The round table focuses on the issue of balancing professional and family life and will gather speakers who will present findings from contemporary research on the reconciliation of work and care responsibilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region, with a focus on legal, institutional, and cultural barriers. The discussion relies on results concerning the labor rights of employed mothers, the fragmentation of parental leave policies, and experiences of discrimination in employment and upon returning from leave. The findings indicate territorial differences in compensation and the application of rights, as well as frequent stigmatization due to pregnancy and motherhood, which necessitates the harmonization of regulations, the sharing of care responsibilities, and the strengthening of protection mechanisms. 

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the event is aimed at representatives of institutions for gender equality and protection against violence, trade unions and workers from the public and private sectors, HR managers and employers open to flexible working models, civil society organizations and women’s organizations, researchers, students, and media, as well as employed mothers and fathers interested in participating in the discussion. 

Speakers: 

Dr. Zilka Spahić Šiljak, Associate Professor of Gender Studies at the University of Sarajevo, FER (Feminism and Religion) School, Director of the TPO Foundation 

Dr. Ljiljana Pantović, Research Fellow, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade 

Marija Radovanović, Junior Research Assistant, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade