Work-Life Balance for Women between Professional Careers (Open)

The 30th GWI Conference resolves that National Federations and Associations (NFAs):

1. Urge their governments to ratify ILO Convention 156 on Workers with Family Responsibilities (1981);
2. Urge their governments and the private sector to introduce more flexible labour market policies and practices to provide better employment opportunities and career development for women;
3. Urge their governments to provide high quality, affordable state funded nursery and childcare placements to allow women to continue in their professional life after starting a family;
4. Encourage co-operation with other women’s and men’s organizations to promote a more equal society with men taking their equal share of family responsibilities and care;
5. Encourage all generations to give each other mutual support; and
6. Encourage young women beginning professional careers to make full use of mentors and mutual support networks.

GWI and NFA Action reported

• Australia: AFGW – Mentoring with momentum February 2012 Action in support of GWI Policy Resolution 2010, No. 1 The Brisbane Branch of Graduate Women Qld co-sponsored an extremely successful mentoring event. This event met a need identified by earlier research, which indicated young women were very keen to have access to high quality mentoring opportunities. Read More.

 

• Australia: Parental Leave Best Practice Guide October 2011 Action in support of GWI Policy Resolution 2010, No. 1 On 1 January 2011, Australia introduced its first comprehensive Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Scheme. The Scheme will pay up to 18 weeks of PPL payments to eligible primary carers of children born or adopted after 1 January, subject to certain employment and income level criteria. It is structured in a way intended to enable carers, especially women, to maintain a connection with their workplace and careers. The Australian Federation of Women Graduates (AFGW) was one of the organizations heavily involved during the last years in advocating for its passage, preparing submissions and appearing at public hearings. Read More.

 

• Georgia: GAUW to lobby government for increased employment opportunities and career development for women December 2010 Action taken is support of GWI Policy Resolution 2010, No. 1 Georgian University Women are to meet with Government authorities and private sector representatives to discuss the present labour market in Georgia and support the provision of increased employment opportunities and career development for women. They also plan to start discussions with other Georgian Women NGOs to provide a better work-life balance for women in professional careers and high quality, affordable state funded nursery and childcare placements. In addition, they will organise educational workshops and mentoring support networks for young International Displaced Women from Abkhazia and South Ossetia to encourage them to begin professional careers.Read More.

 

• Turkey: TUKD to organize a letter writing campaign to raise awareness on work-life balance between professional careers and family November 2010Action taken is support of GWI Policy Resolution 2010, No. 1 To raise awareness on work-life balance between professional careers and family, the Turkish Association of University Women plans to write letters to its Members of Parliament, municipalities and workers’ syndicates. It will also cooperate with other women’s associations to organise meetings and conferences, and write press releases.Read More.

 

• Australia: AFGW branch offers mentoring programme June 2010Action taken is support of GWI Policy Resolution 2010, No. 1

  The Graduate Women Queensland Sunshine Coast Branch leads a mentoring programme to support women students undertaking honours and post-graduate studies. Read More.