The Shared Care Podcast continues in the direction of - care and economics. Care - why it is important to make this unpaid work visible, the economic analysis of the unequal sharing of care and the cost of care for society. - these are the main topics in the conversation with Toma Machev.

Listen to the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4l7aMcYjeEk1fLAZk7iVdM

 Transcript of epizode 9

Hello! You are on the Shared Care podcast, where we talk about the need for equal sharing of care responsibilities. The podcast is part of the CAREdiZO project , which aims to create family-friendly policies, encourage men to participate in caregiving and highlight the value of care throughout society. In it, partners from Greece, Cyprus, Lithuania and Bulgaria conduct research, co-creation workshops, training programs and develop digital tools, educational games and podcasts like this one, through which equality in care and the economy is promoted.

Today, we are joined by financial expert and business consultant at the Gotse Delchev Business Incubator - Toma Machev, to explore how care connects to the economy.

When we talk about the economy, we usually think about jobs, wages, production, consumption, and business. But there is one huge amount of work that no society could function without. It is care work. Let's start by asking what happens to the economy when this care work is not visible. What is unpaid care work? Why is it important to call it work?

Hello, actually the boundary here is quite conditional. If for the same activity, for example, we hire another person and pay that person, for example, to look after a child, clean, prepare food or take care of an elderly person, we recognize that as work. And when the same thing is done without payment by a family member, we very often call it simply a family duty.

Here, the fact that we do not receive a salary does not mean that we do not invest time, effort, energy and our skills. This is work that creates real value and allows other family members to work, study and participate in social life. It is important to call this work, because language also determines what we see. If, for example, we only talk about helping around the house or about family duties, here we can easily underestimate how much time and effort each of them costs.

And when we recognize caregiving as work, we can see very clearly how it is distributed. Who does it, how much time does it take, and how does this affect his or her opportunities for paid work, income, and career advancement?

Yes, and here we come to the paradox - this is a necessary work, work that is done in every family, every home. Without it, many people cannot even go to work, but when it remains unpaid, it does not appear in economic indicators, the way paid work is seen. Why is it important to see, to take into account invisible work?

Basically, when we talk about the economy, in order for a person to go to work, be productive, and develop their career, someone must have prepared the food, taken care of the child, taken that child to school, or taken care of an elderly relative. In other words, in order for there to be an economy, these things must be provided - care.

This work actually creates some conditions for the rest of the economy to function, but since we do not receive a salary for it, it easily remains outside our idea of what this economic contribution is. So, the effort that goes into a successful business, such as employees in a company, often remains misunderstood. They must have the conditions to develop their economic activity. If care is not provided, there will be no successful economy.

Various studies, including those we conducted within the framework of CAREdiZO projects, show that invisible care work is essentially women's responsibility. How does this affect women economically, and not only?

When women take on the majority of unpaid care work, it often means that they have less time and opportunities for paid work, career development and leisure. Sometimes this means working fewer hours, giving up extra work or promotion opportunities. In other cases, it means taking a career break or leaving the labour market altogether for a period of time.

And here it is important to see that the consequences are not just for current income. Fewer years in the labor market and lower income - this can mean smaller pension rights and greater economic dependence on the partner in the long term. So the question is not whether care is valuable, it is undoubtedly valuable. The question is why this valuable work is still distributed so unevenly. And this is where equal sharing of care makes economic sense. When both partners participate in this care, both get more opportunities to participate in paid work, to develop their careers, and to maintain their economic independence.

We understand what the economic cost is. From another perspective, we can say that care also has a purely personal cost that the woman pays. It is related to the time she uses to provide care. When, for example, after the working day is over, a new working day begins, a new shift at home, it is up to the woman and there is less time left for rest, relaxation, recovery or personal life. This cannot be measured economically as an indicator. So equal sharing of care is of economic importance. Both partners participate in care, both receive more opportunities purely economically, but also from the point of view of personal well-being, opportunities for rest and development, personal life. It should be emphasized that unequal sharing of care is also related to income inequality. Let us explain more about this.

The connection often builds up gradually, which is why it is difficult to notice. Here ... it is not about one big decision that will change a person's financial situation, but rather about small, very small decisions that are repeated over time. For example, if a mother stays home every time her child is sick, if she often takes leave to take care of family commitments, if she reduces her work hours, or turns down a business trip to be able to take care of her family - each of these decisions may be considered completely reasonable at the time. But when they accumulate, they can mean less income, slower career development, and fewer opportunities for promotion. For example, imagine a woman who chooses to work part-time for several years while the children are still young.

In the short term, the difference may seem relatively small, but along with the lower monthly income, there may also be less professional experience, fewer opportunities for development, lower social security contributions and, of course, a lower pension. The same applies to career breaks. One or two years out of the job market may seem like a short period to some, but if a person then returns to a lower position, or needs time to recover there, the difference can last and be felt for much longer.

There is one more very important thing, and that is time and opportunities – they are also a resource. That is, when one partner takes on more care, the other gets more freedom to work overtime, travel, attend training, apply for a higher position or develop their own business. And that is exactly why small decisions in everyday life can have a big effect in 5, 10 or 20 years.

In this sense, what happens in a purely economic sense when a person chooses between work and care?

In such a choice, it means working fewer hours, giving up additional commitments, not applying for a certain position, interrupting your career or even leaving the labor market for a certain period of time. This is very difficult, you see that you are gradually getting some relief economically, you want to take care of yourself in the best way at home, but then you work less or not at all. That is, income decreases, then the care is not as good, it is a vicious circle.

Yes, it is indeed a fact that many families, especially women, continue to take on most of the daily care in the family and when there is a need for someone to reduce their work or stay at home, it is often the woman who takes this step. And the explanation here is precisely economic, because the man brings in a greater income, which is better to keep, so he continues to work, and the woman sacrifices her work and her economic freedom.

Let's talk more about this economic freedom of women.

Well, yes, a woman's economic freedom can be judged by whether she currently has a job. It's about how much she has her own resources and opportunities to make decisions and security for her future. First of all, this is her own income, i.e. when a woman has her own income, she also has greater economic independence, a greater opportunity to participate equally in the family's financial decisions.

When she works less or stops working altogether because of caregiving, this independence can gradually diminish. Another thing is financial security. This does not necessarily mean that each partner has the same income, but it does mean that the woman has her own financial support and the ability to cope if, for example, the family situation somehow goes wrong.

And here comes the issue of dependence on the partner's income. That is, when one partner earns the main income and the other takes on the main part of the care, an economic dependence can already be created here. In a short term, this may seem like a completely logical family decision, but if it continues for years, the difference in income and professional opportunities already becomes significant.

Economic independence is actually something very important for a woman. Let's be clear.

Yes, that's right. Economic independence is very important because it gives you more freedom in making decisions. When a person has their own income and financial resources, they have a greater opportunity to participate equally in these decisions. Not only for everyday expenses, but also for larger decisions, such as buying a home, educating children, investing or changing jobs. And this independence becomes especially important when we are talking about unforeseen changes, such as a separation.

It is not a question of assuming that a relationship will end, but of what will happen to a person's economic opportunities if the family situation changes in this direction. If, for example, a woman has spent many years outside the labor market to care for children or loved ones, returning to work can now be very difficult, and the income significantly lower. And finally, here comes retirement, which is often the most distant and therefore the least visible consequence, as today's decisions about work, income and career breaks can affect pension rights decades later. Thus, the care that a woman provided for the family today may have a high economic cost, but this will be much later.

Men , on the other hand, are most often seen as the ones who have to bring income to the family, to financially take care of the family, which at first glance is a serious responsibility, but does it also prove to be a barrier for men in some way, for example, a barrier to more active involvement in caregiving?

The problem here is when we start to associate the value of a man in a family almost entirely with how much he earns. Then it's very easy to end up with a division where the man is the income provider and the woman is the caretaker in the family. And when the need arises for someone to stay home, reduce their working hours, or take parental leave, it seems natural that the woman will have to take that step, because it is assumed that the man's income is more important to the family. So such an economic decision gradually becomes a decision about who will be the main caregiver. And this can create a cycle - the more the man works to provide the income, the more the woman takes on the care. Or the more she takes on the care, the harder it becomes for her to maintain her own professional development. And in the end, traditional roles seem like a natural result, even though they were built up gradually from many small decisions.

These stereotypical, so to speak, traditional roles for men, for women - one brings in the income, the other takes care of the home, whether it's for children, for the elderly, for the sick, but what's accepted in our society actually becomes economic roles as well. And these economic roles limit people, right?

Well, yes, that's exactly right. Because, for example, the man who is chosen to be the breadwinner in the family begins to think that he cannot afford to be absent from work. For example, if the child is sick, someone needs to stay home. The man thinks, "I have an important meeting, I can't refuse this business trip," or "my job is more lucrative, it's better for my partner to stay home," and each of these decisions can have a completely logical explanation. But if one and the same person chooses work and the other chooses care, a permanent division is gradually created. A very important factor here is the work environment. That is, an employer expects the man to always be available, not to leave work early if some care for the child is required, he seems not ambitious enough for this job if he decides to leave early or if he does not participate in some business trip for the sake of the children or the family.

In such situations, the man already experiences a real difficulty in participating in this care. We would not say that the man or men should simply participate more. If men share the responsibility for care, it means that both retain the opportunity to be economically active and both develop the ability and confidence to care. And in this way, the family does not rely on two separate roles, i.e. he to provide and she to care, but now there are two partners who can provide and care together. The family here already earns much more. First of all, both partners retain more of their professional capabilities. If both can now work and care, the risk that one of them will have to completely interrupt their career is now much smaller. This also means greater economic sustainability for this family. The family does not depend entirely on one income and both partners here retain their professional skills and capabilities.

If these economic roles, so preordained in society, are followed, do men actually lose? For you personally, what is the answer? Is it important for men to share the cares in the family?

In my opinion, men really lose out and it is important that they also share the care in their family, because if they do not participate in this, for example, they lose time with their children, they lose their closeness with the children, with the family, with their loved ones. They do not participate in the important moments of the family or they participate, but to a lesser extent. Also, they do not know so much about the daily life of this family and also the opportunity to build their own confidence as parents is lost if the man does not participate and in my opinion the most important thing is that the man should not have to choose between being a good professional or a good father who takes care of his family.

So far, we've talked about the cost that unequal caregiving can have on women, men, and families. But what is the real cost to society when we fail to create the conditions for people to combine work and caregiving?

In fact, the cost to society is much greater than it seems at first glance, because when women reduce their working hours or leave the labor market due to caregiving, society loses part of their professional potential and economic contribution.

And when men can't provide care at home, there is pressure on them to always be economically active and we lose the opportunity for care to be more evenly distributed. This is exactly the pattern that repeats itself in the economy. Women are expected to be the less active, and therefore less desirable employees, and therefore with lower incomes. And when both men and women are already participating in paid work and care, we have greater flexibility, better use of people's skills, and a lower risk of care taking one gender out of the labor market, especially in times of economic crises, such as those that are felt even today.

I think we've explained how, at first glance, concerns unrelated to the economy, in a word, actually have a big, huge impact, both in the present and in a future dimension.

Yes, that's right. Care, as a case in point, cannot be seen as something that is outside the economy, unrelated to it. We said that it is a basis for economic development, and when we share care more equally, we share not only the tasks, we share the opportunities, the income, and even the freedom.

Thank you for this in-depth analysis of care from an economic perspective.

That was all for this episode of the Shared Care podcast. With you was Natasha Zarankova.

The podcast is created by the National Business Development Network under the project CAREdiZO,CARE Driven Innovation for Gender mainstreaming in Home, Micro-Enterprises & Micro-CSOs, funded by the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program.

The CAREdiZO project is implemented in the framework of the European Commission’s CERV Programme, as a cooperation among the  following organisations: Challedu (Greece), WHEN (Greece), MOTERU INFORMACIJOS CENTRAS (Lithuania), NATSIONALNA MREZHA ZA BIZNES RAZVITIE (Bulgaria), Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (Cyprus).. The project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, nonetheless, solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission-EU. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission is responsible for them. Project code: 101191047 – CAREdiZO – CERV-2024-GE.

In episode 8 of the Shared Care podcast, we talk about the challenges and difficult decisions for mothers when they have to work two jobs and raise children on top of that. We talk to Sonya Glavcheva, a working mother who also has her own small business. Listen to our conversation here   :https://open.spotify.com/episode/3WMbVcvtniF3byaIrw1sWy

Transcript of Epizode 8

Hello to the new episode of Shared Care. We are back with you to discuss the professional and economic empowerment of women, their reconciliation with care responsibilities at home and their equal distribution. The podcast was created thanks to CAREdiZO , a new project in which we participate under the CERV program of the European Commission.

This project aims to address the gender gap in care responsibilities by promoting equal practices at home, in small businesses and in organizations with up to 10 employees. Our project supports family -friendly policies, encourages men to participate in caring for children, the elderly and the sick in the family and highlights the value of care in society as a whole. Project activities include research, studies, workshops, training programs and the development of digital tools such as educational games and podcasts. Partners are organizations from Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Lithuania.

Today we have Sonya Glavcheva with us, in the role of a working mother, but also with experience as an employer, with a small company, who knows very well the problems of caregivers, of parents, as she had a business in this field.

• Hi, Sonya! Nice to start this conversation.

• Hello, I'm very pleased too!

• We address you first with the question of what it is like to be a mother, to take care of the home and at the same time to work? Since we often talk about a double shift, after the end of the working day we start doing our duties at home, taking care of the children. What does this double shift actually mean to you?

• I will speak from personal experience. Being a parent is quite a responsibility and it is quite difficult to combine work with parenting. Especially when the job is not just one. Nowadays, most women have several jobs and it is quite difficult to cope with the household, the children, and work. Especially if they do not have support from a husband, if they are single mothers for example. Or they do not have support from grandparents.

In my case, fortunately, one of the grandmothers is of retirement age. She helps with my little child, and the other one, fortunately.... that's why I have two jobs, before that I didn't have the opportunity to get another job, ... my boy is older, so he is independent. He has friends, they ride bikes.

And fortunately in our city, in Gotse Delchev, there are clubs that are organized for the whole summer. And in these clubs, the children are engaged in something really useful. My little one is in kindergarten until four and a half. Then I combine with the father - who should pick him up, what should happen, what should happen, because I sometimes have to work until late in the evening. Because after my main job, I also maintain a business.

• And what are the biggest challenges in combining professional and family life for a working mother?

• For me, the biggest challenges are when, for example, a seminar is organized that I absolutely have to go to. I have to be there for, say, four or five days. And then it's a really big challenge for me, because I have to distribute the children, when to go to the clubs, who should take them, what they should eat, because we follow a diet with one child...., who should be fully involved with them while I'm out of town.

• Were there times when you thought about staying home and taking care of the children and family instead of seeking professional fulfillment?

• There was, yes. Last winter I spent almost the entire winter at home, but it doesn't affect me well. Maybe you enter a pre-depressive state. Some women can even enter depression, because waking up without goals, without a plan for the day, was something very unfamiliar to me, very new, and that bothered me a lot, because I'm an energetic person, I have energy, I have ideas, I'm creative, and sitting at home and only taking care of the household, cooking, washing dishes and laundry, the house is shining, but inside my soul it's not shining, because the children around you, we are different generations, you try to raise them, and one of my children is entering puberty, we argue more, for example.

• What you just shared is very serious and many mothers seem to feel stuck in their word, in the need to take care of the family, the children, the loved ones, but they feel emotionally exhausted, losing the opportunity for better professional fulfillment and personal development. And this seems to be supported by society, as if society demands that the mother be like that. Do you think this is the case in our society as well?

• Well, yes, I think so. Many mothers stay to look after their children thanks to their husbands, their significant other, because in my opinion this is a mindset left over from a time when the mother had to take care of the children, the house, cook for the man, do the laundry, iron the clothes, and the mother becomes a housewife and has no personal life, doesn't go to sports, doesn't see her friends, for example, and the man has one goal - to work. And that's it. But I also have close friends who rely on, they were taught that the man has to work, the man has to provide for the family. However, at some point, when the man is not successful, then what happens?

It is very important to be free. You are free when you have the right to choose. If someone supports you, it means you do not have that choice, you do not have freedom.

• We are talking about this economic independence and opportunity for professional development for women, to be able to see ways for equality between men and women and to break down these prejudices in society that set limits for women.

How important is balance in the family in terms of caregiving and professional development?

• Of course, balance is extremely important. And it is really important for a woman to choose her job correctly, because many times women tap into their male energy to cope with the job. For example, if it is in a hardware store, if it is driving - there are women who drive trucks - this is a well-paid job in our country and there are women who are forced to get on a truck to feed themselves. This is when there is no support from the man.

Support is very important and everything comes from communication. If two people communicate, they will find the right path. I don't like that, I'll do this, and you do that. But in most families, in mine, in my friends' families, communication is somehow lame.

Maybe because we are such a generation, because I observe younger couples, most of them want to separate from the family (the elders). They are not in their father's home, their father's house. They even separate into apartments, even though they are from a wealthy family and can afford to have their own home, but they have to live with their parents, with their grandparents, of a sort. They separate into apartments, simply, just so that no one interferes with them, so that they can make their decisions together. And for me, this is really the right option.

• Let's go back to combining caregiving with a career path. You chose a different path. You created your own business, which you kind of adapted to the needs of your family. Can you tell me more about how you did it and how you came up with this idea for your business?

• Yes, I am generally flexible and have changed about 4-5 businesses so far. Initially, we had a gym. I wondered for a while what to do and saw that there was no one to help the parents during the summer. And that's why I decided to open a daycare center, so that the children of parents who have no one to help them could be looked after in the daycare center, because nowadays grandmothers retire at 64 or 62 and have to work and there is no one to help. And that's why I decided to open a daycare center, which over time grew into a daycare center, because the children from the summer wanted to have their birthdays there. And in the winter it was a daycare center, in the summer - a daycare center, where we put them to sleep, fed them, the children were taken care of, prepared for class, for first grade for example. A few years like that, until my first child grew up and there was no longer room for it.

Every job has its pros and cons. The plus there was that I could look after my child, and the minus was that I had to stay up late, because birthday parties were held in the evening, after 6 o'clock, and people stayed until 9-10. And you come home late at night, you come home from a noisy environment, to a quiet place, and the child starts asking you something, or your husband says - and you go "Quiet!".

These are the minuses there. The child grew up, I decided that I should change my job, to be related to my children again. They have always been the leading factor in my decisions. The little child was born, she grew up for 2-3 years in the children's center. She became very developed, because she grew up among children. And that was a very big plus for me.

But at some point the center had already outlived its usefulness and I had to think about something else. The other thing was, I wanted to work with children again, because I love children. And I decided it should be something.... to come for a while and then leave. And not to have so many people in one go, because that puts a mental strain on them. And then you become a little more impatient with your children, let's say. And then I decided it should be something that would generate income and allow me to work less, so that I could combine it, have time for the children, have time for finances. That was braiding, doing hairstyles, which I still do to this day.

But when I closed the daycare center, this was last winter, I stayed home to be a housewife. It was a dream of mine, I must have said to myself for 7-8 years, I want to stay home, cook, clean, do things, be a housewife, be feminine, pay attention, go to the gym, go to yoga and the day went by lightning fast. But somehow it was... meaningless. You become an empty soul. I was just empty. I had no goals, and at the same time I'm a creative person and all I could think of were various ideas for businesses, for creations and so on.

• Very interesting because you talk about how mothers are so inventive. In this role, you have managed to create different businesses through which you can balance being a parent and being someone who seeks economic independence. But at the same time, you have also seen many challenges. Is the business model for a mother working, in your opinion?

• To some extent it is a working model. To some extent it is a working model for a woman to have her own business, because she feels good that she is working, but other things remain in the background. It depends on what the mother focuses on. Whether she focuses mainly on the children or whether she focuses mainly on the business, because there is a divergence of energy, a dilution of energy and sometimes neither one nor the other works.

• You mentioned that the job you are currently working in requires you to take time off for travel and many other, so to speak, sacrifices for your family. How do you actually manage to make sure that this doesn't weigh on you? Do you receive support from your employer?

• Well, because before I sign a contract, I look at the working hours - my working hours are from 10 am, during which I have time in the morning to get my children ready for school, do something at home and then go to work calmly. My employer and I get along very well so far, so if I need something extraordinary, for example, a party, my child has a party and I have to go to that party to provide support. And I have no problems being absent, but then I make up the hours. I can stay until later. There have been days when, .... for example, yesterday I did a summer movie and the summer movie is until 11 am.

So we have flexible working hours here, and that's why I started this job. To be able to combine them.

• Actually, you mentioned, in organizations, in businesses, it's important to find some kind of balance between the needs of the business, between the needs of the organization and the care that employees have to take at home. Would you encourage employers, especially in a city like ours - a small city, with not so many, but great opportunities for such quality staff to be hired. Would you encourage employers to think about options that offer more flexibility for employees?

• I, as I grew up in a family where we always had employees, and our longest-serving employee has been with us, in the construction company, for over 15 years. Many people have passed through us and I observe that an employer must feel empathy for employees, show understanding for the fact that they have a family, that they also have a personal life, because they have focused on the fact that it is the summer period now, there is the most work, the day is longer and a lot of money depends on this worker. But it is important to take care of employees too. People are people and they need sleep, but sometimes they happen to be late - for example, the child will cry in the morning, and he does not want to get dressed, but the employer must understand this and say "Okay!". But the employees must not overdo it. There must be rules and boundaries.

• In continuation of these thoughts regarding the employer's responsibilities, in understanding the needs of employees, including caregiving needs, our C AREd i ZO project is creating some very interesting trainings, training practices and digital tools aimed at employers. And very soon they will be available to human resources employees in companies, to directors. And we will keep you updated on this within our podcasts and the C AREd i ZO project page .

Let's conclude this episode with a message you would like to send to mothers, and perhaps to society as a whole, including employers.

• Well, I advise mothers to be independent so they can be calmer and freer.

I also advise employers to have more empathy for their employees. And it's not all about money! Attitude is everything!

Thank you very much for participating in this episode.

I am Natasha Zarankova and I look forward to seeing you all in the next episode of the Shared Care podcast. The podcast was created by the National Business Development Network under the project C AREd i ZO - Care-led innovation for implementing gender equality in the home, micro-enterprises and civil society micro-organizations, funded by the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program.

The podcast was created by the National Business Development Network under the CAREdiZO Project -CAREdiZO- CARE Driven Innovation for Gender mainstreaming in Home, Micro-Enterprises & Micro-CSOs, , funded by the EU under the "Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values" program.

The CAREdiZO project is implemented in the framework of the European Commission’s CERV Programme, as a cooperation among the  following organisations: Challedu (Greece), WHEN (Greece), MOTERU INFORMACIJOS CENTRAS (Lithuania), NATSIONALNA MREZHA ZA BIZNES RAZVITIE (Bulgaria), Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (Cyprus).. The project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, nonetheless, solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission-EU. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission is responsible for them. Project code: 101191047 – CAREdiZO – CERV-2024-GE.

Our Shared Care podcast is continuing with epizode 7 - Care in media, where we talk with the journalist Margarita Encheva. She has also another role in her small community - to help women with cancer and it all started from the local media, that she have ran. Listen to us - at https://open.spotify.com/episode/3B3WgQD3yELwI6DLnDiGjk

Read more …

The Shared Care podcast is part of the CAREdiZO campaign for gender equality in caregiving and the workplace. In episode five we talk with Toma Machev about regulations at the European and national level related to caregivers. Listen to the conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4UxL4DA0mvHkS99Cz0DOil   

Transcript o epizod 5

Hello, I'm Natasha Zarankova and I'm back with you in the new episode of the Shared Care podcast. As you know, this is a podcast focused on the equal distribution of care responsibilities. It is part of the CAREdiZo project, funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program of the European Union.

CAREdiZo supports family-friendly policies, encourages men to participate in caregiving and highlights the value of caregiving in society and business. Its activities include research, co-creation workshops, training programs and the development of digital tools such as educational games and podcasts aimed at combating stereotypes and promoting equality. Together with the National Business Development Network from Bulgaria, the project also includes partners from Greece, Cyprus and Lithuania.

Today we speak with Toma Machev, a financial expert and business consultant at Business Incubator – Gotse Delchev. With him, we will discuss the national legal framework of care and how it relates to employers and employees, and how the right of men to provide care in the home is guaranteed.

- Hello! Let's discuss what the European directives are regarding the care that women and men provide in the home and how the equal sharing of this hidden labor is guaranteed.

- Hello! There are two main pillars in European policy. One is the work-life balance directive, which was made in 2019, and the European care strategy, adopted in 2022. The first directive from 2019 sets mandatory minimum standards.

These standards directly affect the daily lives of workers. This directive introduces the first paternity leave. It is a minimum of 10 working days around the birth of a child, paid at the same level as sick leave. The aim is to involve fathers in care from day one.

The other is parental leave, which is non-transferable. That is, each parent is entitled to 4 months of parental leave, two of which are non-transferable and paid.

If the father doesn't use them, the family will lose them. And that's an incentive for men to stay home with their children.

The other part of this directive is flexible working arrangements. The right of parents of children up to 8 years old and caregivers to request flexible working hours, teleworking or reduced working hours.

Regarding the second mandatory directive, namely the European Care Strategy of 2022, it builds on the legal framework with broader social objectives. One is to overcome stereotypes. This is to promote a public debate that care is the responsibility of both partners, not just the woman. The other is investment in services. This means that the European Union calls on countries to invest in affordable childcare and long-term care for the elderly, so that the family can rely on external help, and not just on unpaid work at home.

The third thing that comes to mind is the recognition of informal caregivers. That is, these are guidelines for countries to provide social security and pension rights to people who leave work to care for their loved ones. In terms of how all of this affects the workplace, the change in European rules is transforming corporate culture in several ways.

One way is to reduce the so-called motherhood penalty. That is, when fathers also start taking time off from work to care for their children, employers stop perceiving only women as risky employees, and this equalizes the chances for career advancement.

The other is a change in management. Here, managers are trained to manage their teams, where flexibility is the norm, not the exception. The focus shifts from being in the office to actually getting results.

The third thing that comes to mind is the transformation of social packages. That is, companies are increasingly including additional days for care or mental health support as part of their employee retention policies.

The other is economic activity. These are measures aimed at including millions of women in the labor market who are currently economically inactive due to a lack of balance.

- And how are these new European directives reflected in Bulgarian legislation?

- Bulgaria is a country that is a member of the European Union and it is obliged to comply with the basic requirements of the directives and in particular the 2019 directive, where it makes major changes, especially in the Labor Code and the Social Security Code, which entered into force in August 2022. The specific steps for this, for example, the right to flexible working schemes, which is regulated in Article 167, letter B of the Labor Code. We have here a new type of paid leave for fathers, Article 164 of the Labor Code, if I am not mistaken.

Bulgaria has introduced the right of the father or adoptive parent to paid leave for raising a child up to 8 years of age, which is 2 months. The goal here is that these 2 months cannot be transferred to the mother and the law encourages fathers to actively participate in the care of their children. The father's payment during this period is the same as for the mother. 780 leva will now be updated according to the new budget parameters.

The other is the extension of protection in the event of dismissal. Bulgarian legislation already treats cases of unfavourable treatment more strictly. If an employee, for example, is dismissed or overlooked for promotion after having requested such flexible working hours or having taken care leave, he can seek protection under the Protection against Discrimination Act. The Directive here imposed the burden of proof on the employer. That is, the employer must now prove that the dismissal is not related to the exercise of work-life balance rights.

- You talked a lot about fathers…, we would like to clarify what the Law says about people who work and at the same time have to take care of their loved ones. Which persons fall into the category of caregivers according to Bulgarian legislation?

- In Bulgarian legislation, the term caregiver is primarily defined within the framework of labor law, mainly following the changes to the Labor Code of 2022, which aim to achieve a better balance between professional and private life. According to the Labor Code, paragraph one of the additional provisions, a caregiver or caregiver is a worker or employee who provides personal care or support for a parent, a child, a spouse, another direct relative, brothers, sisters.

For a person to fall into this category before the law, the following specific criteria must be met: for example, a serious medical reason. The relative must be in need of care or support due to a serious medical reason.

There must also be proof of burden, i.e. the need for care is usually proven by a medical document, for example, a report from a medical commission or a decision of the TELC. And what rights do caregivers have according to the legislation? Regarding these persons, their status entitles them to certain reliefs in the labor process. For example, to changes in the way of working. Article 167 letter B of the Labor Code regulates that the worker has the right to offer his employers a change for a certain period of time, which change is related to the duration of working hours, for example, switching to part-time work, or the distribution of working hours, flexible such working hours, or remote work, or remote work. Regarding ...., there is a refusal to work overtime. i.e. workers who care for sick family members can refuse to work such overtime.

This is regulated in Article 147, paragraph one of the Labor Code. There is also a refusal to work at night. These persons have the right to refuse to work at night, unless they have given written consent to this.

Here it is important to make a distinction between a caregiver - according to the Labor Code, this is a person working under an employment contract, and a personal home assistant under the Personal Assistance Act. A personal assistant is a person who provides a service to people with disabilities and receives remuneration for this. This remuneration comes from the state budget, based on an individual assessment of the needs of the person with disabilities.

- In fact, many employees are unaware that the law gives them the right to request flexible working hours to care for a loved one. What might be the most common reasons why employers deny such a request from an employee? And how does the law protect employees in these cases?

- In principle, the Law does not explicitly list reasons for which this request for flexible working hours can be refused, but in practice, employers are most often motivated by some organizational or technical difficulties. For example, if the nature of the work is such that the position requires physical presence, for example, if the person works as a cashier, security guard, worker on some assembly line or is related to working with customers or strictly defined hours, then indeed the employer is motivated by exactly this type of requirement and refuses to introduce flexible working hours.

Another is, for example, if there is some lack of technological security, i.e. when requesting remote work, the employer may claim that there is no secure connection or no software for such remote access. Or if there is some disruption to the work process, there may be a risk of missing deadlines or inability to coordinate the team, if, for example, the employee works atypical hours. Another motivation is also the financial costs, since additional investments are needed to provide conditions for remote work.

- And how, in fact, does the law protect employees in such situations?

- In principle, the law does not guarantee that you will get what you want, but here it gives you a right to negotiate and protects you from arbitrary neglect. What do I mean? First, there is an obligation for a reasoned written response, which is regulated in Article 167, letter B, paragraph 4. That is, this means that the employer is obliged to respond in writing to your offer within 14 days. If he eventually refuses you, he cannot simply say no. The refusal must be motivated. This means that the employer must indicate specific reasons why the request cannot be satisfied. The other is the right to return to the original regime. That is, if you have already agreed on such flexible working hours, you have the right to request a return to your old work schedule. And before the agreed term expires. If, for example, circumstances have necessitated some change and these circumstances have now ceased to exist.

The other thing that is in the law is protection against discrimination and unfavorable treatment. That is, the employer does not have the right to punish you, fire you, or treat you worse just because you have exercised this right to request flexibility under Article 167 letter B. If you believe, for example, that the refusal is malicious or unfounded, you can always contact the enforcement agency, the General Labor Inspectorate.

- What can we advise employees when they want to make such an agreement with their employers?

- The basic advice I can give is to first submit your request in writing. That is, always use an official document, some kind of application, so that this 14-day response period can run. The other thing is to be specific. You should offer an option that minimizes obstacles for the company. For example, I will work from 7 am to 3:30 pm, instead of standard hours, so that I can take care of the family in the evening. Another thing that comes to mind is to attach medical documents, to prove the serious medical reason for the relative in question, so that you can fall within the scope of the law. If the employer still systematically refuses without real arguments, this may be a signal of a lack of supportive company culture, which is a reason to consult a lawyer or a union representative.

- The topic of our podcasts, in which we try to do exactly that - to encourage employers to understand the care needs of their workers, their employees. And that's why I hope more employers will express interest in this topic and listen to our podcasts, to get involved in the trainings that the CAREdiZO project is specifically developing for small businesses and small organizations. What do you think will be the benefits for employers for businesses and organizations, when they are more engaged in supporting employees who have some care responsibilities at home?

- One of the main problems of business in general is staff turnover. It is very difficult to retain an experienced employee and the costs of finding and training a new employee often exceed 6-9 months of salary and thus the business, by retaining an experienced employee, saves these funds for hiring and training a new employee. Here we must say that employees who are loyal and receive some support in this difficult moment subsequently show higher loyalty and are inclined to make some additional efforts for the company in the future.

The other thing that comes to mind is that an employee can be much more effective when they are allowed to use that..., how should I say ,.... When the employee is physically in the office, his thoughts are with the sick loved one, he does not think so much about the production process and productivity is accordingly minimal. And here flexibility allows him to be more effective when he can actually focus. Companies that support ... also attract much more talented personnel to the labor market.

- Yes, maybe this is really the key to creating better teamwork in companies. When the company, be it a small company, the organization really stands by the employee and helps him balance his responsibilities at home, caring for his loved ones, and working in the company or organization.

Thank you for all these clarifications!

I hope we are useful to both businesses and employees who need to take more care at home.

- Thank you too! It was a pleasure to comment on these important, sensitive issues.

We will continue to talk about the topic of care in the next episodes of the Shared Care podcast. I would like to remind you that the podcast was created by the National Business Development Network under the CAREdiZO project - Care-led innovation for implementing gender equality in the home, micro-enterprises and civil society micro-organizations, funded by the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program.

The podcast was created by the National Business Development Network under the CAREdiZO Project -CAREdiZO- CARE Driven Innovation for Gender mainstreaming in Home, Micro-Enterprises & Micro-CSOs, , funded by the EU under the "Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values" program.

The CAREdiZO project is implemented in the framework of the European Commission’s CERV Programme, as a cooperation among the  following organisations: Challedu (Greece), WHEN (Greece), MOTERU INFORMACIJOS CENTRAS (Lithuania), NATSIONALNA MREZHA ZA BIZNES RAZVITIE (Bulgaria), Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (Cyprus).. The project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are, nonetheless, solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission-EU. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission is responsible for them. Project code: 101191047 – CAREdiZO – CERV-2024-GE.