RECONCILIATION OF FAMILY AND WORK CZECH REPUBLIC
Interview given by Lidmila Nemcova (Prague)
1. What is the situation in your country regarding the reconciliation of family and work?
The government is finishing with preparation of the family policy concept. The family policy is naturally inter-related with other policies – e.g. housing, social security, health care, education, women rights, demography, children policy, working conditions for mothers. In the Ministry of Labour and Social Affaires a new Department of Family Policy has been founded. The current problems of the society are as follows: the decreasing number of population (low rate of births), the increasing number of retired people, the high number of divorces (every second marriage ends with divorce) and the increasing number of single parent families. As to the latest event regarding the family the Czech Parliament has just rejected to accept the homosexual partnership as a family.
The actually valid labour law in the Czech Republic is to be renewed soon. Just now a period of official remarks and additional suggestions goes on. A new legal basis for reconciliating the employers and employees as to the working conditions for working mothers should be established. It is premature to predict the final version. Actually mother gets 70% of her salary during maternity leave allowed for 28 weeks (about 7 months). After this time one of the parents – either mother or father – can stay at home until the child becomes 3 years old. The parents can even change their status to stay at home with the child for a period and than to change. The mother/father staying at home gets the child care allowance although not at the same level as it is in the first 7 months.
When both parents prefer going to work there is a network of both state and private kindergartens to take care of their child. But because of the decreasing number of children in the latest years many kindergartens had to be closed.
Enterprises do not prefer to employ mothers (even more single mothers), especially with small children. Possible illnesses of children are incalculable and staying at home to take care of the sick child reduces the real labour force.
When the work it allows the enterprise should provide part-time work for parents who take care of children. But this is not a preferred practice in the private sector. In the public sector – e.g. in schools – presently this problem appears to be not so heavy.
2. What are the „hot topics” now in politics or in the society regarding the reconciliation of family and work?
The Czech legislation has been harmonising with the EU laws. It includes guarantees against discrimination of women and poses the basic principle of „the same salary for the same work”. It gives the rules of parental leave and maternity leave and includes guarantees for more protecting the single parent families. Nevertheless the hot topic is to eradicate extreme poverty, to make it possible for single mothers to access to the labour market and to find an appropriate policy to eliminate social exclusion. Another hot topic consists in solving dilemma of how to combine university studies and/or a managerial career with the birth of the first child. The age of women – first child mothers has been constantly increasing.
3. Best practice in your country, solutions for reconciliating work and family
The paid parental leave until the 3-years-old-age of the child is a very good practice of the Czech Republic. The employers should keep the position for mothers for all these three years. Another good practice is that fathers can take the children care as well. As a good tendency can be mentioned the new initiative of the „best manager woman of the year” and of the „best entrepreneur woman of the year”. They are elected every year by the Association of the managers and entrepreneurs and by other organizations. One of the recent winners of the „best manager” is a lady with more children. A good practice is the possibility of part time work and of working at home using high tech methods as well.
Another positive example was the foundation of the National Center for Family in Brno several years ago: it is organizing research as well as regular conferences and seminars on family policy topics.
The role of NGOs is very important. As to the Christian movement – especially Christian associations – there are special Christian consultation centres for women. Also a consultation office exists to help pregnant women to solve their problems connected with possible abortions. Hot lines for domestic violence and for menaced and distressed women as well as asylum houses for victims and for single mothers with newly born children exist. Many Christian associations (e.g. Union of Catholic Women, YMCA, Christian and Labour etc.) are organizing summer and winter camps, excursions, workshops, specialized lectures etc. for Christian families. Various other examples could be given – but the reconciliation of family and work continues to be an important challenge.