What is the purpose of the Council for Women in the Labour Market?
On Saturday, 09.03.2024, the first meeting of the Council for Women in the Labour Market was held. It is a body appointed by the Minister of Family, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk.
The meeting of the Council for Women in the Labour Market was held with the participation of the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, the Minister for Equality Katarzyna Kotula and the Chairwoman of the Sejm Committee on Social Policy and Family Katarzyna Ueberhan.
She pointed out that thanks to the active participation of the council members in the consultation and advisory work on the bills created in the ministry, the quality of these projects will be higher. She added that the situation of women who continue to face discrimination and unequal treatment, especially in the labour market, will be taken into account in the content of the legislative proposals.
Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk pointed to the numerous challenges faced by women. Among them, she mentioned the pay gap and the resulting pension gap, as well as discrimination against mothers and women who decide to become mothers. It expressed its willingness to discuss these issues at future council meetings.
At the end of the meeting, Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk expressed her satisfaction with the fact that Julia Kubisa, PhD, DSc, Professor of the University of Warsaw, agreed to take over the function of the Chairperson of the Council. During the meeting, appointments to the Council were presented to representatives of various institutions, including non-governmental organizations, universities, research institutions, trade unions and employers’ organizations.
The Council on Women in the Labour Market aims to initiate and support actions aimed at improving the situation of women in the labour market. It is also intended to ensure equality between women and men in the public, professional and private spheres. One of the tasks of the Council is to develop lines of action aimed at ensuring equality between women and men in the labour market.
As a consultative and advisory body to the Minister, the Council will assess the actions taken in the field of professional activation of women and their return to the labour market. It will also initiate debates and social campaigns to counteract the stereotypical perception of social roles of women and men. In addition, the Council will initiate actions to promote work-life balance, including encouraging fathers to exercise their employment rights related to parenthood.
The Council is composed of persons who stand out for their knowledge and experience in matters related to the labour market or activities for equality between women and men. The full composition of the Council can be found on the ministry’s website.
Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.
