This year we marked the International Women’s Day by opening an exhibition of art and literary works of schoolchildren created on the topic Gender Equality: Family Division of Work.

8 March, the International Women’s Day, is the day when we remember the year-around efforts of women for economic, political and social equality. This is also an opportunity to draw attention to the fact that gender equality has still not been attained.

A balance between personal and professional life is one of the most important conditions for providing equal opportunities between genders in the society. The problem of balancing personal and professional obligations is evident in time usage and division, considering personal needs in a professional context and harmonising personal, that is, family needs with professional activities of men and women. According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia unpaid care and household work is still largely performed by women showing the continued imbalance in the division of labour among partners. And so, women continue to spend more time taking care of the household, children, elderly people and other family members needing help.

To draw attention to persistent stereotypes that home and children are women’s responsibilities and to encourage thinking in children that family chores should be divided we organised an art and literary competition for primary school children titled Gender Equality: Family Division of Work. Primary schools Kašelj, Martin Krpan, Milan Šuštaršič, Miško Kranjec and Vida Pregarc responded to the call. The works of their pupils are going to be on display in the Main Atrium at the City Hall until 19 March 2018.

Before the exhibition opening the authors of the displayed works met with the acting director of the City Administration of the City of Ljubljana Urša Otoničar, the director of Young Dragons Ksenja Perko, the director of the public company LPT Mateja Duhovnik, the director of Kinodvor Nina Peče Grilc, the director of the Ljubljana City Theatre Barbara Hieng Samobor, the director of the Ljubljana Home Care Institute Liljana Batič, the director of Little Street Family Centre Eva Strmljan Kreslin and the director of the International Centre of Graphic Arts Nevenka Šivavec who presented their work and shared experiences and thoughts on the possibilities for overcoming stereotypes in different areas of life and balancing private and professional life.

On this year’s International Women’s Day we wish all women could strike a balance between their private and professional life and thus use all their talent and knowledge for attaining their set goals.