Programme area:
Work-life Balance
Outcome:
Improved work-life balance
Output:
Local systems that support work-life balance established
Project title:
Development of a Comprehensive Approach for Enhancing Work-life Balance of Professional and Private Life in Rural Areas, Based on the Establishment of Multi-Stakeholder Regional Systems and Local Partnerships
Project acronym:
TERA
Project Promoter:
Development Centre Murska Sobota
Project Partners:
Partner 1: Regional Development Agency Posavje
Partner 2: Gender Equality Research Institute Maribor
Partner 3: Slovenian Rural Youth Association
Partner 4: Center for the Development of Sustainable Society, cooperative
Partner 5: Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (NOR)
Start of the project:
01/06/2022
End of the project:
30/04/2024
Co-financing source:
Norway Grants and corresponding Slovenian contribution
Total eligible project expenditure (EUR):
499,750.00
Project grant (EUR):
499,750.00
Main project results:
Improved understanding of men and women in rural areas of the issue of gender stereotypes, traditional gender roles, challenges of work-life balance and importance of gender equality; increased awareness of local and national stakeholders and decision-makers of the issue of work-life balance in rural areas; empowering rural men and women through measures to balance professional and personal life; stronger role of advocacy organizations to improve the situation of women in the countryside and foster sustainable development of the countryside; increased awareness of men living in rural areas of the harmful effects of traditional gender roles and about the importance of their active involvement in the challenges of balancing professional and personal life; increased awareness of the role and position of women and men in rural areas (including the state as regards gender equality in rural areas) among the general public.
Project summary:
The project addresses work-life balance in rural areas. The multifaceted nature of burden on women, accompanied by the non-recognition of their role and contribution to the households, farming responsibilities and the wider community on the one hand, and the deep-rooted gender stereotypes among men in rural areas on the other, account for high absence of women in rural socio-economic life. Research shows, among other things, that the share of women in Slovenia who as breadwinners and family members participate in work on agricultural farms stands at 46%, which is higher than the EU average; however, the share of women who own a farm amounts to only 10%. In this context, the project addresses the challenges of work-life balance in rural environment, namely: low awareness among women and men in rural areas of the possibilities of balancing professional and personal life; marked economic dependence of women in rural areas; fragmentation of regional stakeholders addressing the challenges of work-life balance; physical remoteness of people living in rural areas and difficult access to (public) services. Thus, the main goal of the project is to empower men and women in the countryside to effectively deal with the challenges of work-life balance, with which the project establishes local systems and partnerships in Posavje and Pomurje to foster work-life balance.