Still at a great distance

In Italy, “universities are basically male institutions. However, as relates to student population “women are more than half and their curricula are definitely better than those of their male colleagues”, said ALESSANDRO FINAZZI AGRÒ , rector of Tor Vergata University at the opening of the international conference on “Equal Opportunities and Human Rights”, held in Rome in the past few days on the initiative of the three public universities of Rome – La Sapienza, Tor Vergata and Roma Tre. The rector also mentioned data from the European Research Council, the European body that deals with financing such research. Among the young researchers of our continent, said Mr.Angrò, “Italy ranks first in terms of the number of funding requests. It’s a negative element, since it means that funds for research in our country are so low that they have to be sought elsewhere”. “The positive fact, however, is that “out of 1,600 requests, 600 were filed by young female researchers”. “Defending a true culture of equal opportunities is a specific duty of Universities”, said RENATO GUARINI , rector of ‘La Sapienza’ university, who defined the initiative “a sign of synergy to be developed in the future”. Follows a snapshot of the relationship between women and equal opportunities as addressed in several European Countries on the eve of the closing of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007).ITALY . In Italy, especially in carrier situations, women undergo “documented forms of horizontal and vertical segregation, with employment rates below fifty percent. Italy is second-last in the EU – at the 27th place- with high income discrimination levels”, claimed FIORELLA KOSTORIS , Professor in Political Economics at “La Sapienza” university of Rome. Italy’s female employees, she affirmed, “are traditionally more affected by their twofold productive and reproductive role than their male colleagues are, considering an asymmetrical division of domestic work. While social services don’t support the families as much as they should”. According to the speaker, “our Country made very few steps forward as relates to economic policies”. Among the ‘false’ steps Mrs. Kostoris includes the new welfare protocol which at paragraph 7, devoted to women, on ” the problem of reconciling work and the family”, “makes it appear as if it’s just a women problem”. Another “counterproductive” measure refers to alimony envisaged by recent Budget laws to dependent spouses or infants. SPAIN . The culture of Equal Opportunities in Spain underwent “a very fast development”, to the extent that this nation passed from being the last on the list, to being “the pioneer”. These were the remarks of EMANUELA LOMBARDO researcher at the ‘Compultense’ university in Madrid. “The transition period from Franco’s dictatorship to a modern democracy open to Europe”, she said, “lasted about 10 years”. During the period between Franco’s death in 1975 and Spain’s entry in what then was the European Economic Community, the ‘Istituto de la Mujer’-1983- the national Agency for Equal Opportunities, was set up . From that moment onward, policies relating to gender equality and national and regional equality-targeted structures developed at a very rapid pace until the 2007 law on equality which “obliges parties to ensure that the number of same-gender candidates does not exceed 60% and is not less than 40%”. The new legislation also envisages “positive action in favor of women to adjust discriminating situations that privilege men” and the introduction of “a balanced number of men and women in the public administration, in the human resources departments and in state-run enterprises’ boards of directors”. GREECE . “Today in Europe there is a tendency to group together all differences, as if they were all alike. But the gender difference, compared to other differences, is part and parcel of the individual and belongs to his/her deepest original essence” , pointed out MARIA STRATIGAKI , Professor at Panteion University, Greece. “Recently, European policies addressed this issue by focusing not only on the economic aspect of gender equality”, as shown in the EU Action Plan on Women and Science. However, affirmed Mrs Stratigaki referring to perspectives of the Framework Program on Research 2007-2013, “European policies aren’t sufficient to change the situation”. Since the European Research Council has started allocating funds to individuals, the speaker said, “30% of 8 794 requests were filed by young female researchers”. However, this figure drops to 24% of the 559 selected proposals. “The disordered selection of proposals filed by women should be equally emphasized: only 8% refer to science or technology faculties while 64% are the proposals related to humanistic of sociologic faculties”. BELGIUM . “Participating in the political training process in the framework of Equal Opportunities”. This is the objective of “Velvet triangle”, an initiative founded in the Flanders a few years ago and carried out by three groups of players: politicians, academics and members of civil society. The topic was addressed by MARTHA FRANKEN , assistant of the Flemish Minister in this field. “The dialogue between these three players at times is difficult, given their different viewpoints. However this dialogue is also marked by dynamism which is based on mutual trust and respect”, said the speaker. There are various obstacles, she added, among these figure “the difficulty of achieving constructive criticism, the different methods employed by volunteers and professionals and misunderstandings on the roles of the various protagonists”. Among the “good practices” of the Flanders figures that of “creating a common space for women-related issues, where women may express themselves freely without fear of losing their jobs” and the institution in 2001 of a Research Centre on politics which thanks to the availability of the Flemish government was “relocated” in 12 more centres, one of which is a centre specifically devoted to equal opportunities”. POLAND . High female unemployment rates, income discrimination and off-the-books work due to early compulsory retirement policies. These were some of the features describing the situation of female employment in Poland as discussed by RENATA SIEMIENSKA , Sociology Professor at Warsaw University. “In Europe”, she said, “one of the most urgent problems is the labor market. Europe couldn’t survive without resorting to immigrant labor force, given the low birth rates”. Governments consider “part-time jobs” an “ideal solution” which however isn’t uniformly applied throughout the European Union. In fact, the situation is not homogenous: in England, Germany and Holland part-time jobs are very widespread, while in countries such as Poland or Italy percentages are much lower”. NORWAY . In Norway “at least 40% of the members” of representative bodies “must be in the same proportions male and female”. By 2007 also corporations will have to comply with this rule, and if they are unable to implement it in their boards of directors, “they are subject to being officially dissolved by the Court”. ROSANNA CONIGLIO , Ambassador to Norway and Iceland, illustrated the Equal Opportunity policies implemented by the Scandinavian government in a Country where “welfare levels are very high and the fertility and life-expectation rates rank fourth on a world scale”; not to mention the “highly advanced” legislation as relates to social security, with a national fund “that is on the increase thanks to oil, which will turn useful to future generations”. In Norway, the speaker said, “the question of quotas has never been the object of debates. There are quotas, and that’s all. This has led to a remarkable increase in the number of women in decision-making bodies”. An example for all, the composition of the present government where “the number of female ministers exceeds that of their male colleagues”. Another form of favorable legislation of the year 2005 imposes “equal treatment of men and women” not only as relates to income. For example, both parents have right to parental leave and the fathers are entitled to 6 weeks leave from work. “If these six weeks are not used, they are lost”, pointed out Ambassador Coniglio. In Norway there also is an Appeal Court for Equality and Against Discrimination with the possibility of free legal assistance and a specificity: “the burden of proof is not on the person who claims a violation of equality legislation. The employer is the one who is requested to prove he did not discriminate against his employees”.