the opening of minds to intercultural

dialogue and to respect for difference, whether cultural or sexual.

Designed to highlight both the common cultural space and

each of its components, the European Unions Culture 2000

programme encourages people to meet and share the ways in

which they live and how they see and observe things, so that

diversity is no longer an obstacle, rather on the contrary is the

basis for cultural wealth.

For many years now, the European Commission has overseen

different actions aimed at stimulating civic participation. The

Community action programme for the promotion of activeEuropean citizenship supports non-governmental organisations

and associations, some of which work towards promoting gender

equality.

Full implementation of the social rights applicable to all women

and all men is one of the European Unions objectives. It is within

this context that the Commission supports, for instance,

the Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) organisation,

a network of around 50 womens associations based in

29 countries, and which is particularly active in the areas of

sustainable development, social justice, the environment,

health and participative democracy.

Another example is the Facepa network, which groups together

womens movements specialising in adult education. Its Ponts de

Dialogues project, in particular, supports movements of gypsy

women, in whose eyes the fight for gender equality means

going beyond both sexism and racism.

Culture:

dialogue and openingminds

Civil society:

networks taking shape


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Women who write

Passion underpins the project to promote women writers

developed by the department of literary studies at Romes

La Sapienza University, with the support of the Culture 2000

programme.

The works of Paola Masino or Alba de Cspedes are relatively

well-known in Italy, but it is not easy for their names to cross

borders, laments Francesca Bernardini, professor of literature at

Romes La Sapienza University (Italy).

Both the public abroad and young Italians are not given enough

opportunities to discover these writers. By working specifically onavailable archives, within the framework of the Women Writers

Words project (WWW), we have sought to publicise these authors.

The works of female writers represent a magnificent heritage: we

must make them more accessible.

The initiators of Women Writers Words have carried out an

investigation and drawn up an inventory based on the archives of

various female writers. Research dedicated to Paola Masino has

led to the publication of an eponymous work written by

Marinella Mascia Galateria, published with the support of the

Fondazione Arnoldo e Alberto Mondadori (126 illustrated pages, 2001).

Intense European collaboration

This work to consolidate archives and coordinate existing

material highlights womens literary output. Numerous experts

and lovers of literature across Europe have shown an interest.

Several conferences, bringing together a panoply of experts,

have been held in France and Spain dedicated to themes such as

women writers and the holocaust, says Francesca Bernardini.

We have worked with the universities of Madrid, Lille and Paris,

with various private institutions, Italian foundations (such as the

Fondazione Mondari), public organisations, the Ministry for Equal

Opportunities, the Institute of Statistics, as well as various

journals.

Through projects such as this the Culture 2000 programme is able

to shed light on womens contribution to Europe's cultural and

artistic heritage. Other projects emphasise the evolution of

sociocultural stereotypes through time and space, or improve

everyones access, whether man or woman, to cultural and artistic

activity.

Contact

Universit della Studi di Roma La Sapienza

Dipartimento di studi filologici, linguistici e letterari

Piazza Aldo Moro, 5

III Piano, Edificio ex Facolt di Lettere e FilosofiaI-00185 Rome, Italy


Internet: http://dsfll.scu.uniroma1.it/

WWW Women Writers Words

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Meetings without borders

After many months of preparation, the 45 girls taking part

in the Modern Girl and Ancient Womanhood project

finally got together in Finland. In the small town of

Kokkola, the Villa Elba youth centre welcomes young girls from

the underprivileged strata of the population every day. ModernGirl and Ancient Womanhood is an ambitious project. In order to

improve the quality of our communication, we have used drama,

music, dance and photography. These tools have allowed young

women to say a great deal about themselves, to better

understand one another and better define themselves, says Ritva

Saarikettu, who coordinates the international department of the

Villa Elba.

Our joint project involved comparing the feelings of young girls

who have experienced very different situations, so as to uncover

what they had in common as well as their differences. We worked

in Algeria, Finland, France, Israel and Malta [] with a great

variety of social strata, religions, political situations and relationswith modernity. We wanted to pinpoint the influence of the

expectations of the social environment, context and family.

Selected passages

In 10 days, the young girls had the time to broach a great many

subjects. This is what Katri, a Finn, had to say about the media:

Neither advertisements nor the media transmit a realistic or

desirable image of women. But the media has tremendous

influence [] and it is not easy to manage this problem. And

Malika and Nadira from Algeria: In general, there are two groups

of women, a minority group made up of independent womenwho have a professional career, and a large majority group

consisting of housewives who obey the man of the house. In our

country, even womens organisations reflect this duality.

For Sagier-Fathia, everything is political: It is impossible not be

affected by politics when you live in Israel. First of all, I consider

myself to be an Arab woman. Nevertheless, Im Israeli [] while

being Palestinian at the same time. The conflict is tearing me

apart, it is cutting me into pieces.

Ritva Saarikettus conclusion: During discussions, we sought to

determine what constructs the reputation of a girl. In spite of the

variety of contexts, certain similarities were revealed. The girls

considered that it was frowned upon to drink and smoke in public

or to have numerous relationships. We also discussed womens

power of decision, regarding their bodies as well. On this subject,

the issue of abortion provoked highly turbulent debates. Amongst

the other themes which provided food for discussion was the

general situation of migrant women.

A short video documented this meeting. The cassette was sent to

all the participating organisations. At the Villa Elba, we still useit a lot. We show it to different groups of girls [] in order to

continue the discussion.

Contact

Villa Elba Youth Centre

C/o Villa Elba, Sannanrannantie 60

FIN-67100 Kokkola

Suomi/FinlandRitva Saarikettu


Internet: http://www.kokkola.fi/elba

When young girls from Algeria, Finland, France, Israel and Malta get together for 10 days to

talk about their identity, ideas start to buzz. This project was supported by the Euro-Med

Youth action, an activity within the Youth programme that encourages intercultural dialogue

and mutual understanding in order to combat racism, discrimination and xenophobia.

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New Europe, new equality, new citizenship

What are the main challenges women face

in the Baltic States?

The main problems concern violence towards women, their low

numbers in politics and in decision-making processes, the poverty

of single-parent families and the difficulty for women topenetrate the job market. There is not a profound difference

between the women of western Europe and the women of the

Baltic States. This issue was extensively debated during seminars

we recently organised in different towns in Lithuania within the

framework of the European project New Europe and Perspectives

for Women in the Baltic States. These 12 seminars brought

together 200 women working in womens associations. The

majority opinion that came out of these round tables was the

following: the women in the EU-15 are freer. They have more

choice regarding their professional career, spend less time in the

kitchen, travel more and are more emancipated. The differences

between the countries can be felt in particular from an economic

viewpoint, even though Lithuania does hope to make rapidprogress in both the economic and social spheres.

The womens movement has been active in Lithuania since

the beginning of the 19th century. What is the current

situation of womens organisations?

Some 105 organisations currently belong to the Womens Issues

Information Centre. Most of them are working towards obtaining

equal opportunities for women and men in Lithuania. Some

32 institutions, some of which are supported by municipalities,

come to the aid of women who are victims of domestic violence.

Around 20 associations focus on the victims of human trafficking

and prostitution. Last but not least, certain womens

organisations organise computer training courses.

What is the role of your Womens Issues Information Centre?

The Centre coordinates these organisations in order to emphasise

the gender perspective in all aspects of womens lives. Our

platform works in partnership with the governmental sector and

international agencies so that this perspective is taken into

account in both development programmes and in political and

social reform choices. The Centre also publishes materials that

enable women to find out about their rights. By compiling

statistics on gender, initiating research projects and organising

conferences and seminars, we are dealing with the most critical

issues and we are drafting recommendations for political and

legislative change.

What are the objectives of the New Europe and Perspectives

for Women in the Baltic States project, supported by

the European Union, and which you are conducting together

with an organisation in Riga?

The project aims to encourage the women of Lithuania and Latviato play an active part in the changes that have been occurring

since our accession to the European Union. European legislation,

and all its various components, has numerous consequences for

women, especially as regards equal opportunities, equal

employment and social security, but also as regards domestic

violence. We rely on our network of NGOs that are active in the

domain of equal opportunities, as well as all other players in the

field, including the municipalities. The 12 days of seminars

organised in Lithuania and the three seminars hosted in Latvia

have provided material for brochures, published in both

languages, on equal opportunities and related European

legislation. A major part of this awareness campaign also features

on our website (www.lygus.lt/mic) and in our electronicnewsletters. This is how the project reaches all the professionals

in the sector, as well as any citizens interested in womens issues.

What future milestones does your programme foresee?

The fourth national conference on women will be held on Sunday

27 August 2005 in Vilnius. Some 500 participants from 10 of

Lithuanias regions will review the 15 years of their countrys

independence and provide details on progress made since the

Beijing conference in 1995. The parallel celebrations and events

will attract several thousand people. The regions will present their

situation before speaking about the challenges and expectations

in each of the domains covered by the Beijing action plan.

Contact

Coordination: Womens Issues Information Center (WIIC)

Vilnius, Lithuania

Internet: http://www.lygus.lt/mic

Partner: Coalition of Gender Equality

Valnu iela 32-506

LV-1021 Riga

The Womens Issues Information Centre, based in Vilnius in Lithuania, is coordinating aproject supported by the Community action programme in favour of active citizenship.Can being a member of the European Union modify the lives of women in the Baltic States?Dovile Rukaite, coordinator of the New Europe and Perspectives for Women in the BalticStates project, gives her point of view.

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Girls in the scrum

Can a sport as seemingly virile as rugby encourage mutual respect

between men and women by mixing the sexes? This is what the Oval

Planet project is attempting to prove, an experiment conducted in France

within the framework of the European Year of Education through

Sport 2004.

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gender

Coordinated by the French Rugby Federations national

strategic management team, Oval Planet aimed to

promote the educational values conveyed by the practice

of this team sport within secondary schools in France, beginning

with the training of physical education teachers. When the

project was reviewed by the Directorate-General for Education

and Culture, Frances national trainer, Fabrice Brochard, wasdelighted: The Oval Planet project has trained 745 physical

education teachers in the game of rugby to be taught in schools.

And of these 745 teachers, almost half of them are women!

Nearly 41 000 pupils have come into contact with the game.

A mixed sport

While Fabrice Brochard is clearly overjoyed with the success of

Oval Planet, he is not overly surprised by the proportion of

women teachers attracted by the operation. Physical education

lessons in secondary schools are often mixed. Unless you separate

the classes, mixing the sexes is standard. Furthermore, we have

paid particular attention to adapting our training to teachers, in

particular women, who were not accustomed to teaching fieldsports. As well as practical lessons, we developed efficient

documentation: a pack containing written documents, a CD-ROM

on teaching the game and video cassettes concerning refereeing

and safety conditions for players. We have distributed nearly

1 220 packs in total.

In the eyes of the specialists, the success of mixing the sexes on

the rugby field demonstrates, amongst other things, the virtues

of the social dimension of this sport. Rugby offers a new

dimension to the life of a group, says Fabrice Brochard. Following

this experience, teachers say they have learnt something about

their pupils. Rugby involves physical contact, like some combat

sports, but with the added dimension of the team sport. This iswhy rugby matches organised in tense situations for instance

in districts ravaged by ongoing conflict profoundly modify

human relations. Within the structured framework of a sport,

people find the means to deal with their physical, energetic and

mental burdens, while adhering to the rules and developing a

mutual understanding of the word respect. In a context such as

this, barriers fall.

The triggerThe boost provided by the Commission through the European

Year of Education through Sport has proved to be decisive in

uniting energies, creating a project around recognised values,

providing the human and financial resources to succeed, and

setting up the conditions for lasting action, says the French

trainer. The validation of our project by the European

Commission has acted as a real trigger, by somehow providing a

certain nobility and a passport to enter into the education

system, which has often shown great caution in the past towards

external initiatives.

An experiment that is set to continue: This year, following the

Oval Planet operation, we have received six times as manyrequests for training as in former years.

Contact

Fdration franaise de rugby

9, rue de LigeF-75431 Paris Cedex 09

France

Internet: http://www.ffr.fr


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Education and Culture

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Egalitate de sanse - dincolo de gen

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