Gendered practices in social work have never before been the subject of research in the Czech Republic. This article looks at gender perceptions and stereotypes in social work practices. It contains a discussion of some findings from a recent qualitative study of a social work organization. The research set out to explore the gendered constructions of women and men as clients. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with social workers. The conclusion of research is that women are constructed as responsible for protection, as cooperative, as subordinate and as hysterical, whereas men are constructed as outspoken, as uncooperative and as aggressive. The findings show the importance of raising the awareness of social workers about their gender strategies and the possible impact of these strategies on their professional work, Radka Janebová, Lucie Černá., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A structural look at the employment of women with young children shows that this group is marginalized in the labour market when it is unable or only with difficulty is able to find employment in the labour market, as the current labour market revolves around the principle of independent, fully flexible individuals unencumbered by any obligations outside work. What significance in their lives do these women ascribe to being mothers and what significance do they assign to work? How does the perception of the relationship between work and family influence how they define for themselves the combination of these two spheres of life? How does this group of women see their opportunities for finding work in the labour market? Answers to these questions were sought from an analysis of 29 semi-structured interviews carried out in 2006 with women on parental leave or women just returning to work from leave, who had taken a requalification course. Their view is the view from “below”, which is a legitimate one, but given that it mainly relates to their own experiences or the experiences of others in their social surroundings there may be limitations to it. The potential limitations in this view are pointed out in the article’s conclusion., Hana Maříková., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The heated debate between feminism(s) and psychology(ies) about being political goes beyond the understanding of feminism as a dangerous ideology that needs to be divorced from the respect for approaches intrinsic to psychological practices. Political activism is frequently understood as a core feminist value, but different ethics can come into play in psychology and psychotherapy. Professionals engaged in critical and feminist approaches seek to combine being political while cherishing the autonomous decision-making of each and every client. However, we also encounter positions where individual work is rejected and only collective activism is to be pursued, or on the other hand, positions where activism beyond individual help is deemed unrealistic. In the following text different perspectives on feminist politics and psychology will be presented. For instance, critical psychology can serve as one of the platforms where feminisms and the critique of psychological theories can come together in claiming that neutrality is impossible. The theoretical part of the article is illustrated with examples, some of which were drawn from the empirical material collected for the author’s dissertation project ‘Gendering Psychological Counselling’., Kateřina Machovcová., Obsahuje bibliografii, and Anglické resumé
The participation and representation of women in decision-making bodies is an important factor in evaluating the level of political culture and the quality of democracy in a country. In the Czech Republic, and in post-communist countries in general, the representation of women in decision-making is imbalanced when compared with the representation of men. This fact is indicative of patterns of governance and the attitudes and values of citizens and suggests a generally passive citizenship in post-communist countries. In reaction to this development, there have been a number of analyses on women in politics in recent years. In general these studies concentrate on the barriers facing women entering politics and actively involved in political life. In recent years there has been a tendency in the media to give space to women who have left politics and have them look back and evaluate their career and the nature of politics. In this respect the academic sphere is lagging behind. The authors of this article aim to fill in this gap. They examine the following question: why do women leave politics after having struggled so hard to get in? They focus on the experiences of women who, in most of the cases, spent more than a decade in politics. They look at the women’s retrospective evaluations of their political careers, at life-work balance in politics, and the women’s experience of departing from politics. The article concludes that the key factor behind entry into politics, and behind maintaining a political career, is the relationships within political parties. Stereotypes and strategies continue to influence the strategic choices of actors, who assimilate into the existing political culture and choose not to generate considerable pressure for change in gender relations in political life., Petra Rakušanová, Lenka Václavíková-Helšusová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The paper addresses the problem of growing uncertainties in the Czech labour market over the past 20 years with regard to the specific conditions of unskilled women struggling to integrate their paid work and unpaid work. The economic uncertainties and growing levels of global competition in production increase pressure for a transformation and flexibilisation of workforce. Actors occupying marginalised positions in the labour market tend to have lower levels of social capital and lower levels of work experience and education. At the same time, these people, including mothers caring for young children, find it difficult to cope with the increasing pressure for productivity and flexibility. The socioeconomic marginalisation of unskilled mothers is further strengthened by measures of the state’s social policy. The analysis at hand is based on three biographic interviews on the work trajectories of women whose highest level of education is vocational or lower. A biographic approach makes it possible to analyse the impact of structural and institutional conditions and social and cultural processes on the work and life trajectories of respondents. Their testimonies reveal the mechanisms of gender discrimination, social exclusion and subordination that unskilled mothers have to face in their personal lives and careers, and the strategies and resources they employ in order to cope with their situation., Lenka Formánková, Alena Křížková., Obsahuje bibliografii, and Anglické resumé
The aim of this article is to fill in the gap in research focusing on the problem of the political participation of women in the Czech Republic. Based on text and interview analysis, it explains the role of women activists in Czech parliamentary parties in endorsing women for election to representative bodies. The article begins by describing the associations formed by women party activists and their position within the party structure, and then looks at the role of these associations in supporting women’s access to political structures. It also describes how women party activists take into account the barriers to women’s political participation and possible ways of removing these restraints. The final part introduces the hypothesis that although the creation of these associations seems to be a positive step towards improving women chances of gaining access to representative bodies, in their present form and circumstances they have no power to achieve any significant improvement in the status quo., Veronika Šprincová., tabulka, and Obsahuje bibliografii