Gender Equality Seminar 2010 - Bratislava, Slovakia

Gende® €quality: Europes quality? was an international seminar organised by JEF-Europe and JEF-Slovakia in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia from 21 till 27 March 2010.

The main goal of the seminar was to stress the importance of equality among the sexes, and to draw attention to the fact that actions still need to be taken to further improve the current situation. The seminar explored the advantages of gender equality as a means to building healthier and more prosperous societies where all can openly express ideas, develop skills and contribute to the general well-being, and where no one feels underestimated, oppressed or unworthy because of their gender.

Have you ever met a woman who is an excellent engineer or computer programmer? Have you ever met a man who is a great baby sitter?
Such cases do of course exist, but due to the partial institutionalisation of gender prejudices, such people may find it harder to find a job that suits them and often are poorly compensated for their work because of an ingrained assumption that their performance is or will be worse. We must fight this kind of prejudice. If in Europe we are able to achieve greater gender equality, and in so doing demonstrate the benefits of an egalitarian society, then we will set an example for the rest of the world, particularly those places where women have limited rights or remain oppressed.

The seminar was in the form of an informal educational program, where all participants shared experiences from different countries and were able to both learn from and contribute to the discussion. Additionally, we hosted guests specialists, people who work for various institutions, NGOs and governments in the gender equality field and have devoted their lives to improving the condition of women around the world. We also had the chance, through a field visit, to see with our own eyes how things really work.
For more information on the seminar, please visit the dedicated blog: www.jefgenderequality.wordpress.com

To view photos of the event, please visit www.flickr.com/jefeurope

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• JEF
• Europe
• Gender Equality
• Bratislava
• Slovakia