Expert Conference Accompanying the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Family and Gender Equality: Equal parenthood – a new role model? Paola Panzeri - COFACE Cracow October 2011 This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( )

What is COFACE? This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union More than 50 members in 21 EU countries COFACE aims to promote family policy, solidarity between generations and the interests of children within the legislation, programmes and initiatives of the European Union (“Family mainstreaming”).

Project “The different facets of men’s role in European families” (2006) This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) COFACE and 7 members, financed by European Commission Objectives: To build awareness about men’s family roles among the different political, economic, social and cultural actors To address question on men’s perception of their family role and how to encourage fathers to engage more with caring for, educating and raising their children

Project “The different facets of men’s role in European families” (2006) This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) Examing men’s role in the family means looking organisation of society in general, at the influence of stereotypes and resistance to change, through a critical lens.  Re-characterising the father stereotype Men’s role in imposing legitimacy of their presence at home for care for children and other dependent persons

COFACE approach This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) Reconciliation of family and professional life must be mainstreamed across all relevant policies (employment, social services, social security, education etc.) at EU and national level. At the local level, all relevant stakeholders must be involved in the design of family-friendly policies.

Reconciliation policies are key to tackle and prevent poverty and social exclusion This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) There is a clear and direct link between difficulties in combining family, private and professional life, and poverty and social exclusion. Services for families are key instruments. They have positive impacts on men’s involvement in family work and they participate in the gender mainstreaming. COFACE advocates for policies that combine time and services in a manner that give families a free choice between putting their family responsibilities first, and make it easy to return to work, staying at work or combining the two.

Key areas for reconciliation policies: quality employment This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) Quality employment is a precondition to any successful policy for combining family life, private life and work  decent wages enabling workers to make work pay, to support their families in a dignified life, help women tackle the gender pay gap and desegregating labour market.  working conditions must be respectful of family and private life,  illegal workers should be legalised in so far as possible.

Key areas for reconciliation policies: social recognition of family and private life activities This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) Reconciliation measures are still mainly addressed by women. Social inclusion policies arguably make the problem worse if they are reduced merely to participation in employment and they disregard family and social responsibilities. Family work and private life activities are to be given social recognition by integrating family and private times in the organisation of working time, and more generally in the societal organisation of time.

Key areas for reconciliation policies: social recognition of family and private life activities This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( )  leave schemes meeting the variety of family needs must be enshrined into legislation for all categories of workers  part-time work must be upgraded (pay, social rights, status on the labour market, etc.)  flexible working time arrangements must be further promoted, with a strict protection of employment and social security rights  public times must be coordinated  gender equality must be furthered

Key areas for reconciliation policies: service provisions that address families’needs This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) Families must be offered access to services meeting the variety of families’ needs, and in particular diversified childcare and services for other dependent persons. They should be provided in sufficient quantity, open to all without discrimination, tailored to be immediately available when unemployed parents are offered a training or a job, be affordable for all via public and possibly private financial support and be quality services, offering quality jobs to their staff.

"Mechanisms for reconciling professional and family roles for women and men as a chance to actively participate in the labour market " This conference is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS ( ) Thank you for your attention!