European Social Fund in action 2000-2006
ESF priority area
Women’s participation
Country
Greece
ESF funding
€18,750,000
Total funding
€25,000,000
ESF funding type
Objective 3
Target group
Women
Giving men and women an equal chance to succeed in the job market and in education is an ongoing political objective of the Greek Government. The employment rate
of women aged 15 to 64 is still far lower than that of men - 43% compared to 72%
for men in 2001 – and, in education, strong patterns of gender segregation remain.
A four-year project, supported by the ESF and national government, aims to challenge
gender stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes that perpetuate inequalities in Greek
society. It targets the education system – notably secondary schools and vocational
training colleges – as a means of sensitising wider society to gender issues.
Recognising and challenging inequality
“We want to raise students’ consciousness of how gender identities are reinforced
through the media, through school books, through traditional paternalistic social structures and so on, and to develop their capacity to think critically and challenge the stereotypes,” says Konstantina Petridou, coordinator of the project in the Research Centre
for Gender Equality (KETHI). “We expect this will also have a knock-on effect on the
students’ families and members of the local community.”
Name of coordinating
organisation
Research Centre for Gender
Equality
So far, some 2,000 teachers from secondary schools and vocational training colleges
have participated in a specific training designed to raise their awareness of gender inequalities in the education system, and to help them introduce the topic into the school
programme. The project aims to train some 7,500 teachers by the end of 2006.
Contact name
Mary Katsamagou
Practical intervention
Address
Ch. Trikoupi str, 51 & Valtetsiou str.
GR- 10681 Athens
Telephone
+30 210 3898000
Fax
+30 210 3898079
Trained teachers from groups of five or more schools then come together to design and
implement their own so called “intervention programme”. This may involve innovative
teaching topics and styles, or activities outside the official teaching programme. Over
the course of the project, more than 700 such collaborations will be set up involving
over 3,500 schools.
Educational materials that help teachers to approach the topic of gender equality are
being produced, in addition to a distance learning and cooperation system that will
support the project activities and encourage teachers to use ICTs.
E-mail
[email protected]
Website
www.kethi.gr
Written in September 2004 – project reference: E9-GR3
Lifelong learning
Project duration
July 2002 - December 2006
Adaptability
Project name
Teachers’ awareness raising and
intervention strategies to promote
gender equality in education
Teachers from across Greece are being trained on how to encourage
their students to challenge gender stereotypes, inequalities and discriminatory attitudes that still persist in the country’s labour market and education system. The programme involves some 3,500 secondary schools
and vocational colleges.
Women's participation
Equality in the classroom: a school on Donousa island
learns more about gender issues
Social inclusion Active labour market
Promoting gender equality in Greek
schools