Home

http://family-friendly-university.su.lt/

Siauliai University
Institute for Gender Studies

P.Visinskis str. 25, Siauliai LT-76351
Phone +370 41 595757
fax +370 41 595757
e-mail: msc@cr.su.lt
http://www.su.lt/

Other national partners:

1. Student Representation of Siauliai University
2. Siauliai Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts
3. Siauliai City Trade Union Confederation

DP Budget:

Action 1 Budget – 80.160 Lt
Action 2 Budget – 1.318.277 Lt

• Young people (young students, who have families; young students, who plan to start families in the future, but do not have the skills of family and career reconciliation);
• Women (who study and work in educational institutions with the purpose to improving their position in the labour market and achieving gender equality)

The main aim of DP – "FAMILY UNIVERSE: Family-Friendly Organization" is to create and to test innovative methodology and means for educational institutions and organizations, starting to reconcile family and professional life and trying to change stereotypical gender roles in the family and in the work, by forming family-friendly study and work environment in Siauliai University.

• Defining the obstacles to family and career reconciliation in different types of educational institutions in Lithuania;
• Creating and testing flexible organizational means of working and studying in Siauliai University, allowing to reconcile family and career responsibilities of students and employees;
• Creating and testing new methods and educational means of reconciling family and career in Siauliai University, integrating them in the curriculum of the university. It could build non-stereotypical conceptions of the gender roles of those who study or work in educational institutions. Women employed in educational institutions would be able to participate in the professional life more actively and men would assume more responsibilities in the families;
• Creating and testing means of providing social, psychological and educational support and services in Siauliai University, counseling, career planning and employment services, which could help students and employees of educational institutions solve family problems and reconcile family and career more effectively;
• Promoting the role of the educational institution as an attractive workplace and study place in Lithuania by introducing and informing educational institutions and social partners of the benefit of reconciling family and career through positive experience in Europe and Lithuania;
• Initiating changes of educational end employment policies relating to family and career reconciliation in the educational institution;
• Analyzing stereotypical attitudes of students, managers, administrators, teaching and research staff in educational institutions towards gender roles in families and career, defining the need for family and career reconciliation in educational institutions, establishing criteria of family-friendly studies and workplace.

Referring to the experience of creation of work and study environment in Europe, considering the peculiarities of work planning, law, economics and specific socio-cultural provisions, the methology of work, career, studies and family reconciliation created and tested.

Activities:

• Creating and testing the methods of reconciliation of work, career, studies and family;
• Remaking the timetable of employees (to introduce flexible working hours);
• Introducing the distance employment;
• Testing the effectiveness of distance/extramural studying;
• Introducing flexible timetables of studies for students with families, employed students;
• Introducing the carrying service at university;
• Introducing the social, legal, educational and counseling service;
• Carrying out and publishing methodical material of reconciliation of work career, studies and family;
• Pushing/lobbying the new amendments to legislation;
• Dissemination of good/bad practice and innovative material of the project.

Planned results:

• From research revealed the obstacles of family and career reconciliation in higher education institution in Lithuania;
• Flexible organizational means of working and studying at Šiauliai University tested and introduced;
• The childcare services for children of students and staff in two faculties/ two study programs created and organized. The Child Care center established;
• The methodological means of reconciliation, gender mainstreaming, women and men equality integrated into teacher training and study;
• Social, psychological, juridical and educational counseling and career advice created and tested;
• The knowledge and awareness about work place quality at the institution for social partners and employees expanded;
• New composition of partnership proved.

• Project activities will raise awareness toward legal literacy and opportunities for family and career reconciliation;
• Employers will be informed about employees opportunities to reconcile work career, studies and family;
• The experience of family friendly university will become good practice to young staff and students to care family and studies.

Prospective impact:

• Promotion of gender mainstreaming at university;
• Formulated and tendered the law amendments of Higher Education and Studies and Higher Education for creating social dimension to reconcile work, career, studies and family for students;
• The means for ensuring gender equality and reconciliation of work, career, studies and family in educational system implicated into the national action plan of Men and Women Equal Opportunities 2005-2009.

InGe Integrating Gender Equality

DPs involved

Netherlands

“Brandweer Van Binner naar Buiten” NL-2004/EQH/0004

Denmark

“Mpowermen2men” DK-33

Spain

“IGUALDADER” ES-ES20040102

Lithuania

“FAMILY UNIVERSE: Family-Friendly organization” EQ/2004/1130-24/500

Activities:

• The Round table discussion "Organizational Change by Gender Equality Policy and Diversity in National EQUAL Projects" (ES);
• The partners meeting; preparation for research seminar; seminar „Equal opportunities and gender aspect strategies"; study visit; evaluation;
• TDP meeting, projects and research process evaluations; NL ES; DK study visit in Lithuania; fire service, social cares in education institutions evaluation (LT);
• TDP meeting, seminar „Caring men", study visit NL, ES and LT in Denmark evaluation;
• Seminar "Workshop Cultural Change Strategies to Reduce Gender Gaps" (NL);
• Project presentation in EC Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities;
• TDP meeting; the presentation of report conception, seminar for sharing good/bad experience, evaluation (ES);
• TDP meeting; Transnational conference in Lithuania;
• TDP meeting; the presentation of final report, TDP evaluation;
• Secretary in TDP.

Planned results:

• Contributing with knowledge, know – how and innovative approaches to the national projects and equal goals in the countries involved;
• Developing and disseminating joint strategies for gender mainstreaming;
• Communicating good/bad practices on equal opportunities, work-family reconciliation, gender studies and professional profiles and reducing horizontal and vertical segregation in male and female dominated workplaces to a broader audience;
• Collecting material in workshops and communicate outcomes from workshops, study visits and conferences.