Civex Moldova: Gender issues in the Czech Republic

Gender Issues
in the Czech Republic
RRoleole ofof the civithe civill societsocietyy
outline of loutline of legalegal andand institutional frameworkinstitutional framework
(1990-2012)
CURRENT SITUTATION OF GENDER ISSUES IN EUROPE

Gender Issues in the Czech Republic
Czech lands / Czechoslovakia – emancipation in dates:
•1865 – V.Náprstek and K.Světlá: founders of Ladies American Club;
•1890 – 1st all-girls high school „Minerva“;
•1880 – Faculty of Arts, Charles University accepts first regular women students; 1897
- Dr. Bohumila Kecková finished her studies in medicine in Switzerland;
•1900 – first women allowed to study medicine and pharmacy at Charles University;
•1903 – Foundation of Czech Women‘s Club“ in Prague (centre of cultural and
politicial women‘s life);
•1921 - Petříková-Pavlíková, first graduated woman-architect, i.a. author of the large
community house of the „Czech Women‘s Club“ in Prague (1929);
•1905 – Council for woman suffrage;
•1912 – First woman elected MP of the national assembly of the Czech lands;
•1918 – Voting rights for women granted;
•1920 – Czechoslovak Constitution, art.106 laid down that gender-based
priviliges shall not be recognized (i.e. formal equality).
2

(1945) 1948 – 1989: Czechoslovakia
After WWII: resurgence of traditional women's groups. Women's movement
activists and women unions in political parties focused on the fulfillment of four
essential requirements:
•improvement of care for mother and child;
•greater public involvement of women;
•„work-family“ balance through child-care services;
•enforcement of equality of women through legislation.
1945: National Front of Women and the Council of Czechoslovak women took
lead; later Action Committee of the Czechoslovak Women assumed the role of
the unifying body.
1950: Congress to merge Council of Czechoslovak Women and Živena - Slovak
Women's Union into Czechoslovak Women's Union, the only women's
organization in the then socialist Czechoslovakia, part of the National front.
3

1948 – 1989: Czechoslovakia
•Formal / legal equality of women & men;
•Equal access to education, health / services etc.;
•Close to full employment of both women and men;
•Efforts to bring women into atypical occupations;
•However:
– The entire burden of family care mostly on women;
– Child-care services available and subsidized, other supporting services
for family scarce;
– Regardless of full employment of women, low percentage of women
in decision making positions, very few women in top political /
leadership positions;
– Salary differences.
4

1990 - mid-1990s
•Gender-equality considered „set“, not really an issue any more, and was
not seriously discussed on top political level
•Assumption: after decades of full / compulsory employment women will
prefer to stay at home and take care of the family matters;
– Assumption – failed
•System of state-supported child care services was disrupted. Assumption:
families (i.e. women) will provide the child-care and/or the free market will
take care of these and similar needs
• Assumption – failed
Negative consequences → women disadvantaged on the labour market,
instances of open discrimination (often combined e.g. with age
discrimination); lack of women in political life
5

1990 - mid-1990s
Other emerging issues:
•Domestic violence and violence against women
– Considered as isolated instances of almost private nature / or criminal
act, not however as yet understood as gender-based violence;
•Refugees and migrants (war in former Yugoslavia), new legislation on
asylum needed, specific measures for women, women with children,
unaccompanied minors needed;
•Trafficking in persons, prostitution – new phenomenon
•Emergence of other „vulnerable groups“: Roma minority (incl.cases of
forced sterilization from previous regime), drug addicts, stateless persons,
homeless, in general: persons at risk of social exclusions.
6

1990 - mid-1990s
Civil society response:
First NGOs established in 1990/1991, the above selected issues taken at first
mostly by human rights NGOs, specialized NGOs started emerging from
c.1991/1992 (e.g. Gender Studies, Refugee Counseling Centre and Centre for
the Stateless Persons as part of the Czechoslovak / Czech Helsinki
Committee, White Circle of Safety), around 1995 ProFem and LaStrada and
more.
Core activities:
• Legislative initiatives (!)
• Counseling & advocacy
• Monitoring and reporting
• Campaigns
7

mid-1990s and after
Legal framework
•Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms (1993), part of the
Constitution of the Czech Republic
Key act:
•Association Treaty between the Czech Republic and the European
Community (1993)
Accession to the EU starts off i.a. legal harmonization (stress on human rights,
equal opportunities, anti-discrimination in access to employment, services etc.,
incl. institutional guarantees/mechanisms).
8

1990s – broader context
•Important development on the EU level → policy of gender mainstreaming
means that gender aspects must be considered in all EU policies and
initiatives, and consequently the same rule applies to (candidate) member
countries.
•1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing.
Czech Republic pledged to implement the recommendations of the Beijing
Conference and accept policies of equal opportunities for men and women
to meet the EU accession requirements.
9

late 1990s
Institutional provisions – 1998 - 1999:
•Coordination role of the policies entrusted to the Ministry of Labour and
Social Affairs (MoLSA);
•Establishment of Dept. for Gender Equality at MoLSA;
•→ first policy document ever: „Priorities and Procedures of the Government
in the promotion of equality between men and women“;
•→ establ. of the interdepartmental commission for equal opportunities for
men and women;
•Establ. of the Government Council for Human Rights; 
•→ one of its 8 sections: Section for Equal Opportunities (establ.1999);
•Establ. of the Subcommittee of the Parliamentary Committee for Social
Affairs and Health (Focus: equal opportunities and the family).
( civil society consulted, NGOs representatives invited / advisory status)
10

late 1990s
Institutional provisions – 1998 – 1999 (Ombudsman):
1999/2000 Establishment of the office of The Public Defender of Rights
(OMBUDSMAN) http://www.ochrance.cz/en/
The activity of the Public Defender of Rights as an equality body rests on 3
pillars:
• To inform (issues recommendations on e.g. discrimination-related issues,
issues statements, conducts research, provides methodological assistance);
• To educate (incl. training for NGOs);
• To assist the victims of discrimination.
11

late 1990s
Mobilization of civil society / NGOs (both human rights and women’s NGOs):
→ active participation in the Government Council and its sections;
→ boom of advocacy projects focused on victims of discrimination, on legal
counseling, education and training activities, legal reform, awareness raising
campaigns targeted at general public, professional public and policy makers
(implementation of antidiscrimination policies, judicial/legal remedies,
promotion of equal opportunities);
→ advocacy for introduction of Antidiscrimination Act.
Key: Availability of external funding for NGOs (till c. 2004) – EU (Phare), US,
private donors (e.g. Ford Foundation, GMF, OSI/OSF, WFD, German
foundations), Embassies.
12

the 2000s – selected key dates
2001 Establ. of the advisory body: The Government Council for Equal
Opportunities for Women and Men (part of the Office of the Government,
since 2012 under the MoLSA)
The Council has 4 committees:
•Committee for the Prevention of Domestic Violence;
•Committee for the Reconciliation of Professional, Private and Family Life;
•Committee for the Institutional Safeguarding of Equal Opportunities for
Women and Men;
•Committee for the Balanced Representation of Women and Men in Politics.
Members: Government / ministries representatives, representatives of e.g.
Czech Statistical Office, academics/experts, NGOs representatives.
13

the 2000s - selected key dates
2002 Establ. of the Standing Commission of the Chamber of Deputies for
the Family and Equal Opportunities;
Gender Focal Point at each Ministry (usually 1 person to focus on gender
issues withing the scope of the given ministry);
May 1 , 2004: EU membership;
Sept.1, 2009 (!): Antidiscrimination Act.
As the EU member state the Czech Republic has obligation to apply gender
mainstreaming in all its policies and legislation (i.e. to consider gender
aspects and impact of given policy on men/women, to enhance equal
opportunities). Not that this is actually working in practice …
14

after 2004 (EU membership)
Persistent major challenges:
•Elimination of gender stereotypes / increasing awareness of equal
opportunities for men and women (incl. education, school curricula);
•Increase number of women in decision-making positions / politics /
leadership / top managerial positions;
•Improve conditions for work and (family) life balance;
•Elimination of discrimination in the labour market and in employment
(incl.gender pay gap, age discrimination);
•Improve prevention and protection in the area of domestic violence and
gender-based violence;
•Women in media/ advertisements (gender stereotypes, sexism,
objectivization of women).
15

after 2004
Civil society – diversified, specialized, working in networks / coalitions
(both permanent and ad hoc) of NGOs, Academic institutions, social
partners, think tanks, experts/individuals.
•Major / multiple year projects and initiatives carried out with support of
Phare (till 2005) and European Social Fund (after 2004).
•Some of the EU financial support targeted at employment and
employability goes towards equal opportunities related to labour market,
incl.special arrangements for families, work-life balance, employability of
vulnerable target groups, social inclusion etc.;
•MoLSA also provides grants for e.g. pro-family projects;
•Other (limited) financial sources / schemes are available for gender specific
projects.
Major problem: Steady decline in funds for women NGOs / women‘s rights
groups, need for closer cooperation, joint actions and lobbying.
16

after 2004
Czech Women‘s Lobby: www.czlobby.cz
www.womenlobby.org
Network of 24 organizations promoting women's rights in the Czech
Republic, member of the European Women's Lobby (EWL) since 2005
(established in 2001 by Czech Women‘s Union, Gender Studies, Union of
Catholic Women, further member-NGOs joined in 2004)
Main foci and joint actions in the area of:
•Reproductive rights of women (incl. free choice of medical/alternative
services rekl.to childbirth)
•Prostitution and human trafficking
•Violence against women
•Women in decision-making positions
•Women and the labour market
•Gender roles and stereotypes
17

after 2004
Czech Women‘s Lobby - member organizations:
•APERIO - Healthy Parenting Association: http://www.aperio.cz/
•The Business and Professional Women´s Association of the Czech Republic:
http://www.apmcr.cz/
•Business and Professional Women Prague II: http://bpwcr.cz/
•Czech Confederation of Midwives: http://www.ckpa.cz/
•Czech Doula Association: http://www.duly.eu/
•Czech Helsinki Committee: http://www.helcom.cz/
•Czech Women ´s Union: http://www.csz.cz/
•European Contact Group: http://www.ekscr.cz/
•Forum 50 % : http://padesatprocent.cz
•Gender Studies: http://www.genderstudies.cz/
•Help in Need: http://www.pomocvnouziops.cz
•K2 Club: http://www.klubk2.cz
18 continued:

after 2004
•Movement for Active Motherhood: http://iham.cz/
•Manushe – Roma women ´s group: http://www.slovo21.cz/nove/
•Moravian Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Managers:
http://www.podnikatelky.eu/
•National Contact Centre - Women and Science (Institute of Sociology):
http://www.zenyaveda.cz/
•NESEHNUTÍ Brno - social-ecological NGO: http://nesehnuti.cz/
•Department of Gender & Sociology (Institute of Sociology): http://www.soc.cas.cz
•Open Society: http://www.otevrenaspolecnost.cz/
•Birth Centre “U čápa”: http://www.pdcap.cz/
•proFem: http://www.profem.cz/
•PEXESO Family Centre: http://www.pexeso.org/
•ROSA - Centre for Abused and Lonely Women: http://www.rosa-os.cz/
•UNIPA, Czech Association of Midwives: http://www.unipa.cz/
19

Czech Women‘s Union:
1967 – Establishment of Czechoslovak Women’s Union (CSWU)
1969 - Federalization
 Czech Women’s Union (CWU)
 Slovak Women’s Union (SWU)
Member of the National Front (coalition of political parties and social
organizations). Individual membership (c. 600.000 women).
Focus: Public policies (esp.family support policies and legislation, also
employment, education, public / political representation, specific needs of
women in rural regions); Local engagement of women (community work /
local governance).
Property: Publishing house (Mona) - Periodical publications / magazines,
Non-periodical publications.
20

- March 1990: Establishment of the Czech Women’s Union as an
independent entity – registered membership association;
- Slovak Women’s Union transformed into Democratic Union of Women of
Slovakia (after 1997: Union of Women of Slovakia);
- April 1990: Czechoslovak Women’s Union dissolved, its assets
redistributed between successor organizations + selected newly established
women’s NGOs (1991).
Early 1990s: Search for new mission(s)/ modes of operation, financing etc.
1992 Establishment of „family school“ Morava in Brno, later transformed
into regular high school http://www.sos-morava.cz/;
High school in Chomutov (now closed);
1992 – c.1997: all sorts of entrepreneurial activities, businesses and
„commercial“ projects also focused on women / services for women.
21

1998 – 2008/2012
Mission already set: focus shift on women and employment, work-life
balance, pro-families policies, anti-discrimination, equal opportunities,
women in politics.
Focus on project-based operations (both smaller and large international /
EU co-financed projects implemented in partnership with other
organizations and institutions).
Development of local counseling centres for women in selected regions;
2000: Establishment of Foundation „Žena“ (Woman) www.nadacezena.cz .
2000/01: Co-founding of Czech Women‘s Lobby, joint initiation of
establishment of The Government Council for Equal Opportunities for
Women and Men (2001)
2005/2012: Establishment of Information and Counseling Centre for
Women and Families in Vysočina Region http://www.inpc.estranky.cz/
22

Modes of functioning:
•Umbrella level: lobbying, training, know-how and admin support for
members, publishing, cooperation / networking, etc.
•Regional and community level: community work; preservation of traditions
and cultural heritage; leisure time activities (children, youth, women);
training / capacity building for women, support for women in local politics
etc.
Membership: c. 16.000 women (mostly rural areas)
Czech Women‘s Union is member of:
•The Government Council for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and
its 3 working groups;
•Czech Women‘s Lobby
•ACWW (Associated Country Women of the World) www.acww.org.uk
23

Ms. Jana Chržová
Chairperson
Czech Women‘s Union
www.csz.cz
www.facebook.com/CeskySvazZen
E-mail: predsedkyne@csz.cz and janachrz@seznam.cz
24

Civex Moldova: Gender issues in the Czech Republic

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