Pathways of Education for Gender Equality
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Pathways of Education for Gender Equality Research Report on the project Gender Equality, Unemployment and Lifelong Learning in Europe – Impact on Life Chances of Young Women Zagreb, 2015 Impressum Publisher: Centre for Women’s Studies, Dolac 8, Zagreb Phone: +385 1 4872-406; www.zenstud.hr For the publisher: Rada Borić Editing: Sandra Prlenda and Leda Sutlović Layout: Lejla Topić Cover: Susan Jakopec Printed copies: 100 Printed by: Print Studio d.o.o. ISBN: 978-953-6955-51-0 Zagreb, July 2015 Authors: Casa internazionale delle donne, Trieste, Italy Melita Richter, Mira Oklobdžija and Stefania Marchese, authors Centre for Women’s Studies, Zagreb, Croatia Leda Sutlović and Zorica Siročić, authors Stephanie Olson, proofreading Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies, Nicosia, Cyprus Susana Pavlou and Christina Demetriades, authors This research was created within the “Gender Equality, Unemployment and Lifelong Learning in Europe – Impact on Life Chances of Young Women”, Grundtvig Learning Partnership Project. The information and views set out in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Table of Contents /Preface .................................................................................................................................................. 4 /Leda Sutlović and Zorica Siročić Unfinished Institutionalisation – Women’s and Gender Studies in Croatia – research report ................................................................................................................................... 5 Appendix I – The list of the relevant EU Policy Documents concerning Gender Equality in Education ..................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix II – Women's Studies Non-formal Educational Programme: the Courses given at the Centre for Women´s Studies (Zagreb), 1995-2014 ..................................... 38 /Susana Pavlou and Christina Demetriades Gender Equality and Education in Cyprus – research report ...................................... 41 /Melita Richter, Mira Oklobdžija and Stefania Marchese Non-formal Learning and Promotion of Active Citizenship in Italy – research report ................................................................................................................................ 63 Appendix 01 – Appendix 03 ....................................................................................................... 97 3 Preface Though feminist education has never had it easy, current economic crisis has created and enhanced a new set of problems to work within. Alarming levels of youth unemployment, adaptation and survival difficulties of immigrant communities, the situation on the labour market, represent some of the issues present in the research reports set forth. Dealing simultaneously with reduction of unemployment through (vocational) training, but led with the idea of education for community and active citizenship, lifelong learning represents adequate wider framework for assessment of the current issues of women’s and gender studies/education. In its attempts to mitigate consequences of the problems of weakening of social cohesion and solidarity, while resisting to growing extremist tendencies, feminist education also aims to provide responses to institutional and overall system shortcomings. The work of a mediator between local communities and immigrant groups, towards their integration, represents another role of such education. The analysis represented in this publication are a result of work of feminist non- governmental organisations in three Mediterranean countries, active in the field of adult education, each of them having their own, specific angle on the matter – from the work on increasing literacy among the minorities, to filling in the gap in higher and elementary education, with the goal of reduction violence against women. Through assessment of the socio-economic contexts, educational policies and educational programmes of the partnership organisations, this analysis aims to rearticulate the position of feminist organisations and their function in the field, signposting the trail for further actions. This research was created through Lifelong Learning Programme, Grundtvig Learning Partnership, as a part of the project “Gender Equality, Unemployment and Lifelong Learning in Europe – Impact on Life Chances of Young Women”. The partner organisations included Centre for Women's Studies, Zagreb, Croatia, Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies, Nicosia, Cyprus and Casa internazionale delle donne, Trieste, Italy. 4 Unfinished Institutionalisation – Women’s and Gender Studies in Croatia Research Report Authors: Leda Sutlović and Zorica Siročić Centre for Women’s Studies, Zagreb 5 Unfinished Institutionalisation – Women’s and Gender Studies in Croatia 1. Introduction Though the first women’s and feminist groups in Croatia were initiated during the Yugoslav period and experienced intense proliferation during the ‘90s, the political circumstances of the era caused the delay of institutionalisation of “Women’s and Gender Studies” (WGS). The first steps towards this goal were taken in the early 2000s and continue until today. Despite the favourable political climate of the period 2000–2008 that encouraged institution building, the project of institutionalising WGS as an autonomous department within the university did not come to fruition. During the past decade many efforts in this direction have been taken, though few have managed to make progress towards its realisation. Surely the most important achievement is the introduction of “Gender Studies” as an interdisciplinary scientific research field – the success of which today represents the main argument for WGS institutionalisation. Aside from offering this normative perspective, over the years members of feminist and women’s organisations have struggled to familiarize the academy and political institutions as well as the general public with some of the basic concepts of WGS and the related terminology. In addition, the work of motivated individuals has brought particular WGS courses into the university, as a part of “classic” disciplines, thus contributing to its “integrated institutionalisation” (ATHENA 2010). Although the institutionalisation of WGS in the form of an autonomous department has been the stated goal of many strategic public policy documents, this has not been achieved. More specifically, since the rejection of the WGS programme created by the Centre for Women’s Studies (CWS) by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2003, no other significant effort of the sort has been noted, even though as mentioned above it was envisaged as a priority under various strategies. At the same time, the pressure from the feminist movement has weakened, resulting in a gradual fading out of the institutionalisation agenda from the state policies. Keeping this history processes in mind, the goal of this research is to map the processes and events that have taken place since, analyse the facts and provide suggestions for further action. The first part of the paper is a review of the major theoretical debates regarding WGS in academia and a literature review of the works written on the topic in Croatia. The second part is a review of the major policy processes in the field and a description of policy debates in both the Croatian and EU legislature. The third part provides a short review of the connection between WGS and the labour market, the main skills and competencies gained through such education 6 as well as data on the education structure and unemployment in Croatia. The fourth part is an analysis of the educational activities of the Centre for Women Studies, the main (non-formal and independent) education provider of the sort in the country whose 20-years’ experience provides one of the main arguments in favour of WGS institutionalisation. The content of these on-going activities has been analysed, providing interesting data on the participants’ interests and a roadmap towards further development of this type of education. Finally, the conclusion stresses the benefits of WGS for the university and the society as a whole, its fundamental orientation towards social justice and contribution towards the development of critical thinking, tolerance, and other civic skills necessary for participation in and nurturing of democratic political culture. 1.1. Foundations and Contestations of the Field Emerging from the women’s movement in the second half of the 1960s (Maynard 2005) Women’s Studies (WS) first entered universities in the United States and Western Europe and afterwards travelled the globe. Interdisciplinary by its nature, WS has changed geography and political context over time, while continuing to share certain fundamental working assumptions, main among them being the analysis of power. The principal category of analysis is the concept of gender, which is “understood as a pervasive social construction that reflects and determines differentials of power and opportunity” (Kramarae and Spender 2000, 2061). Perceived at the intersection with class, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, citizenship and other key markers, gender becomes the basic analytical concept for the deconstruction of power relations. Through the provision of new methods and research practices, analysis of existing knowledge and production of new knowledge remains the key goal of