CHECk - CHallenge Equality in Employment and Care

ongoing

The project CHECk – Challenge Equality in Employment and Care has the general goal to reduce gender gap in employment in three countries Italy, Spain and Lithuania by fostering work-life balance practices among key stakeholders in private and public sectors. Four local authorities are involve as associate partners in order to ensure the sustainability of the action. The project targets are 270 SMEs sensitized on the importance of improving work life balance conditions in their settings; 85 SMEs that undertake an in depth gender transformative process, 800 employees from private and public sectors that are empowered, 75 European stakeholders among which policy makers, EC representatives, Trade, Industry and Women organization representatives, 9 local authorities and 30.000 European citizens among employees and caregivers. The project first specific objective is the promotion of a gender transformative approach through the improvement of internal policies of work life balance and structural change in 85 SMEs. The partners set up two capacity buildings: one on-line and available for free on Moodle platform targeting employees in order to exploit care skills and ordinary life skills; another to be held in person with executive directors, owners and HR managers of the SMEs to empower them to improve their work-life balance policies. The second specific objective aims to foster the European exchange of practices in the implementation of the EU Directive 2019/1158. The public sector is involved through info sessions for the high management and the digital capacity building is delivered to the public employees. Country visits and the EU Talks contribute to the exchange of practices on work life balance and gender care gap reduction. Finally, the third specific objective aims to challenge gender stereotypes connected with the traditional division of care work through an awareness campaign held on line and in presence in the target countries.