Polish startup helps employers overcome paternal stereotypes – DW – 11/10/2023 | EUROtoday

Women are under-represented within the international labor market and once they work, are inclined to earn lower than males, in keeping with this yr’s Nobel laureate in economics, Claudia Goldin.

Goldin’s analysis reveals that many of the earnings hole occurring between women and men in the identical occupation arises with the delivery of a first little one.

The Polish basis Share the Care got here into existence in 2019 to change this.

“Companies increasingly realize that parental equality is inextricably linked to equality in the labor market,” Karolina Andrian, president of the Share the Care basis, instructed DW.

Share the Care’s actions are about encouraging employers to construct a tradition conducive to partnership in parenting — from educating workers, making ready directions on how males can use parental go away, to working with managers and cofinancing the maternity profit to extend its quantity to 100% of remuneration.

This refects a brand new perspective to feminism amongst many ladies in Poland.

The basis goals particularly to make the EU’s work-life steadiness directive — transposed earlier this yr into the Polish Labor Code — truly a beast with tooth.

It must be, given the predominance of gender-traditional considering in a rustic, the place — after eight years of rightwing authorities — ladies’s rights have gone backwards.

Karolina Andrian says Goldin’s Nobel Prize reinforces the muse members’ perception within the validity of the share-the-care’ concept.

“Equality in the labor market and equality in parenting are two sides of the same coin, and equal treatment is a basic human right,” she mentioned. “The aspirations of Poles are clear. Now we have regulations in place to support that transition.”

A harsh actuality

While social preferences are shifting towards a extra partnership-based household mannequin, a examine by the Polish Economic Institute surveying mother and father of youngsters underneath the age of 9 reveals that even in {couples} the place each mother and father work full time, in 68% of circumstances the lady is principally answerable for little one care. The scenario is comparable in the case of the division of family duties — in 55% of households, it is ladies who perform many of the duties.

Another latest examine has proven that within the first quarter of this yr 674,000 Polish ladies — virtually each third of professionally inactive ladies of working age — did not enter or return to the labor market because of household or care obligations.

According to the Polish Economic Institute analysis, most dads consider their employers can be hostile to them taking parental go away. A somewhat unfriendly response from their supervisor is anticipated by 42%, and a decidedly hostile one by 18%. Among moms, these figures are 24% and 6%, respectively.

“Since it is usually their earnings that are crucial to the family’s finances, few choose to take such a ‘risk.’ Men earn more, so women take leave for the birth of a child. And why do women earn less? Because childbirth responsibilities significantly reduce the growth rate of their salaries. We are making a vicious circle,” Andrian instructed DW.

Sylwia Ziemacka, a cofounder of Share the Care, thinks in Poland motherhood is already “embedded” in how employers view moms. “Most of them simply expect to suspend their work at some point in favor of child care. Fathers who would like to become more involved in child care are less likely to be understood by employers,” she instructed DW.

EU directive

The act transposing the EU work-life steadiness directive in Poland got here into power on April 26. Among a number of modifications, a vital one is the extension of parental go away, with an further 9 weeks reserved for the second guardian. In Polish actuality, this implies 9 weeks of parental go away for fathers.

A girl taking maternity and parental go away can obtain maternity allowance at 100% for 20 weeks and at 70% for 32 weeks, or a median maternity allowance of 81.5% for 52 weeks (12 months).

When a father decides to take 9 weeks of parental go away, the financing of his wage is straight away taken over by the state-run Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). The employer thus retains the wage of this worker of their price range.

Employers will hardly ever select to rent a short lived worker to cowl the place for 9 weeks. This is mainly unfeasible given the recruitment or onboarding time.

The directive on gender steadiness additionally forces employers to have related quotas on administration and supervisory boards. In Poland, 43% of managerial positions are held by ladies, one of many highest figures within the EU. However, at board stage, the proportion drops to 17%.

The results of the brand new laws are already seen within the ZUS information. While in the complete yr 2022, 3,700 males took parental go away, this yr till September there have been 20,900. Still a drop within the ocean however an indication of issues altering.

“This proves that regulations shape certain social behavior, in this case in line with the aspirations of many Poles. It is worth noting that everyone will benefit from this change,” mentioned Ziemacka.

Leading by instance

The Dad-Friendly Company rating — in Polish “Firma Przyjazna Tacie na Etacie” — organized by Forbes Women, the UN Global Compact Network Poland and Share the Care, highlights good examples and practices of organizations. The firms on the rostrum this yr had been British financial institution NatWest, tobacco firm Phillip Morris and furnishings division retailer Ikea.

Philip Morris in Poland has launched a subsidy for fathers taking parental go away topping up their salaries as much as 100% pay throughout 9 weeks of go away.

“We introduced this solution in Poland with reference to the standard adopted by the company globally. It is a unique solution on the Polish market,” Ewa Sobiech, from Philip Morris International, instructed reporters on the launch of the marketing campaign.

Edited by: Uwe Hessler