Work-family reconciliation policies in Serbia

Politike usklađivanja porodičnih i profesionalnih obaveza postaju sve značajnije polje državne intervencije, s tim da se pristupi između zemalja razlikuju. Posledično su i rezultati uključivanja roditelja na zvanično tržište rada, kao i nivoi podrške porodicama, različiti. Posebno se u nepovoljnom položaju nalaze žene, čije su stope radne aktivnosti dok su deca na najmlađem uzrastu, znatno niže u poređenju sa stopama radne aktivnosti muškaraca. Takođe se prepoznaje jaz između žena i muškaraca sa stanovišta nivoa zarada koje ostvaruju, kao i mogućnosti za napredovanje u profesionalnoj karijeri. Podaci pokazuju da su žene više usmerene ka obavljanju neplaćenog posla u poređenju sa muškarcima, što podrazumeva obavljanje kućnih poslova i čuvanje dece. U Srbiji se kao dominantan porodični model prepoznaje tradicionalni, u okviru koga veći deo obaveza pripada ženama. Višegodišnja društvena i ekonomska kriza u kojoj se zemlja nalazi uticala je ne samo na demografske promene, već se istovremeno nepovoljno odrazila i na započetu transformaciju porodičnog modela, kao i na održavanje postojeće asimetrije uloga i odnosa. U skladu sa tim, problem usklađivanja porodičnih i profesionalnih obaveza se više odražava na žene, jer su one i dalje više angažovane na neplaćenimm poslovima koji podrazumevaju obaveze u domaćinstvu. Istraživanje koje je sprovedeno za potrebe ovog rada ukazuje na to, da iako je postojeća zakonska regulativa usmerena u pravcu pružanja podrške roditeljima, problem treba posmatrati u širem društvenom kontekstu. To se odnosi na potrebu za daljim razvijanjem politike na državnom nivou uz kreiranje mehanizama i usluga na lokalnom nivou za njihovo sprovođenje i pružanje podsticaja za ravnopravnu podelu obaveza između žena i muškaraca. Potreba za dodatnim ulaganjem u ovu oblast javne politike se prepoznaje na nivou Srbije, s tim da je neophodno sprovesti dodatna istraživanja u cilju definisanja odgovarajuće šeme koja bi obezbedila ispunjenost interesa porodice s jedne strane, kao i interesa poslodavaca i države s druge straneThe policies on work-family reconciliation are becoming more and more important field of state intervention, while the approaches differ between the countries. Consequently, the results of parental involvement in the formal labor market, as well as the levels of support to the families, differ. Especially disadvantaged are the women, whose labour activity rates (while their children are at the youngest age) are much lower compared to the labour activity rates of men. We can also notice the wage gap between the women and men, as well as the gap in terms of opportunities for carrier development. The data shows that women are more focused on tackling the unpaid work compared to men, which includes the housework and child care. In Serbia, the most dominant family model is the one focused on upholding the traditional values, in which most of the obligations are attributed to women. Many years of social and economic crisis in the country have affected not only the demographic changes - they've also adversely affected the initiated transformation of family model, as well as the perseverance of the existing asymmetry concerning the roles and relationships. Because of this, the issue of work-family reconciliation has a greater impact on women, since they are still more engaged with unpaid work which involves domestic obligations. The study, which was conducted for the purpose of the paper, points out that even though the current legislation is directed towards providing support to parents, the problem should be viewed in a broader social context. This refers to the need for further development of the policy at the national level, with the creation of mechanisms and services at the local level for their implementation and provision of incentives for equal distribution of responsibilities between women and men. The need for additional investment in this area of public policy has been identified at the level of the Republic of Serbia; however, it is necessary to conduct additional research in order to define the appropriate scheme which would ensure the compliance with the interests of the family on the one hand, and the interests of employers and the state on the othe