In 2014, EI's European region, the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), is turning towards the issue of participation and leadership of women and men in teacher unions and in the teaching profession.
The project’s official title Promoting gender equality within teacher trade unions and in the teaching profession II – Implementing and reinforcing teacher trade union actions on gender equality in times of austerity indicates the project’s two-parted motivation. First, the project builds up on the findings of a previous ETUCE project on gender equality, which was conducted in 2008 and 2009. Second, the new project will look at how the economic crisis and austerity politics have influenced gender equality since then.
The activities planned for 2014 include an online survey (starting on 1 February 2014), a seminar (Utrecht, 7 May 2014) and a final project conference (Sofia, 25-26 September 2014). An online platform (SharePoint group) will assist the advisory group members and interested unionists to follow up on the state of discussion and on the projects results. A set of practical guidelines will stand at the end of the project.
The gender equality project is advised by a group composed of
· Kounka Damianova, SEB – Bulgaria
· Rossella Benedetti, UIL Scuola – Italy
· Trudy Kerperien, AOb– The Netherlands
· Hélène Hémet, UNSA – France
· Dorota Obidniak, ZNP – Poland
· Ann-Christin Hartmann, Lärarförbundet – Sweden
· Maire Mulcahy, ASTI – Ireland
To find out more about the project go to the project’s website.
The topic of this new ETUCE project will be addressed during the second EI World Women’s Conference, taking place in Dublin, Republic of Ireland April 7th-9th. The conference theme is Women in Trade Unions and in Education: from words to action, and the subject of the unfinished agenda of women’s leadership in trade unions will be addressed in a keynote address and in a panel discussion between top women leaders in teachers’ unions.
Visit the conference website here.