1. ETUCE Training Seminar Teacher trade union actions challenging gender stereotypes in education and gender segregation in the labour market 9 May 2012, Brussels Martin Rømer European Director

2. Project Background Gender Equality is a major topic for ETUCE Equality Standing Committee - last meeting on 28 March 2012 in Brussels Women’s Caucus on 29 March 2012 in Brussels ETUC Action Plan on Gender Equality within teacher trade unions’ structures and in the teaching profession, Adopted by the ETUCE Executive Board in Brussels, March 2010

3. Gender stereotypes & inequalities in the labour market Gender stereotypes are one of the main causes of gender inequality on today’s labour market – traditional role models – women are highly successful in attaining education and gaining qualifications but career paths are often interrupted or blocked by family responsibilities Gender segregation in the labour market, i.e. women working in different professions than men, is mainly brought about by gender stereotypes The EU Strategy for Equality between Women and Men highlights women’s underrepresentation in entrepreneurship: women only represent 33% of the self-employed and only 30% of start-ups Gender stereotypes, the unequal division of family responsibilities and gender segregation in the labour market, together with other factors lead to a gender pay gap of 17,8%

4. Gender stereotypes & inequalities in the labour market ETUC Campaign on Equal Pay, Bernadette Ségol’s speech for 8 March 2012 in London addressed Women and austerity: Impact and resistance; new ETUC Action Plan on Gender Equality inequalities persist not only in gender pay differentials. Women also remain underrepresented in economic and political decision making processes (Renewed Social Agenda) EU2020 Strategy clearly recognises the essential role of education in meeting the challenges of the European employment & social policy Education is the basis for a well-functioning economy, therefore measures to promote solid education equally accessible to everyone regardless of gender or social status have to be taken

5. The Role of Education Education systems play an important role in shaping gender stereotypes – valid for all levels of education gendered identities relate to educational processes and outcomes – Gender differences in school achievement – Choice of studies – Long-term labour market conditions Gender inequality persists in today’s education systems in terms of subject preferences and performance, as well as in qualitative aspects of the education and training experience. Gender stereotyping in the education system is one of the main causes of gender inequality on the labour market.

6. Teacher union activities A precondition for creating a labour market free of gender discrimination is to meet the challenge of gender equality in education. – Teachers’ training needs to be adapted in terms of practical and theoretical aspects – It should include gender sensitive education Teachers and teacher unions play a key role here and need to receive the appropriate training and information

7. Project Background – Former Project 2008 ETUCE Project on gender equality within teacher trade unions and in the teaching profession Including a survey covering pre-school and school education, also VET. Project Objectives Improve awareness of national teacher unions on major EU policies and legal instruments for legal in the field Help teacher unions with implementation of the European social partners’ instruments on gender equality in the education sector Assessing the actual status of gender equality in the education sector and within teacher unions Findings of survey Weak representation of women at the high level of decision- making in teacher unions, in particular in comparison to teacher unions’ membership in general Lack of adopted written trade union policies on gender equality Teacher unions were insufficiently informed and hardly involved in national/school level activities aimed at challenging gendered inequalities in schools today.

8. ETUCE Action Plan Gender Equality within teacher trade unions’ structures and in the teaching profession Adopted by the ETUCE Executive Board in Brussels, March 2010 Recommendations for ETUCE and national teacher unions’ action Four policy themes: I.Addressing gender roles II.Promoting women in decision-making III.Supporting work-life balance IV.Tackling the gender pay gap

9. ETUCE Project on Gender Stereotypes 01 November 2011 – 31 October 2012 General Project Objective Fully exploit the potential of the education sector to overcome gendered discrimination in the labour market with a view to promote not only more gender equality within the teaching profession itself but also to trigger a change in student’s future career choices by providing teachers and teacher unions with the know-how and tools that are necessary to promote a gender sensitive approach in education and consequently in society as a whole. The project seeks to support the implementation of the benchmarks set in the Roadmap for the Strategy for Equality between Women and Men and shore up the work of the Council of Europe as regards the implementation of the Recommendation CM/REC(2007)13 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on gender mainstreaming in education.

10. Specific Project Objectives Identify and examine the link between gender inequality in the labour market and education; Raise awareness amongst teachers, teacher unions, students and pupils on the issue of gender equality to mitigate gender stereotypes in students’ (future employees) choice of career paths; Provide teachers knowledge and information on gender sensitive working environments to enable students to choose a career path irrespective of gender stereotypes; Change teaching approaches (subject and content-wise) by improving teachers’ attitude on gender stereotypes and their personal competences; Promote gender sensitive education at European and national level; Encourage national teacher trade unions to cooperate with national education employers on including gender sensitive education in national social dialogue systems and collective agreements by feeding the project outcomes into the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Education.

11. Project Advisory Group 5 representatives of national teacher unions from five EU countries Kounka Damianova – SEB, Bulgaria (chair of the Equality Standing Committee of ETUCE) Dorota Obidniak – ZNP, Poland Anne Jenter – GEW, Germany Joelle Casa – flc CGIL, Italy Odile Cordelier – SNES fsu, France

12. Project Activities - 4 Advisory group meetings - Peer Learning Activity for teacher trade unionists in charge of gender equality issues in their union 9 May 2012, Brussels - Training Seminar on 10 May 2012, Brussels - Closing Conference in September 2012, where the participants have the opportunity to discuss, amend and validate the guidelines drafted on the outcome of the PLA and Training Seminar

13. Expected Project Results 1. Knowledge on concrete measures in schools such as textbooks, teaching practices and teacher education programmes that can contribute to gender sensitive education. 2. This knowledge is used to create and spread innovative ideas on how to overcome gender stereotypes and traditional career choices through education. 3. Knowing both practical and theoretical aspects of gender stereotypes in the labour market and education throughout Europe makes it possible to provide teacher trade unions with the necessary training to ensure gender sensitive education. 4. After obtaining this relevant knowledge the teacher trade unions are better prepared to engage in a dialogue with the employers, thus promoting social dialogue within the education sector by establishing initial discussions with the employers on including gender sensitive education.

14. Outcome of Project activities Peer Learning Activity report Training Seminar report Closing conference report Project brochure containing: Guidelines on how teachers and teacher unions can concretely contribute to the inclusion of the gender equality dimension in education. The guidelines aim at promoting gender sensitive education at European and national level for a gender sensitive work environment based on new education approaches. (EN,FR,DE,ES &PL) CD-ROMs containing the reports and all project documents in the various languages for dissemination amongst ETUCE member organisations Dissemination and publication of the project at www.csee-etuce.org

15. Thank you for your attention ETUCE website: www.csee-etuce.orgwww.csee-etuce.org