The first of the series CAREdiZO Workshops for Equal Sharing of Care was held on 22.10 in Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria, organized by National Business Development Network. It was dedicated to the topic of Care, Stereotypes and Challenges in the Workplace. The working atmosphere was lively, thanks to the active participation and strong motivation of all who attended - managers, HR specialists and other employees of microbusinesses and civil society organizations, experts in the field of labor relations, care and social issues, organizations supporting the care of the elderly, children and parents.
Along with the overall overview of the project, they were introduced to the results of the survey conducted within the project among men and women on their care responsibilities at home and the impact on their carrier, as well as with the podcast episodes created by our organization discussing care and workplace issues and the created online community of practitioners. This was a starting point for the following workshop activities, through participants who made visual maps of own responsibilities for care, related challenges, support and gaps; discussed the stereotypes of the roles of women and men in care and in the workplace; created and discussed profiles of caregivers, difficulties that surround them and possible solutions for them.
Despite the increasing challenges in caregiving at home that are observed, the participants united around the opinion that there is an increasing understanding in society, institutions and workers, and an example of this is the CAREdiZO project itself.
We all look forward to the next workshop on the project, scheduled for 29.10, in which we will work on concrete practical solutions for micro SMEs and NGOs to support caregivers in achieving a balance with their work and responsibilities.
These workshops are part of the CAREdiZO project, funded by the European Union, which aims to help bridge the gender gap in care.