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1 About the IPA Programme
1.1 IPA Programme
IPA - Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance is a new
instrument for pre-accession assistance for the EU 2007 - 2013
budgetary period, replacing the programs that were previously in
place - CARDS, PHARE, ISPA and SAPARD.
The IPA program was established with the Council
Regulation no. 1085/2006, while adopted on June 12, 2007 was
the Commission Regulation no. 718/2007 on the implementation of
EU Council Regulation on the establishment of the IPA
program. With Council Regulation no. 80/2010 from January 28,
2010 amendments were made to Council Regulation no.
718/2007. The financial value of the IPA program over the 7 year
period amounts to EUR 11,468 billion.
The basic objectives of the IPA program are to assist
candidate countries and potential candidate countries with their
alignment and implementation of the EU acquis communautaire.
The Republic of Croatia is a beneficiary of the IPA program
from 2007 until the moment it joins the EU. Responsible for the full
coordination of the IPA program in the Republic of Croatia is the
Central Office for Development Strategy and Coordination of EU
Funds, while the Ministry of Finance is responsible for all financial
administration.
1
This unique instrument for pre-accession assistance during
the pre-accession period differentiates two groups of countries.
Countries with potential candidate status for joining the EU
(Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and
Serbia). Intended for the above countries are only funds
from the first two components of the IPA program.
Countries with candidate status for joining the European
Union (Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey).
In the case of candidate countries, the European Union, in
addition to the mentioned forms of assistance, ensures funds to
finance projects for full alignment of national legislation with the
acquis communautaire of the Union, full implementation of the
aligned legislation, as well as preparation of program beneficiaries
for implementation of the cohesion and agricultural policies of the
Union.
The IPA program consists of the following five components:
IPA I - Transitional Assistance and Institution Building
IPA II - Cross-Border Cooperation
IPA III - Regional Development
IPA IV - Human Resources Development
IPA V - Regional Development
2
1.2 IPA Program Component IV – Human
Resources Development
IPA program Component IV supports measures aimed at
promoting employment, education and social inclusion, and as the
predecessor of the European Social Fund IPA Component IV
finances projects in the field of social cohesion as a means to
achieve the goals set out in the European Employment Strategy.
Investments in the field of human resources development in
the pre-accession period are financed through Component IV of
the IPA program.
The key framework of utilization of European Union allocations in
the field of employment, education, professional training and social
inclusion is the Human Resources Development Operational
Program.
The Operating Structure, made up of five public bodies with
different roles, is responsible for the management and
implementation of the Human Resources Development
Operational Programme:
Sector ministries:
- Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship
- Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
- Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
Sector agencies:
- Croatian Employment Service
3
- Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult
Education
The body responsible for the priority/measure is
responsible for supervision of the implementation of the
Operational Programme and has a crucial role in determining
priorities and measures
The Contracting Authority publishes the tenders and is
responsible for contracting, monitoring, payments and ensuring
control and quality of all phases of the project cycle. For potential
applicants and beneficiaries the basic contact is with the
Contracting Authority.
Beneficiaries of EU assistance can be legal persons (profit
or non-profit/public or private) responsible for initiating and/or
implementing project activities for which a tender has been issued
as a means of achieving specific goals which form a constituent
part of EU policy.
Projects under the framework of Component IV of the IPA
programme must be related to the priority and measure indicated
4
in the Operational Programme as published in the tender. This
means that your project must be directed towards human
resources development in the context of employment, education
and social inclusion.
2 "Better Perspective for Roma Women in the
Labour Market" Project
2.1 Purpose of Project
The Croatian Employment Agency, Zagreb Office, as part of
the IPA programme - Component IV - Human Resources
Development - "Women in the Labour Market" was allocated a
grant for the conducting of the "Better Perspective for Roma
Women in the Labour Market", whose implementation lasts 12
months, in the period from November 17, 2010 to 16 November
2011.
The Roma national minority, with its particular
characteristics, represents a group that is more or less
marginalized in all aspects of life and work all over the world. It is
estimated that there are over 40,000 Roma living in Croatia, of
which about 13,000 in the City of Zagreb. For the most part they
live in multi-member traditional families with the patriarchal division
of gender roles, which places Roma women in the position of
additional marginalization and social exclusion.
According to estimates of the Croatian Employment Agency,
in 2010, there were 4,553 unemployed individuals of the Roma
5
national minority registered, of which 2,410 Roma women
(52.93%). Most Roma women are not employed, are not formally
educated or have a vocation, do not have work experience and are
unwilling to change their current position. They have very low
motivation for seeking and accepting jobs because of their
orientation towards caring for their children and family.
This project attempts to raise awareness of the needs of
Roma women for professional and social development, to remove
prejudices of employers and the wider audience towards Roma
women by training them for an occupation and to actively seek
employment, and to join the labour market and society.
2.2 Project Goals
General goal
Contribute to the development and implementation of a
more active policy of the labour market, which is adapted and open
to the needs of Roma women in the City of Zagreb.
Specific goal
To develop tailor-made support and assistance in the
process of acquiring an education, as well as to improve job
searching skills in Roma women of the city of Zagreb.
2.3 Lead Partner and Partners
6
The lead partner of the project is the Croatian Employment
Service, Zagreb Office, while partners are the City of Zagreb - City
Office for Social Protection and Disabled Persons, the CESI
Association and the "Bolja Budućnost" association of Roma
women in Croatia, with Berufsförderungsinstitut Burgenland from
Austria an associate in the project.
2.3.1. Croatian Employment Service
The Croatian Employment Service (CES) is a public
institution of the Republic of Croatia, constituted under the Act on
mediation in employment and entitlements during unemployment,
aimed at resolving employment and unemployment related issues.
Within the CES there are 22 regional offices and 95 local offices.
The Zagreb Regional Office is the only one that covers two
counties: the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County. The Zagreb
Regional Office provides its users services focused on increasing
employment capabilities, employment mediation, vocational
guidance, conducting active employment measures, as well as
material and legal protection while unemployed. In addition to the
above activities, it informs the public on trends in unemployment
and employment from the unemployment records, annually
conducts a survey of employers with the purpose of researching
the labour market, and organizes the Jobs Fair. With the stated
activities, the Croatian Employment Service, Zagreb Regional
Office encourages unemployed individuals to actively search for a
7
job and to become more involved in the open labour market. The
Zagreb Regional Office has well-developed cooperation with
economic entities, whether large companies or small and medium-
sized enterprises, local government and self-government, with
which it has initiated numerous projects with the objective of
raising the competitiveness of the labour force at the level of the
City of Zagreb and the County of Zagreb. In addition to its regular
tasks, it is especially focused on the preparation and conducting of
EU projects, through which it has recognized the wider possibilities
of strengthening and including into the labour market those
individuals who are more difficult to employ and marginalized
groups of unemployed individuals, as well as strengthening their
capacities.
2.3.2. City of Zagreb - City Office for Social Protection and
Disabled Persons
The City Office for Social Protection and Disabled Persons
carries out activities related to: social protection and social welfare
rights, supervision of the activities of charity organizations,
conducting of strategies of social protection, protection of disabled
persons, social welfare of retirees, as well as protection of other
categories of citizens, encouraging and supporting social and
humanitarian programs and projects of associations and other
forms of organized activities and operations, coordination and
control of social institutes of the City, as well as other tasks that
are placed under its authority.
8
2.3.3. CESI Association
CESI is a non-profit organisation established on March 8,
1997, on the International Women's Day, as a response to
problems related to violations of human rights, especially women's
and minority rights, issues of militarism, nationalism and the
deterioration of economic standards in the post-war period.
The goals of the association are:
To advocate for the full achievement of women's human
rights at the national, EU and international level
To encourage greater efficiency in the implementation of
public policies related to gender equality and women's
human rights
To include and to empower women to participate in social,
political and economic processes.
2.3.4. "Bolja Budućnost" Association of Roma Women
The association was registered in January, 1999. Since its
beginnings it has worked on the promotion of rights of Roma, that
is, on improving their economic, social, educational, health and
legal status in the Republic of Croatia. In relation to these issues it
offers free legal advice in the office of the association, as well as in
contact with Roma women in the field, due to the fact that Roma
women, that is, a large portion of the Roma population is not
familiar with its rights in the Republic of Croatia.
9
2.4 Project Financing
The total value of the project amounts to 157,206.98 €, of
which about 77.31%, that is, 121,535.31 € are funds from the
European Union, while the contribution of the lead partner of the
project, the Croatian Employment Service, Zagreb Regional Office,
through the work of its employees amounts to approx. 16.63%
(26,141.27 €). The City of Zagreb, as partner on the project, has
provided the facilities for the CASI "Romani" Centre for Advice,
Support and Information, and finances the project with 70.000
HRK.
2.5 Project Expectations
2.5.1. Expected Results
Self-aware and aware Roma women with a strong need for
professional and social development.
Increased competitiveness of Roma women in the labour
market, acquiring of vocation and IT literacy
Roma women with the skills necessary to independently
search for employment.
Interested employers and making the public sensitive to
accepting and employing Roma women.
Developed program for employment preparation of
marginalised groups of Roma women and of job coach
10
Establishment of the CASI "Romani" Centre for Advice,
Support and Information at the address Alfirevićeva 6,
Zagreb.
2.5.2. Possible Risks
Lack of motivation of unemployed Roma women to join the
project
Lack of interest and unwillingness of the public to accept
Roma women in society
Lack of adequate vacancies in the labour market
Lack of interest of employers to hire Roma women and to
participate in the project
Lack of support and openness of the local community to
conduct the project
11
3 Main Activities of the Project
3.1 Survey of Roma Women
The Roma national minority, with emphasized particular
characteristics concerning way of life in all countries, including
Croatia, represents a social group that is, to a larger or lesser
extent, marginalized in all areas of life and work.
The emergence of the global economic crisis, which has
resulted in the loss of jobs and an increase in unemployment, has
additionally threatened the Roma population. The unfavourable
economic changes and the lack of willingness of the Roma
themselves to change their way of life, as a result of historical
heritage and intolerance of the majority population for accepting
diversity, especially when in question is a group of lower economic
status, has led the Roma minority group in Croatia to deep poverty,
and Roma women into an even more unfavourable position.
12
In today's Roma families still present is the traditional
patriarchal division of roles. Women are concentrated on caring for
the children and family, while the man is responsible for the
material security of the family, whereby the power of decision
belongs to him. Given the existing economic situation, culture of
living and the role in the family, Roma women are marginalized in
several ways and are mostly inactive in the labour market. At the
level of the City of Zagreb, the registered unemployed Roma
women predominantly do not possess the necessary knowledge
and work experience, as well as the developed skills to search for
a job on their own. Given their educational structure and lifestyle,
there is only a remote chance that the initiative for change to the
existing state will come from the group itself.
Therefore, as part of the IPA programme Component IV -
Development of Human Resources, initiated was the project "Better
Perspective for Roma Women in the Labour Market". The project is
aimed at marginalized, unemployed Roma women with the
objective of starting initiatives for change to the existing state and
to build a new model of preparation for employment that is adapted
to them. One of the first activities of the project was to survey the
Roma women. More on the stated study can be found in Annex 1
on page 62.
3.2 Surveying Employers
13
Given that the goal of the project is to develop an adapted
model for job preparation of marginalized groups of women,
including Roma women, with the purpose of their stronger
inclusion in society and the labour market, through the project 30
unemployed Roma women will be trained for their first vocation, to
actively seek employment, and with the professional support of the
job coach and the activities of the "Romani" Centre for Advice,
Support and Information (CASI), they will attempt to join the labour
market - to find employment.
The current needs for employees on the labour market, as
well as the readiness of employers to hire marginalized Roma
women, were examined by means of a survey.
The survey was completed by 150 employers, mostly under
private ownership (128 employers or 85.3%), while 15 or 10.0%
were state-owned, 4 employers or 2.7% stated no ownership
(associations, communities or similar organizations), 2 employers
did not reply, while 1 employer was of predominantly private
ownership.
The surveyed employers employ a total of 18,235 workers,
of which 6,047 are women (33.2%), and employed full-time are
16,022 workers or 87.9%.
Given the large number of workers they employ, we can
differentiate:
large employers – 13 employers or 8.7% (employing a total
of 15,121 workers)
14
medium employers – 21 employers or 14.0% (employing a
total of 2,126 workers)
small employers – 110 employers or 73.3% (employing a
total of 988 workers).
Of all of the surveyed employers, 6 employers or 4.0% did not
specify the number of workers currently employed.
More on the results of the survey can be found in Annex II
on page 111.
3.3 Job Coach Training
The fundamental and initial part of the training was to
define the coaching process as "a discussion that helps individuals
take responsibility for their own learning and change". Covered by
the training were diverse topics whose goal was to strengthen the
beneficiaries, inclusion in the world of work and to work on their
own advantages and insufficiencies with the objective of providing
help to others. Topics covered both in theory and in practice were:
development of communication skills,
learning the skills necessary to lead an interview,
work methods with difficult beneficiaries,
15
development of group dynamics and communication,
self-management as job coach,
preparing an action job search,
the importance of supervision with the aim to establish a
good relationship with beneficiaries in order to
independently search for a job.
The job coach training as part of the "Better Perspective for
Roma Women in the Labour Market" was organized by the Prava
formula d.o.o. educational institution in the period from March 28,
2011 to April 12, 2011. Participating in the training were six
job coaches, from the group of unemployed persons, social
workers, as well as advisors from the Croatian Employment
Service, supervisors. The teaching content of the training was
divided into two modules.
MODULE 1
Module 1 begins with an initial introduction and a
presentation of the program. Defining coaching as a discussion
that takes place through four phases and helps people take over
responsibility for their own learning and changes is followed by a
description of skills, attitudes and values of the job coach. The
phases of each coaching are awareness of the needs and desires
for change, planning actions and taking on responsibility,
implementation of plan by using skills and techniques and
assessment of success of actions, as well as awareness of what is
learned.
16
The objective of the training was to guide coaches as best
as possible through all four phases so that the quality coaching of
the project beneficiaries could lead to quality relations and results.
The Code of Ethics of the European Mentoring and
Coaching Council (EMCC) covers five of the most important
characteristics of a coach, which are competence, context,
boundary management, integrity, and professionalism.
The leaders of the training familiarize the participants with
the four levels of coaching and explain them in detail, and speak
about the basic skills of the coaching process itself; building
rapport, listening levels, use of intuition, questioning and providing
supportive feedback. It is essential to achieve a good rapport with
the beneficiary because the basis of each coaching discussion is
the feeling of trust. Each of the basic coaching skills is covered,
and afterwards training participants move on to the practical part,
and with a partner in the group practice what was covered up to
that point.
After the introductory topic, the leaders of the training
familiarize participants with the next, extremely important topic in
the coaching process - communication. In addition to the definition
of coaching, also covered are features, hindrances and obstacles
in communication, verbal and non-verbal communication, as well
as listening as a key element in efficient communication. Following
the presentation by the leaders is the practical part with practicing
pull (active listening and open questions) and push (giving
opinions and recommendations) communication techniques.
17
Also emphasized is the consistency of verbal and non-
verbal communication, a good message transmitter always
balances verbal and non-verbal communication.
The presentation of teaching content and the practical part
is followed by the assessment for the day.
The second day of the training begins with a revision of the
key points of the previous and a presentation of the daily program.
The main topic of the second day was the interview. After
types of interviews the topic switched to the quality of the
interviewer, preparation for interview, space and the usual
mistakes such as unclear objectives, poor planning, poor
questioning technique. For a quality discussion active listening of
the other party is necessary, and the basis of active listening is
indirect sub-questions. Questioning makes communication more
effective and builds trust in the other party, and it is therefore
important to emphasize what types of questions exist and what are
their characteristics. It is precisely for this reason that the leaders
of the training pass through the different types of questions in
detail; open, closed, guiding, "why" questions. Training participants
are familiarized with the framework of the "Skilled Facilitator",
which has three steps and by using it two goals are achieved; to
help the client develop potentials that the beneficiaries did not use
up to that point and to help clients help themselves as best as
possible. As with every other topic, so too in this one, the training
participants practice the interaction phases according to the
18
"Skilled Facilitator" model, which can be used in everyday work
because it is very practical and pragmatic.
Also discussed are the interview objectives, the so-called
SMART objectives, which are also covered both in theory and in
practice. The smart goals help clients activate themselves, to
determine priorities and to gain insight into the importance of their
actions.
The GROW model, as one of the numerous models used
for the development of individuals, is the next topic. Conversations
structured on questions of the GROW (goal, reality, options, will)
model help individuals become aware of the responsibility for their
own life. In the first phase, the collocutor is helped in defining the
goals, then the goals are checked compared to the current state,
after that elaborated are various paths that could lead to the goal
and finally the collocutor must assume responsibility for achieving
the set out actions.
The next topic is presentation skills, that is, the format for
presenting multi-part information. The Kolb format, which is used
to form the method of communication with the public for
presentations, is also covered in the practical part. Practically
everything that is wished to transfer in the written or verbal form
can be structured through the questions "Why?", "What?", "How?",
"What if?". The parts of the presentation must be designed and
meaningfully ordered. Attention is directed to each of the four
quadrants and instructions are given on how to successfully
develop them.
19
Also important parts of successful communication are 'I'
messages that are composed of active (a description of the
specific behaviour that bothers me, the consequences of this
behaviour, feelings that this behaviour causes) and passive parts
(what I want you to do).
The Aikido technique reduces the energy of the attack and
mitigates the conflict in communication, and consists of three
parts, "acknowledge, express feelings and lead." The key to non-
violent communication is acknowledging the other party and
compassion, and the Aikido principle in communication is used
precisely for this, the other party is shown respect and acceptance.
This technique as well is practiced by all participants because it is
important that, during training, these techniques are mastered as
much as possible for quality work with beneficiaries.
The third day also begins with a revision of the key points
of the previous day.
Given that the target group of the "Better Perspective for
Roma Women in the Labour Market" project is quite demanding, it
is also assumed that the coaches will also find themselves in quite
demanding situations that will require specific manners of
resolving. For this reason the topic of the third day of training is
focused on managing relationships with demanding beneficiaries,
as well as introduction to the tools for work. While talking to all of
the training participants, an attempt is made to detect all potential
problems in work with the project beneficiaries. After this, an
attempt to find a solution to the problem is reproduced, through
20
role playing. Also applied are the communication techniques
already learned. The leaders of the training provide support to the
coaches and encourage them to develop their personal style in
demanding situations.
Also discussions are held on one of the greatest obstacles
in working with beneficiaries, and this is their motivation. The main
problem is how to motivate beneficiaries for work and development
given that it is assumed that most have not been in a position to
leave their surroundings and to turn to another way of life. The
goal of the discussion is to find as many positive sides to
participating in the project, a positive influence on beneficiaries
themselves, as well as their future in the nearer and further
surroundings.
On the fourth day the focus is on group work. The
processes in the group and the group dynamics develop in several
phases; the orientation phase, the struggle for power, the trust
phase, differentiation and separation phase. Detailed discussions
are held in every phase, and after that about the group leader.
Given that group work is anticipated in the project, an
attempt is made to apply the matter to potential group meetings in
order to receive as best an impression as possible of the activities
that follow.
Work in small groups differs from work in large groups; it
encourages the inclusion of participants in the discussion already
in the early phases. Some of the methods of group work are
21
brainstorming, creating as many ideas as possible on some topic
or problem, brainwriting, the written variant of brainstorming,
fishbowl, the name for structured activities performed only by a
part of the participants.
There are also the gallery method, card techniques,
multiple choice techniques and lectures as probably the oldest
teaching method. The presentation is usually followed by a
discussion in which participants express their thoughts and
positions so there is further talk of this and in more detail, as well
as methods of how to encourage and to lead in the right direction.
It is important that the group leader, with appropriate interventions,
creates a stimulating group dynamic and successful discussion. A
good analysis of the topics, setting of goals and good knowledge
of the group are of vital importance. In addition to good leading of
the group, for a positive group dynamic necessary is will and
desire for participation of all members of the group.
Also discussed is role playing as a form of group work. This
is a very simple method of practicing some skills and acquiring
knowledge. The leaders of the training suggest role playing as one
of the possible methods of working with project beneficiaries.
The last day of the first training module begins with a
revision of the key points of the previous days and the topic of time
and stress management. It is assumed that, in work on the project,
along with numerous demanding situations, there will be a great
deal of stress, therefore, it is important to reduce it as much as
possible.
22
After defining stress, there is talk about the burn-out
syndrome. After the burn-out signs - physical, emotional and
mental exhaustion, there is talk about the phases and sources of
stress. After training participants are familiarized with the inner and
outer sources or stress, they talk themselves about their
experiences related to stress and methods of getting rid of stress.
The leaders of the training then talk about the ways of
dealing with stress. There are three methods that they introduce to
the participants: change to the source of stress, withdrawal from
the stressor and accepting the stressor.
All three are discussed more in detail, and afterwards about
stress resistance.
Besides the everyday steps for managing their own stress,
there is talk about long-term methods of combating stress.
This is followed by a practical part in which training
participants undergo some of the methods for relieving stress. This
part is of great significance because they go through exercises
which require only a few minutes and all participants can perform
them at the workplace during working hours.
MODULE 2
In the second training module focus was transferred to
concrete activities in the individualized work of the job coach with
beneficiaries. Topics covered included: creation of an action plan
for finding employment, preparation for meeting with employer,
23
presenting themselves to employer and support after employment.
A part of the module was dedicated to the organization of activities
of the job coach in order to achieve greater success, as well as
coping with demanding situations in dealings with beneficiaries.
In the introductory part attention was given to the
importance of identifying the needs and potentials of beneficiaries
in order to be able to create a quality action plan for finding work
as a foundation that will be used to define further steps and guide
efforts in finding employment.
Conceived were the first four contacts with beneficiaries
and activities that would be favourable to achieve in those
individualized training sessions. It was emphasized that, at the
beginning, it is very important to achieve a relationship of trust and
security with the beneficiary, and to explain all of the goals of the
project and to remove concerns to keep the beneficiaries
motivated for further work. It is very important to inform
beneficiaries in a timely manner about future activities and to
check whether they approve of those activities in order to prevent
future problems.
The course of the individual training was planned and
defined were the possible topics of the individual training sessions
in the various phases of the project and forms for tracking the
training sessions. Before the training it is necessary to make a plan
and to set the goal. During the individual training the methods used
will be interviews and communications techniques learned in the
first training module. After each encounter it is necessary to carry
24
out a debrief, that is, to establish what has been determined,
learned or made aware at the training, and to define further
activities necessary for achieving the goal. It is desirable to write
down and to sign these activities in order to make them clearer
and to increase motivation for performing those activities.
The next important step is to prepare the beneficiary to
successfully search for employment. This part is a more
demanding and depends on the level of education and experience
of the beneficiary, and it is possible that some will need more time
to adopt specific job-searching skills. This is true, for instance, for
beneficiaries who are IT illiterate, who must acquire the basic
computer skills to look through job ads on the Internet on their
own, to fill out a job application and to write their CV in word
processing programs, as well as to contact employers via email.
For those beneficiaries it is necessary to organize some individual
training sessions on the topic of basic use of computer and
Internet when job searching. It is necessary to go through the
training explaining all phases of successful job searching with
beneficiaries. A good CV is extremely important when seeking
employment. Beneficiaries should be informed and advised on the
CV form, and to help them and encourage them to include in their
CV all of the advantages with which she would be more
competitive in seeking employment. After identifying a potential
employer given the capabilities of the beneficiary, it is important to
gather more information about the employer and the available job
opening. Beneficiaries must be aware of the conditions for the job
vacancy to which they applied and to assess their strong points
25
and competences in order to answer the needs of the employer. It
is important also to become aware of the disadvantages, and to
find a way to diminish or replace them with some advantage. After
summarizing all the information beneficiaries should have the
material necessary to successfully write a motivational letter.
Besides the formal form of the motivational letter, it is important for
beneficiaries to assess which information should be emphasized in
the motivational letter. Beneficiaries will often contact employers in
writing, by mail or email, however, a large number of employers
seek telephone contact. Contact by telephone is more difficult
because telephoning culture must be learned, as well as how to
react to unexpected questions. Also it is possible that nervousness
may set in and this is why it would be very useful to make use of
the individual role playing training of a telephone call with
employer. With such exercises it is possible for beneficiaries to
learn how best to present themselves and to leave a good
impression, and to reduce nervousness.
The job searching process is difficult, and sometimes it is
long-term, and during that process the person can undergo several
rejections. It is important to explain to beneficiaries that they are
competing for the job opening with several candidates with similar
qualifications, and that rejection is no reason to give up from
continuing to search. The rejection experience should be used to
think about the reasons for the rejection and the methods to rectify
possible mistakes in presentation to the employer.
26
Further in the training all of the participants practiced the
negotiation methods in working with the employers through role
playing, and those with more experience (supervisors, social
workers), with suggestions for progress, attempted to perfect the
methods of those less experienced in negotiation techniques (job
coaches). The coaches, using previously learned communication
tools and suggestions for promotion, applied the "face to face"
approach with the employer and telephone contact.
Considered further were potential problems in the process
of finding employment of beneficiaries such as: family disapproval,
unavailability of child care during working hours, and attempted
were various communication techniques (for instance GROW) to
practice ways through which coaches will help beneficiaries to deal
with such problems, and to resolve them to the largest extent
possible using resources from their surroundings and the wider
social network (wider family, other beneficiaries and so on), as well
as through group support meetings. As an important point the
leaders of the training also emphasized realistic expectations of
both beneficiaries and the coaches themselves, and an attempt
was made through brainstorming to become aware of all of the
possible difficulties that may be encountered in work (failure to
attend training sessions, the failure to find employment due to the
current situation in the labour market and so on).
Besides the methods and possibilities of resolving possible
difficulties, the coaches have also learned how to deal with certain
27
beneficiaries giving up, as well as with the fact that some of them
will not manage to find a job for the duration of the project.
Once again it was emphasized that coaching is a process
of a partner and volunteer relationship, and that if they do not find
employment, they will remain richer with new knowledge and
experiences that will be of use to them in the future, and to transfer
them to family and the wider social community.
All present agreed that it is important to ensure support in
the work of the coaches, especially in more demanding situations,
which is to a large extent the role of the project supervisor, whose
purpose is to help the integration of practical experiences with
theoretical knowledge, help the coaches to arrive to their own
solutions to the problems they encounter in their work, to better
handle stress and to build their professional identity.
One of the essential skills of this day and age is the skill of
time management, and training participants, with the purpose of
using their time in as best a manner as possible, attempted to
acquire skills for determining priorities in their daily and weekly
schedules, as well as to reduce to the minimum so-called "time
stealers" such as unnecessary meetings, random visitors,
discussions with no purpose etc.
A significant part of Module 2 consisted of preparing
conceptual designs on methods of preparing data, updating
databases, as well as creating forms (leading individual training
sessions and tracking the progress of beneficiaries, reporting on
28
individualized trainings held, list of visited employers etc.) which
will be used in the work of the job coach and supervisor. Also
created was an indicative timetable for trainings.
At the end of the group part of the training, the training
participants agreed to maximum cooperation and support during
the course of the project. They jointly evaluated the entire course
of the training and concluded that, at the end of the training, they
were more aware, competent and had more self-confidence, and
that they learned new and became more aware of existing skills
necessary for further professional and personal development.
The training formally ended with an individual coaching
encounter lasting up to 90 minutes (between the participants and
the educators), whose goal was to further empower the participant
and to allow her to use her potentials in work with beneficiaries,
but also for her own further development.
3.4 "Building Self-Confidence, Strengthening
Motivation and Preparing for Independent Job
Searching" Workshop
The CESI association, a partner in the project, in February
held a workshop on the topic "Building Self-Confidence,
Strengthening Motivation and Preparing for Independent Job
Searching". By actively participating in the workshop
participants/beneficiaries of the project acquired the basic
29
communication and presentation skills necessary to actively
search for employment. The success of the workshop can best be
expressed by the words of the participants - "I think that this
workshop is a must for every person who needs help finding
employment. It is very interesting and instructive!" and "I believe
that this workshop has significantly helped and encouraged Roma
women to realize that they have rights just like everyone else".
The first workshop was held from February 14-18, and the
second from February 21-25, 2011. These workshops were held in
the facilities of the Croatian Employment Service in Zagreb
(Zvonomirova 15).
The leader of the workshop was Gordana Obradović
Dragišić from CESI, and it was successfully completed by 31
persons (15 in the first and 16 in the second workshop).
3.5 "How to Look for a Job" Workshop
On March 23 and 25, 2011 held were group support
meetings / workshops under the title ˝How to Look for a Job".
Invited and participating at the group support meeting were 15
individuals. After the meeting, project beneficiaries filled out an
assessment questionnaire. The goal of the workshop was to
30
present to the Roma women the ways and methods of job
searching, with which most of the present women had not
encountered up to that point or were not successful. The workshop
was headed by the psychologist from the Professional Orientation
Department.
From the analysis of the results of the assessment lists, it is
evident that the project beneficiaries consider the group support
meeting on the topic of "How to search for a job" quite useful, both
in terms of content and personally, and certainly believe that such
and similar support should be continued in the future.
3.6 "Possibilities for Including Roma Women in the
Labour Market and in Society" Group Support
Meeting
Three group support meetings - each for one group of
participants of the educational programmes were held at the
location of and organized by the Croatian Employment Service.
The meetings were, along with the project beneficiaries
- Roma women, attended by their job coaches, project
supervisors, project social workers, as well as Ms. Ramiza
Memedi, President of the "Bolja Budućnost" association of
Roma women, a partner in the project. Ms. Memedi presented
herself and her organization, and stated that she hoped that
her positive example would encourage other Roma women as
well to take a more active role in society.
31
The meetings took place in a pleasant and relaxed
atmosphere, and developed into an active discussion on broad
topics, touching upon various problems and numerous
stereotypes from the everyday lives of Roma women.
Achieved were the main goals of the meetings -
empowering the Roma women and their further motivation for
schooling and employment through insight into the living
experiences of successful Roma women, expressing their own
thoughts and experiences, as well as an overview of the
forthcoming changes to the social welfare system.
3.7 "Where I Am Now and What I Expect in the
Future" Group Support Meeting
On July 6, 2011, in the CASI "Romani" centre, held was a
group support meeting on the topic of "Where I Am Now and What
I Expect in the Future", with the objective of collecting the opinions
32
of participants on the activities in which they were involved up to
that point. The group support meeting was conceived in such a
manner that participants had the opportunity to express their
impressions anonymously in written form through the following
questions:
Where am I now?
What am I particularly satisfied with?
What would I change (now)?
What do I expect in the future/in the coming
period?
The beneficiaries reacted very positively to the new manner
of work and honestly expressed their opinions on the educational
programs that they attended, as well as the activities in the
projects that they participated in. From the answers that the
beneficiaries provided to the asked questions it is perfectly clear
that they are inclined to employment and the satisfaction of future
employment. They are particularly proud of themselves because
they attended a course or were involved in actively looking for a
job. Also they are aware that the family too must provide support
when looking for a job and employment. They specified that their
motivation had changed and that they were optimistic with regards
to the future. They are extremely satisfied with the project and the
relationship towards them, which is the best indicator of the
success in the change to the position of beneficiaries over the time
that they spent in the project. From what was stated it can be
concluded that exceptionally important is the individual approach
to beneficiaries, as well as the group support of this type, in order
33
to hear the experiences, thoughts and the positions of the other
beneficiaries.
3.8 "Development of Communication and
Presentation Skills" Group Support Meeting
Group support meetings entitled "Development of
Communication and Presentation Skills" for two groups of project
beneficiaries were held from June 29 to July 1, and from July 13 to
July 15, in the CASI "Romani" centre. The objectives of the
meetings were for the project beneficiaries to evaluate their
communication skills, to understand the importance and benefits of
successful communication and, as the most important aspect, to
better understand themselves and other people. Considering the
primary goals, particular emphasis was placed on understanding
oneself, one's behaviour, relations towards oneself and
expectations that we set for ourselves.
The goals of the meetings were: lectures, notes,
encouraging discussions and problem solving, as well as a short
knowledge assessment with questions from the notes, which were
distributed to participants.
The forms of work were: lecture, group discussions
and exercises.
During the 24 hours of training in total, the purpose was to
explain to participants the basics of communication and personal
development. The participants actively participated in discussions
34
and exercises. Used during the lectures were adapted teaching
contents, which were developed during the teaching day
depending on the needs of the participants.
The interactive, stimulative approach proved to be excellent
in working with participants. The joint conversations and
discussions proved to be quite successful because the
beneficiaries could express their problems, as well as their views
on specific areas of communication and perceptions, as well as
presenting their experiences.
The group discussion on the good aspects of
participating in the Better Perspective for Roma Women in
the Labour Market project had as a goal to raise awareness
and to accept the best of what is on offer.
3.9 "Social Rights, Possibilities and Obligations"
Group Support Meeting
The "Social Rights, Possibilities and Obligations" group
support meeting was held on September 6, 7 and 8, 2011 at the
CASI "Romani" venue in Alfirevićeva 6.
The meeting was led by the social workers Sandra
Kolaković and Jadranka Golac Ćelap.
At the beginning of the meeting, the beneficiaries
introduced themselves and spoke about their experiences related
to the project and the job searching process. Also participating in
35
the project were other job seekers who were not involved in the
project and who also spoke about their experiences.
The social workers introduced themselves and began with
the presentation. They spoke about the rights defined by the
Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, the right to work and
freedom of work, the right to social security, the right to health care
and rights related to employment.
During the presentation, meeting participants spoke about
their experiences regarding health insurance, social rights and the
problems they face every day. At the end of the meeting, the social
workers emphasized the importance of work and employment,
which lead to a wide spectrum of social rights.
A discussion developed related to the act on social
assistance and social rights. The social workers familiarized
workshop participants with all of the changes to legislation and
provided them with their professional opinion. The meeting ended
with an evaluation.
Most of the beneficiaries in attendance deemed the
meeting as a useful and positive experience. They were especially
satisfied with the presentation of the new Social Welfare Act, and
they were made aware of their rights and obligations.
3.10 Training - Educating Beneficiaries of the
Project
3.10.1. Training - computer operator
36
Training for 10 participants began on April 4, and ended on
May 27, 2011. The training consisted of 4 seminars necessary for
basic computer literacy of participants: PC basics, MS Word, MS
Excel and the Internet. After listening to the theoretical part, which
consisted of 75 hours, the participants also participated in the
exercises and the preparation of a seminar paper, which lasted 16
hours. All participants successfully completed the final exam.
3.10.2. Training - assistant cook
Training began on May 9, and ended on June 30, 2011,
when the final exam was held. During that period, 356 course
hours were realized. The training program consisted of the
following content: basic cooking, getting to know the ingredients,
hygiene and safety at work, practical experience and vocational
training. The theoretical part of the course was held in Pučko
Otvoreno Učilište in Zagreb, while the practical training was held in
hotel kitchens and restaurants. During the practical training,
participants spent 19 days working in the position of assistant cook
together with the restaurant staff in which they were sent.
All participants took the final exam and all successfully
passed it. After conducting the practical training, three of the ten
participants were offered jobs.
3.10.3. Training - hotel maid
37
The hotel maid training group began with training on May
19, which was completed on September 16, 2011. In this period a
total of 500 hours was realized, of which 250 in theoretical and 250
in practical training. The training was started by 10 participants, of
which 7 successfully completed. The training program consisted of
the following content: safety at work, first aid and fire protection,
technology of vocation, hygiene and disinfection, Croatian in
business communication and business etiquette, foreign language.
The practical training was conducted in hotels.
The final exam was held on September 16, 2011. Seven
participants took the exam.
Most of the beneficiaries were satisfied with the offered
training programs that they attended, and consider that their new
vocations will help them become more competitive in the labour
market, and, thanks to this fact, that they will find a job.
38
4 Project Results and Significance
4.1 Achieved Results
During the project, 6 job coaches were trained for individual,
adapted work with Roma women.
Of the total number of Roma women involved in the project
(48), 27 of them successfully completed training for the
vocations - computer operator, assistant cook and hotel maid.
During the conducting of the project, over 500 individual
trainings with beneficiaries were held.
Twelve group support meetings were held on the topic of
developing communication and presentation skills, the
possibility of including Roma women in the labour market, as
well as social rights and obligations.
Anticipated as part of the project are visits to employers, to
whom the project and the beneficiaries were presented.
Conducted were about 60 visits to employers and over 200
telephone contacts, which resulted in the hiring of 13 Roma
women, thereby achieving the very purpose of the project.
39
4.2 CASI "Romani"
The goal of this Centre is to provide custom, individual
support to unemployed Roma women in preparing to join the world
of work and society. Employed in CASI "Romani" are educated job
coaches, who provide project beneficiaries and all other interested
women individual support in preparing for active independent job
searching and the development of a professional career.
The CASI "Romani" centre provides project beneficiaries
and all other interested women the possibility of daily informing of
vacancies, writing applications, CVs and sending them to
employers, as well as offers information related to resolving
everyday questions. Other activities of the centre include individual
informing and counselling services, group support meetings and
various workshops with the goal of training for independent job
searching and joining the labour market. CASI "Romani" is
furnished with computer equipment and office furniture. Also, a
film has been shot and posters produced which promote the work
of the centre and the inclusion of Roma women in the labour
40
market. As part of the project, prepared was a guide for successful
job searching "How to Find a Job", which is available in the centre,
as well as on the centre’s website – http://casiromani.hzz.hr.
4.3 Promotion of Project
One of the more important activities as part of the project
was the promotion of project activities of the beneficiaries
themselves. For this reason, a press conference was held at which
the project and the target group, as well as all partners in the
project, were presented with the purpose of promoting the project.
Also held was the official opening of the CASI "Romani" centre,
which received good media coverage. Other promotional activities
included participation of members of the project team in shows
about national minorities on local television stations. Shown as
part of the minority programming on national television was a
report on the CASI "Romani" centre. In order to promote the
project as best as possible, a guide was also printed entitled "How
to Job Search?", which provides basic information about how to
inform yourself about job vacancies, how to prepare to job search,
to talk to the employer, as well as how to behave at the workplace.
A promotional flyer was also printed, which presented the basic
and specific goals of the project, as well as its values, anticipated
results and possible risks. A website promoting the CASI "Romani"
41
website, project activities and project partners was set up as part
of this project. Similarly, a promotional spot was also recorded,
which promotes the education of Roma women, as well as their
active inclusion in the labour market. As part of the accompanying
campaign, billboards were set up at high traffic areas in the city, in
order to raise awareness for the importance of including Roma
women in the labour market and society. A total of 10 billboards
were set up.
4.3.1. "How to Look for a Job" Workshop
4.3.2. Promotional Flyer
4.3.3. Website - http://casiromani.hzz.hr
4.3.4. Video Spot
The promotional video spot can be found at the following
address:
http://casiromani.hzz.hr/default.aspx?id=92
4.3.5. Billboards
Ten billboards were set up in the area of the City of Zagreb.
42
5 Events
5.1 Presentation of the "Women in the Labour
Market" Grant Scheme
The presentation of the "Women in the Labour Market"
grant scheme was held on November 16, 2010 in Hotel Dubrovnik
in Zagreb, and also presented were Grant Scheme Contracts. The
gathering was opened with a welcome speech by the director of
the Croatian Employment Service, Mrs. Ankica Paun Jarallah, who
stated that the "Women in the Labour Market" grant scheme was
developed by the Croatian Employment Service as part of the
Human Resources Development Operational Programme, along
with the financial support of the European Union under the
43
framework of Component IV of the Instrument for Pre-Accession
Assistance (IPA) with the objective of inclusion of hard to employ
women in the labour market. As part of the "Women in the Labour
Market" grant tender, 55 applications were received, while 18 of
the most successful were approved, who will assist in the process
of preparation and employment of women at the national and
regional level, the promotion of gender aware and goal oriented
measures of active employment policies.
As part of this grant scheme, the Zagreb Regional Office
was approved the project entitled "Better Perspective for Roma
Women in the Labour Market", whose goal is to empower and
integrate Roma women in the labour market and society at the
level of the City of Zagreb, and the opening of the CASI "Romani"
Centre for Advice, Support and Information. Partners of the project
are the City of Zagreb, as well as the Centre for Education,
Counselling and Research (CESI), and the "Bolja Budućnost"
association of Roma women. The project will last 12 months and
the total value is 157,206.98 EUR. The Zagreb Regional Office is
also the main partner in two more allocated projects: "Empowering
Unemployed Women for Active Participation in the Labour Market -
"Women Choose a New Chance", whose main partner is the CESI
association, while partners along with the Zagreb Regional Office
are Mojposao.net, the Institute for Labour Market Development, as
well as the City of Zagreb and the County of Zagreb. The target
group is long-term unemployed women, and the total value of the
project amounts to 118,789.58 EUR. The Zagreb County
Development Agency is the lead partner of the approved project
44
entitled "Certified Professional Nannies in the Zagreb County
Labour Market", in which the Zagreb Regional Office is a partner,
along with Pučko Otvoreno Učilište in Samobor, Velika Gorica and
Ivanić Grad, and Zagreb County. The total value of the project
amounts to 127,224.07 EUR, while the target group is unemployed
women over 40 years of age and unemployed single mothers.
Attending the official launch of the project were Jadranka
Kosor, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Paul Vandoren,
Head of the EU Delegation in the Republic of Croatia, and Minister
Đuro Popijač, Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship,
as well as heads of the Operative structure, county prefects,
mayors and all project lead partners.
5.2 Presentation of the "Better Perspective for Roma
Women in the Labour Market" Project
Ahead of the International Romani Day presented was the
"Better Perspective for Roma Women in the Labour Market"
project, which was granted to the Zagreb Regional Office as part of
the programme IPA Component IV - Human Resources
Development, "Women in the Labour Market" grant scheme.
45
Vesna Matijašević, head of the Zagreb Regional Office,
opened the press conference, emphasizing the importance of this
project and all other projects conducted by the Zagreb Regional
Office, and thanked partners for participating in this very
demanding, but useful project in many ways.
Attending the presentation of the project were partners and
associates of the project, as well as job coaches and beneficiaries
of the project, who articulated their first experiences of the project.
Head of the City Office for Social Protection and Disabled
Persons, Višnja Fortuna, expressed her satisfaction with the
progress of the project up to date and emphasized that the City of
Zagreb has provided and furnished the facilities of the CASI
"Romani" Centre for Advice, Support and Information, and that the
City of Zagreb will, even upon completion of the project, support
the developed model of work with marginalized groups of women
and enrich it with new services.
The Director of the Social Welfare Centre, Marija Pavić,
said that the inclusion of the Centre in the project is extremely
important, because in this manner progress will be made in the
cooperation between social workers and job coaches, which will
contribute to the quality of the service towards Roma women and
all other marginalized women.
Ramiza Memedi, Director of the "Bolja Budućnost"
association of Roma women in Croatia, highlighted that it was
46
important to support this type of project and to help young Roma
women to become involved in education.
Beneficiaries of the project Nataša Osmanović and Fikreta
Dedić presented their experiences and thanked the Zagreb
Regional Office for providing them the opportunity through the
project to acquire basic IT literacy and they hope that through the
project they will find employment.
Head of the project Marija Halić presented the project and
emphasized that the goal of the project was to develop a tailor-
made approach to assistance and support for unemployed Roma
women through IT literacy, training for first vocation and
independent job searching. As part of the project, 30 unemployed
Roma women from +Zagreb will take part in the IT course or the
vocational training for assistant cook, hotel maid, as well as
workshops and group support meetings with the goal of preparing
for independent job searching.
The head of the project highlighted that in question was a
group of women, mostly younger up to 30 years of age, with a low
level of education, that is, without completed elementary school
and without work experience, who were mostly beneficiaries of
social assistance.
She also stated the risks that could affect the project, such
as the lack of motivation of the unemployed Roma women, the
lack of interest of the public and of employers, as well as the lack
of vacancies in the market given the current situation.
47
Through the project there is a desire to increase the
competitiveness of Roma women in the labour market, as well as
to eliminate stereotypes, to raise interest and to sensitize the
public and employers towards employing Roma women and to
integrate them into society. A special aspect of the project is to
sensitize the public to including Roma women in the labour market
and society, and with this purpose a TV spot, billboards and the
website of the Centre will be produced.
5.3 Opening of CASI "Romani"
As part of the "Better Perspective for Roma Women in the
Labour Market" project, the Croatian Employment Service, Zagreb
Regional Office, in partnership with the City of Zagreb, the City
Office for Social Welfare and Disabled Persons, as well as other
partners in the project, established the CASI "Romani" Centre for
Advice, Support and Information in Zagreb, at the address
Alfirevićeva 6. The space and its renovation were ensured by the
City of Zagreb, while the office and IT equipment was purchased
with EU Funds. An associate of the project was the
Berufsförderungsinstitut from Austria, which donated the furniture
for the classroom in the Centre.
Taking place in CASI "Romani" will be project activities and
services will be provided to unemployed Roma women with the
goal of training them to search, independently and actively, for
employment and to join the labour market. Educated job coaches
will be employed in CASI "Romani", who will work individually with
beneficiaries of the project and all other interested women.
48
Besides providing individual professional support in preparing for
employment, the following services will be provided in the centre:
daily information about vacancies, writing applications, CVs, and
sending them to employers, gathering information and receiving
answers related to resolving everyday questions.
Attending the opening of CASI "Romani", in addition to the
project beneficiaries and their families, were employers,
representatives of the Government, city offices, local self-
government units and public institutions. The representative of the
Government Office for National Minorities Mr. Sc. Branko Sočanec
expressed his support of the project and emphasized that all
activities that are geared towards raising the competitiveness of
the Roma community in the labour market are of exceptional
importance and require the support of all stakeholders.
The Director of the Croatian Employment Service Ankica
Paun Jarallah emphasized at the opening that the project was
unique according to its structure and that it opens doors not only to
Roma women but also to other marginalized group for easier and
faster inclusion in education, strengthening competitiveness and
developing skills for independent inclusion in the labour market.
Mrs. Ramiza Memedi, partner in the project, commended all
aspects of the project and emphasized that more focus was
necessary on employers with the objective of more effective hiring
of Roma women.
CASI "Romani" was officially opened by the head of the
City Office for Social Welfare and Disabled Persons Mr. Sc. Višnja
49
Fortuna, who said that the opening of the Centre was only the
beginning of activities that the City of Zagreb plans on conducting
as part of the range of measures directed at developing the active
social policy of the City of Zagreb, and added that, through this
project, the Roma women were placed at the forefront and have
become subjects in creating their own future.
As part of the opening of the Centre, 10 Roma women who
completed the course for computer operator received a certificate
for their acquired vocation, which will be recorded in their
workbooks.
50
Annex 1 Survey of Roma Women
Anticipated through the project is the conducting of the
survey questionnaire whose aim is to examine the existing status
of unemployed Roma women in the City of Zagreb. As there are
no precise data or studies on the lives of unemployed Roma
women, their professional needs and desires, and planned within
the framework of the project are tailor-made programmes for their
preparation and education, and independent searching for
employment for unemployed Roma women, it is essential to collect
all of the necessary relevant data.
The objective of the survey of Roma women is to learn of
the existing circumstances in which unemployed Roma women live
in the City of Zagreb, to examine their needs (personal and
professional), as well as their expectations and readiness to
independently find work and employment.
The project team prepared a survey questionnaire in
cooperation with employment advisors, whose experience was,
given their efforts up to the present with unemployed Roma
women, of significant use. The content of the questionnaire is
structured to cover a wide range of topics and to encompass an
area of general data, family history, living circumstances, sources
of financing, educational status and needs, work experience,
organization of time, questioning interests, motivation for learning
51
and change, as well as responsibility for the existing situation. The
questionnaire contains 35 questions of the combined type: 12
open-type questions (34.3%), as well as 23 closed-type questions
(65.7%), of which 13 questions (37.1%) required additional
information or further explanation of their own or the selected
answer. The concept of combining questions types enabled the
collection of reliable and useful data, as well as information
relevant for the creation of an employment preparation programme
for unemployed Roma women.
The questionnaire provided respondents the opportunity to
explore a wide range of their needs, expectations and desires, and
in this manner to indirectly increase their motivation to actively
search for employment and a change to the existing state.
I. STUDY METHODOLOGY
The questionnaire was completed in the facilities of the
Croatian Employment Service, Zagreb Office, over the course of
three days in December 2010, daily in four time slots for a duration
of 2 hours respectively. The unemployed Roma women were
invited to participate in the survey by phone and invitations by
employment advisors, as well as by representatives of the
Croatian Association of Roma Women "Bolja Budućnost Žena
Romkinja" (Better Future for Roma Women), who referred the
Roma women with whom it worked. Invited in total to complete the
questionnaire were 220 unemployed Roma women, of which 110
women were invited twice, because for various reasons they had
not received the first invitation or were prevented from attending at
52
the set time. One hundred and fifty-two unemployed Roma
women, that is 69.1%, accepted the invitation.
The questionnaire was anonymous and headed by the
project coordinator, who, at the outset of the survey, presented to
respondents the objective and the purpose of the study, and
familiarized them with the methodology of completing the
questionnaire. The questionnaire was organized and took place in
the presence of the employment advisor and psychologist, who
provided respondents with specific assistance in filling out the
questionnaire with the objective of collecting data and information
that were as accurate and complete as possible.
Respondents filled out the questionnaire in the manner that
the head of the survey read the questions out loud to the group,
and then the respondents replied individually. About 30% of
respondents were semi-literate or illiterate, and were assisted in
completing the questionnaire (they completed the questionnaire
with the oral replies of the Roma women) by the survey leader, the
employment advisor and psychologist. The completing of the
questionnaire lasted on average 110 minutes. The Roma women
had a surprisingly positive approach to completing the
questionnaire and very often while completing had the need to
loudly comment on the questions and answers in the manner that
they spontaneously articulated their life stories.
II. RESULTS OF PROCESSING QUESTIONNAIRE
53
By means of the questionnaire, a significant number of data
and an extremely wide range of information were collected, which
offer the possibility of creating a realistic picture of Roma women.
The answers of the respondents were processed through
the following characteristics: general data on the respondents,
family structure, housing conditions, sources of income, interests
and desire to become involved in education, way of utilizing free
time and assessment of responsibility and seeking solutions for
their needs.
1 GENERAL DATA ON RESPONDENTS AND MARITAL STATUS
1.1 Overview of age of respondents
The collected answers to the question "How old are you?" are grouped into seven categories, with each encompassing a
period of 5 years.
Chart 1 Overview of age of respondents
Table 1 Overview of age of respondents
PERIOD/YEARS 15- 21- 27- 33- 39- 45- 51- Σ
54
20 26 32 38 44 50 56
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
27 28 24 28 22 19 4 152
% 17.7 18.4 15.8 18.4 14.4 12.5 2.7 100
In the group of Roma women surveyed, equally
represented are women from the age of 21 to 26, and from 33 to
38 years, with a share of 18.4 % (N=28), followed by young Roma
women of the age from 15 to 20 years with a share of 17.7% (N=
27). About 16% (N=24) are Roma women aged from 27 to 32
years of age, and a very low share of 3% (N= 4) are Roma women
aged above 51 years of age.
Compared with the entry into the records of the remaining
unemployed individuals, in the Roma population, and especially
considering Roma women, the share of those registered in the
records belonging t the younger-aged category is greater
compared to the other unemployed. The registration into the
records of unemployed individuals is more frequently the outcome
of not enrolling or dropping out of secondary school education or
early marriage
1.2 Question - "What brought you to Zagreb?"
With the question "What brought you to Zagreb?" an
attempt was made to learn from what background the respondents
came in order to assess to what extent they knew Zagreb, how
55
15-20 god.
21-26 god.
27-32 god.
33-38 god.
39-44 god.
45-50 god.
51-56 god.
05
1015202530 27 28
2428
2219
4
BROJ ISPITAN-ICA
skilled they were in finding their way in the city, which is relevant
for actively searching for employment. The question is of the semi-
open type with six reasons (I was born here, war circumstances,
search for work, improving health conditions, and marriage), and
the possibility of providing their own answer.
Most respondents, 65.1% (N=99), were born in Zagreb,
about 17.1% (N=26) of respondents moved as a result of
marriage, 12 respondents (7.9%) came to Zagreb in search of
work, three respondents respectively state that they came to
Zagreb due to war circumstances and the need for education,
while 9 respondents stated personal reasons: I came to Zagreb
with my parents, due to abuse I came to the shelter, my mother
was born here. Not one respondent stated coming to live in Zagreb
in order to receive health insurance coverage.
1.3 Overview of the marital status of respondents
At the question of marital status, respondents were
provided seven possible answers: married, not married,
cohabitation, divorced, separated from husband, widow, and single
mother. The "separated from husband" answer was not circled by
any respondents. The married respondents were asked to write
down at what age they got married.
Chart 2 Overview of the marital status of respondents
56
Among the surveyed Roma women predominant are married women at about 47.4% (N=72), which confirms the
importance of marriage for the Roma national minority. However,
an interest fact is that, among the respondents, 14.5% (N=22) live
in cohabitation, and about 10% (N=15) are single mothers. These
are not insignificant indicators; about 1/4 of respondents have
taken on an atypical way of living for the Roma community. Roma
women, otherwise, dedicated to the family, consciously or
unconsciously are becoming more independent.
In the Roma family, under the influence of outside factors,
obviously present are certain changes, but the question must be
raised on how Roma women are coping in their new role. Will the
new lifestyle additionally threaten them and draw them into even
greater poverty? What is the role of society and the civil sector in
their emancipation?
1.4 Overview of age of when respondents married
57
47%
24%
14%3%
1% 10%UDANA
NEUDANA
IZVANBRAČNA ZAJEDNICA
RAZVEDENA
UDOVICA
SAMOHRANA MAJKA
At the question of marital status, married respondents were
asked to provide at what age they were married, and the received
answers were grouped into four categories.
Table 2 Overview of age of when respondents married
PERIOD/YEARS NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
14-15 11 13.9
16-17 22 27.8
18-24 42 53.2
25 AND OVER 4 5.1
TOTAL - married, widowed, divorced
79 100
Most respondents, 58% (N=46), married when they
reached the age of majority, of which 53.2% (N=42) of
respondents at the age from 18 to 24 years of age, and four after
25 years of age. A significant share of about 42% (N=33) of the
surveyed Roma women, married before turning 18, of which 11 of
the surveyed Roma women were between the ages of 14 and 15.
The figures show that predominant are Roma women who marry
after turning 18, which speaks in favour of the theory that there are
certain changes occurring in Roma families concerning the
position of women.
1.5 Question on the number of children that the respondents have
58
The question of the number of children is of the closed
type, while respondents who replied that they had children were
asked how many they had.
Table 3 Overview of number of children per respondent
NUMBER OF CHILDREN
1 2 3-4 5-6 7-9 OVER 10
TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
19 24 43 15 12 4 117
PERCENTAGE
16.
2
21.0 36.7 12.8 10.3 3.4 100
In the target group predominant are 77% (N=117) of Roma
women who specified that they had children, while 23% (N=35) of
respondents did not have children. The replies of respondents on
the number of children were grouped into six categories:
In the group of respondents the most common are
respondent 36.7% (N=43) who have three or four children,
followed by those with two children about 21.0% (N=24), followed
by respondents with one child 16.2 % (N= 19), while about 27%
(N=31) have more than five children. One respondent has 12 and
another 18 children. Given that about 35% of respondents are
younger than 26 years of age, it is not surprising that a high share
of respondents, about 37%, had a smaller number of children, up
to two.
1.6 Overview of ages when respondents had their first child
59
At the open question of what age they had their first child,
the answers of the respondents were grouped into six categories.
Table 4 Overview of ages when respondents had their first child
PERIOD/YEARS 14-17
18-21
22-25
26-29
30-34
OVER 35
TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
36 59 17 3 1 1 117
% 30.7 50.4 14.5 3.3 1.0 1.0 100
From the table, it is evident that about 91% (N=95) of
respondents had their first child under the age of 21, while 36, that
is, 31.7%, up to the age of 17. Among the respondents, the
youngest gave birth at the age of 14 and 15, which coincides with
entering into marriage (in the specified period 13.9% of
respondents married), most likely due to pregnancy. A small
number of respondents, about 5% (N=5), had their first child after
26 years of age. On the basis of these indicators, one can
undoubtedly conclude that the sample of surveyed Roma women
is representative because it confirms the results to date on
research on this topic. The received data indicate the need for
educating Roma women on planned pregnancy, which will be
attempted to be organized as part of this project through various
support group meetings.
60
2 OVERVIEW OF THE FAMILY STRUCTURE OF RESONDENTS
2.1 The question "How many family members do you have living in your household?" is of the open type with the sub-
question of how many of them are children. The received answers
were grouped into five categories shown in table 5.
Table 5 Overview of number of household members
NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
1- LIVES ALONE 1 0.7
2-4 42 27.6
5-6 50 32.9
7-9 40 26.3
10 AND OVER 19 12.5
TOTAL 152 100
Predominant among respondents are those living in
households consisting of 5 to 6 members (32.9% (N=50)), followed
by 27.6% (N=42) of respondents who specified that they live in
families with 2 to 4 members. Most respondents, about 72%, live in
households with 5 or more members. Of this 40 respondents
(26.3%) live in households of 7 to 9 members, and about 13% with
10 members or more. Per one respondent lives in households
numbering 15, 18, 20 or 25 members, while one respondent lives
alone.
2.2 The answers to the open question "How many children live in your family" were grouped into five categories.
Table 6 Overview of number of children per household
61
NUMBER OF CHILDREN
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
ONE 23 16.4
2 - 4 78 55.7
5 - 7 25 17.9
8-10 9 6.4
OVER 10 5 3.6
TOTAL 140 100
About 92% (N=140) of respondents specified that children
live with them in the household, of which about 83% (N=117) have
their own children, while living with the others live are the children
of brothers and sisters. About 8.0% (N=12) of respondents live in
a household without children.
The majority of the 78 respondents, that is 55.7%, live in
households with two to four children.
Most of respondents live in multi-member families with
several children.
2.3. Ninety-two respondents who have school children answered the question "Do your children attend school?".
The children of 81 respondents (88.0%) regularly attend school,
ten respondents, that is 10.9%, specified that their children did not
attend school, while one respondent replied that her child was
signed into school, but did not attend regularly. Although most
individuals of the Roma national minority live in modest conditions
that make access to education difficult, the received data seem
optimistic and point to positive changes in their understanding of
education and the need to educate their children.
62
3 HOUSING CONDITIONS OF RESPONDENTS
Low standard, irregular and modest incomes, as well as
well poor housing conditions, are obstacles for including Roma
women in education, society and the labour market. This survey
served to examine in what kind of housing the respondents live in,
what size and ownership.
3.1 The semi-open question "What is your housing space like?" offered four possible answer categories with the possibility
of providing your own answer.
Table 7 Type of housing in which the respondents live
TYPE OF SPACE
HOUSE FLAT SHACK TRAILER OTHER TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
97 33 20 1 1 152
% 63.8 21.7 13.3 0.6 0.6 100
From the figures in the table, it is clear that most of the
63.8% (N=97) respondents live in a house or flat 21.7% (N=33). A
smaller number of surveyed Roma women (about 14%) live in
shacks, trailers or some other living space, but do not specify
where. From the received answers it is evident that respondents
were mostly residentially cared for, but the question of the quality
of the space they are living in imposes itself, which could be an
initiative for some other new study on the topic of housing
conditions and the quality of life of Roma women.
63
3.2 The closed question "What is the size of your living space?" provided four possible answers.
Table 8 Overview of the size of the living space of respondents
SPACE SIZE/ m² LESS THAN 10
BETWEEN 10-25
BETWEEN 25-50
OVER 50
TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
8 30 47 67 152
% 5.3 19.7 31.0 44.1 100
Most respondents - 44.1% (N=67) live in a space that is
over 50 m², 47 respondents (31.0%) live in a space from 25 to
50m², living in a space from 10 to 25 m² are 30 respondents
(19.7%), while 8 respondents (5.3%) live in a space that has an
area of less than 10m². Given the size of the residential space and
the number of family members, it can be assumed that most
respondents live in extremely small and modest spaces.
3.3 The question who is the owner of the living space in which the respondents are living offered seven possible
categories, as well as the option of providing their own answer.
The categories are defined on the basis of information on housing
circumstances that employment advisors learned from Roma
women during individual consultations.
64
Table 9 Overview of ownership of living space
OWNERSHIP NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
PARENTS 52 34.2
RESPONDENTS 9 5.9
SPOUSE 12 7.9
JOINT (spouses) 13 8.6
CITY OF ZAGREB 34 22.4
STATE - REP. OF CROATIA 4 2.6
RENTED 24 15.8
OTHER 4 2.6
TOTAL 152 100
The data indicate that most respondents, 34.2% (N=52),
live in a space that is owned by the parents, which points to the
theory that they live in a joint household with their parents. A
significant number of respondents, 34 (22.4%), live in spaces of
the City of Zagreb or rented spaces (15.0%). A very interesting
figure is the one that indicates that there is a small difference
concerning the question of ownership between the respondents
5.9% (N=9) and their spouses 7.9% (N=12). Altogether 15%
(N=22) of respondents live in a space that is jointly owned by the
respondent and spouse, while 24 (15.8 %) of respondents live in a
rented space. Four of the respondents specified that the owner of
their living space was a third person: uncle, bank, abandoned
house.
4 SOURCES OF SUBSISTENCE
65
At the question of how they gain their subsistence, five
answers were provided, which respondents had to rank according
to the income they receive from each individual category. During
the survey it was noticed that respondents were unable to rank
their answers related to income, therefore, additional instructions
were given for them to select the answer that provided information
on the largest amount of income that they receive.
4.1 How do you acquire means for subsistence?
Table 10 Overview of answer to question "How do you acquire means for subsistence"?
METHOD OF ACQUIRING MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE 87 57.2
HUSBAND SUPPORTS ME 22 14.5
WORK FROM TIME TO TIME 21 13.8
COLLECT SCRAP 15 9.7
BEG 1 1.0
OTHER (parents, father, alimony) 6 3.9
TOTAL 152 100
Chart 3 Overview of answer to question "How do you acquire means for subsistence"?
For most respondents, 57.2% (N= 87), the fundamental
means of subsistence is social assistance, 14.5% (N=22) of
respondents are supported by their husbands, 13.8% (N=21) of
respondents work from time to time, 15 respondents collect scrap,
66
while 3.9% (N=6) of respondents state that they were supported by
their parents, father only or live off alimony.
About 1/4 of respondents supported themselves with
temporary work or by collecting scrap, which indicates a certain
potential and the need to provide professional support to
respondents in finding work and realizing employment.
4.2 "Are you a beneficiary of social welfare and how much do you receive"?
In the previous question, 57.2% of respondents stated that
they live off social welfare.
At the question of whether they were the direct
beneficiaries of social welfare, positive replies were provided by
76.7% (N=103) of respondents. Of the total of 103 respondents-
beneficiaries of social welfare, for 87 respondents (84.5%) this is a
main source of income. In the question respondents were asked to
write down the amount of financial assistance they received. The
collected figures on amounts of social welfare were grouped into 5
categories. The monthly amount of social welfare that respondents
receive ranges from 245.00 HRK to 6,000.00 HRK, depending on
67
57%
14%
14% 10%1% 4% socijalna pomoć
uzdržava me muž
povremeno radim
skupljam otpad
prošnja
nešto drugo
the number of family members. The lowest amount of social
welfare of 245.00 HRK and the largest amount of 6,000.00 HRK
were received by one respondent respectively.
Table 11 Overview of amount of financial assistance
AMOUNT IN HRK 245-1000
1001-2000
2001-3000
3001-4000
4001-6000
TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
26 38 22 13 4 103
% 25.2 37.0 21.4 12.6 3.9 100
Most respondents receive social welfare in the amount from
1,001.00 HRK to 2,000.00 HRK, one fourth of respondents from
245.00 HRK to 1,000.00 HRK, while 22 (21.4%) of respondents
state that they receive social welfare in the amount from 2,001.00
HRK to 3,000.00 HRK. About 17% of respondents receive social
welfare above 3,000.00 HRK. Given the costs of living and number
of members in the household, the stated amounts of social
assistance are certainly not sufficient for the daily needs of a
family, which points to the fact that the respondents are forced to
collect means for subsistence working illegally, which they
honestly stated in the question of how they acquired means for
subsistence.
5. EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE OF RESPONDENTS
The level of education also determines and affects the
professional development of individuals. Given that planned as
part of the project is raising the IT literacy and training of
68
beneficiaries for their first occupation, it is necessary to determine
their educational status, and on the basis of received data to
prepare anticipated educational activities.
5.1 Overview of educational level of respondents
At the question of acquired qualifications, respondents were
offered answers with indicated levels of qualifications. The
answers received are presented in Table 12.
Table 12 Overview of educational level of respondents
LEVEL OF EDUCATION NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
INCOMPLETED PRIMARY SCHOOL
100 65.8
COMPLETED PRIMARY SCHOOL 38 25.0
INCOMPLETED SECONDARY SCHOOL
7 4.6
COMPLETED 3-year secondary 4 2.6
COMPLETED 4-year secondary 2 1.3
COMPLETED 2-year post-secondary or university
1 0.7
TOTAL 152 100
In general, the Roma national minority population has a
level of education that is quite low, which is also confirmed by the
surveyed sample of Roma women. Most respondents, 65.8%
(N=100), have not completed primary school, 1/4 have completed
primary school, seven surveyed Roma women (4.6%) started, but
have not completed secondary school, only 4 have completed
69
three-year school, two four-year secondary school and one
completed two-year post secondary school.
Chart 4 Overview of educational level of respondents
From the presented figures, it is evident that, when defining
the training programme, there will be certain difficulties and very
limited possibilities given that most potential beneficiaries do not
satisfy the formal conditions or do not have the pre-knowledge
necessary for the occupations that are attractive to them.
5.2 Overview of foreign language knowledge of respondents
Knowledge of a foreign language when searching for
employment is today more or less necessary for all jobs. For this
reason we were interested in the level of foreign language
knowledge of unemployed Roma women. Namely, experience tells
us that a certain number of Roma women, especially of a younger
age, communicate in a foreign language in a satisfactory manner,
70
-101030507090
110130150
100
38
7 4 2 1
nezavršena OŠzavršena OŠnezavršena SŠzavršena 3-godišnja SŠzavršena 4-godišnja SŠzavršena VŠS ili VSS
most often in German or Italian, which is confirmed by the figures
received from this survey.
The question of foreign language knowledge is structured
into three levels. The respondents were asked whether they speak
a foreign language and which ones, and they were offered
answers related to the level at which they use the foreign
language: I know how to communicate (speak); I know how to read
and write; I know how to communicate, read and write; I can
communicate.
According to self-assessment of the respondents, 40.1%
(N=61) of respondents stated that they speak a foreign language,
while 59.9% of respondents (N=91) do not.
Of the 61 respondents in total who stated that they spoke a
foreign language, 21 stated that they speak English, 23 German,
and 17 Italian. Six respondents stated that they spoke 2 foreign
languages. Besides the stated languages, also spoken are:
Spanish, French, Albanian or Macedonian. Not one respondent
stated speaking the Roma language, which would indicate that
they consider it their mother tongue or that they do not know it.
The respondents had to assess for themselves their level of
foreign language knowledge: I can communicate (speak); I know
how to read and write; I know how to communicate, read and write,
as well as I can communicate. Most respondents, 52.4% (N=32),
stated that they could communicate in the foreign language, 14
respondents (22.9%) read, write and communicate, 10
71
respondents (16.4%) replied that they know how to communicate,
while 5 (8.2%) of respondents read and write. If the self-
assessment of the respondents concerning foreign language
knowledge is objective, they have good references for employment
in jobs in the catering and tourism activities to which they are
inclined.
6 OVERVIEW OF WORK EXPERIENCE OF RESPONDENTS
Chart 5 Overview of work experience of respondents
As was presumed, a significant number, 104 respondents
(68.4%), do not have any work experience, 21 respondents
(13.8%) have up to 1 year of work experience, 7 of them (4.6%)
have from 1 to 3 years of work experience, 6 respondents have
from 4 to 6 and from 7 to 9 years of work experience, while eight
(5.3%) respondents have 10 or more years of experience. One
respondent has 17 years, and two 15 years of work experience.
The lack of work experience is, for all unemployed in
general, a huge obstacle for joining the labour market, and
especially for individuals with a low level of education, which is
72
bez radnog
iskustva
do 1 god. 1-3 god. 4-6 god 7-9 god. više od 9 god.
020406080
100120 104
216 5 5 11
broj osoba
characterized by this target group. Work experience is one of the
factors of competitiveness of the work force, and very often when
selecting candidates the decisive factor.
All of the respondents with work experience, 48 of them,
state that this is recorded in their work book, which is an important
fact when submitting a pension request. Respondents who do not
have work experience, in the question of whether their years of
work were entered into their work book state the reasons why they
could not work, and the reasons were: I was not provided the
opportunity to work, I take care of the children and family,
pregnancy, illness, illiteracy, while 9.2 % (N=14) of respondents
stated that their employer did not register them, that is, they
worked illegally. To the question of whether they had work
experience these respondents responded that they did not.
Most respondents are, according to occupation, house
wives, 32.2% (N=49), and cleaning ladies, about 21.1% (N=32),
followed by the occupations: saleswoman, hair dresser, assistant
cook, worker on the production line, baker, sales specialist,
catering establishment owner, agricultural technician, waitress,
pedicurist, hairdresser, pre-school children's teacher.
Respondents who have work experience, 48 of them and
14 respondents who worked illegally, mostly worked in the
following occupations: cleaning woman, 45.2% (N=28),
saleswoman, 11.2% (N=7), production line worker, 16.1%(N=10),
followed by activities related to assistant cook, waitress,
73
hairdresser, computer work, collecting secondary raw materials,
work in laundry facilities, babysitting and supervising play areas.
7 UNEMPLOYMENT STATUS
The duration of unemployment significantly affects the
competitiveness and self-confidence of individuals, therefore,
information about how long respondents have been unemployed is
a key indicator of their potential for finding work and employment.
A closed question was posed on the duration of
unemployment with five possible answers.
Table 13 Overview of duration of unemployment for respondents
DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT / MONTHS-YEARS
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
UNDER 3 MONTHS 12 7.9
FROM 3 TO 12 MONTHS 4 2.6
FROM 1 TO 3 YEARS 15 9.9
FROM 3 TO 5 YEARS 11 7.2
OVER 5 110 72.4
TOTAL 152 100
From the figures it is clear that about 89% of respondents
have been unemployed for over a year, of which 110 respondents
(72%) have been "waiting" for more than five years. The figures
indicate that in question is a specific, extremely challenging group
of unemployed women, who in their approach to the labour market
74
need intense professional support, and an employment
preparation programme that is specifically targeted and adapted to
their needs.
Chart 6 Overview of duration of unemployment for respondents
8 ATTITUDE OF RESPONDENTS TOWARD FINDING WORK
With the objective of investigating the interest and
engagement of respondents toward actively searching for
employment, the respondents were asked questions by which an
attempt was made to uncover their readiness to search for work
and to undertake activities with the objective of establishing
contact with employers.
75
< od 3 mj.3 do12 mj.
1-3 god.> od 3 god.> od 5 god.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
124
1511
110
They were asked whether they were actively searching for
work, whether they have a CV prepared, how many job openings
did they apply for in the past six months, how many employers
have they visited in the last three months.
Chart 7
Only 56 respondents (36.8%) stated that they were actively
searching for a job, while 96 respondents (63.2%) replied that they
were not actively looking for a job, and only 32 respondents
(21.0%) had a prepared CV.
8.1
Table 14 Overview of the number of candidates - vacancies to which respondents applied in the past 6 months
NUMBER OF JOB OPENINGS - 74
0 1 2 3 4 10 TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
125 8 6 6 4 2 151
% 82.2 5.2 3.9 3.9 2.6 1.3 100
76
37%
63%
traži aktivno posao
ne traži aktivno posao
In the past six months respondents applied in total to 74 job
openings, which amounts to 12 job openings per month or on
average 0.5 applications per respondent in the past six months.
In the examined period, 82.2% (N=125) of respondents did
not apply to any job openings. In the period under examination
about 5.2% (N=8) of respondents applied to 1 job opening, six
respondents each (3.9%) sent their CVs to 2 or 3 job openings,
and 2.6% (N=4) of respondents to 4 job openings. Two
respondents (1.3%) sent their CVs to 10 job openings, that is, on
average 3.3 applications monthly, which is in line with the number
of applications to which the average unemployed person applies.
One respondent did not answer the question.
The figures point to the lack of interest and passivity of
respondents towards looking for a job. The respondents are
unprepared and do not know how to successfully look for a job,
therefore, they need more intense support in the preparation for
active job searching.
8.2
Table 15 Overview of the number of employers with whom the respondents have established contact (visited) in the past 3 months with the objective of finding a job
NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS
0 1 BETWEEN 3 and 5
OVER 5 TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
101 17 22 12 152
% 66.3 11.3 14.5 7.9 100
77
Most respondents, 66.3% (N=101), did not contact - visit
any employers in the past three months, between 3 and 5
employers in the period under examination were visited by 14.5%
(N=22) of respondents, 11.3% (N=17) of respondents stated that
they had visited one employer, while 7.9% (N=12) of respondents
visited more than 5 employers.
If the received answers in the presented two methods of
looking for work are compared (applying for a job and visiting
employers), it is evident that unemployed Roma women in large
part (about 34%) are prepared to contact the employer directly
when looking for work compared to sending their offer to job
openings (about 18%).
There are objective reasons for practicing this approach,
and these are: low literacy level of the Roma women,
underdeveloped habits for written communication, inaccessibility of
computer and failure to adjust to modern communication, which is
partly conditioned by the low level of education and poor living
standards.
From the presented figures it can be seen that the
respondents have not developed the habits and skills to
independently look for work.
9 FREE TIME
Free time may be defined as space-time in which people
engage in activities of their choice. Free time defined in this
manner is time that adults have at their disposal after working
78
hours. There are various ways of spending free time: time to rest,
for recreation, personal development and satisfaction. Free time
implies fulfilling personal wishes, needs and is intended for
personal development.
As the respondents are unemployed individuals, it is
presumed that they have a great deal of free time, therefore, an
attempt was made to investigate how they perceive the concept of
free time and how they use it.
9.1 The answers of the respondents to the open question - "How much free time do you have daily?"- were grouped into six categories.
Table 16 Overview of answers about the number of hours of free time for respondents
NUMBER OF HOURS
0 up to 1
2-4 5-7 8-10 > 12 TOTAL
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
37 35 53 13 2 12 152
PERCENTAGE 24.3 23.0 34.9 8.6 1.3 7.9 100
Most of the respondents 24.3 % (N=37) stated that they
had no free time, 23.0% (N=35) had up to one hour per day.
34.9% (N=53) of respondents have between 2 and 4 hours of free
time, 8.6% (N=13) of respondents have from 5 to 7 hours of free
time, while 7.9% (N=12) of respondents stated that they have
more than 12 hours. Two respondents stated that they have
between 8 and 10 hours of free time daily. It would be useful to
79
examine the reason why about 1/4 of respondents do not have any
free time and how about 18% of respondents spend their free time
who stated that they had over 5 hours of free time daily.
The collected answers confirm theories that Roma women
are fully dedicated to the members of their families and only in very
rare cases think about themselves and their needs.
9.2 The answers of respondents to the question of how they spend their free time are presented in Table 17
Table 17
FREE TIME CONTENT NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
I WATCH TELEVISION 37 32.2
I TAKE CARE OF MY CHILDREN 24 21.0
I DO HOUSEWORK 22 19.1
I HAVE COFFEE WITH FRIENDS 17 14.7
I TAKE CARE OF MY
GRANDCHILDREN
5 4.3
I AM LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE 4 3.5
I SELL ILLEGALLY 3 2.5
I LISTEN TO MUSIC 1 0.9
I KNIT 1 0.9
COLLECT SCRAP 1 0.9
TOTAL 115 100
How respondents spend their free time was examined by
means of open questions, while the received answers were
grouped into 10 categories. One hundred and fifteen respondents
80
answered the questions, of which 44.4% in their free time did
housework, took care of their children or their grandchildren. The
presented answers in Table 17 show that most respondents do not
have free time that is organized and planned in terms of content.
They spend their free time carrying out everyday tasks or watching
television and having coffee with friends. A smaller number, 6
respondents, spend their free time in an organized manner and
usefully (knit, read, listen to music).
On the basis of the received data, it can be concluded that
most respondents do not conceive their free time as time that is
available to them for their own inclinations, interests and desires.
Respondents who state that they have free time, use it in a
manner that is unplanned and unorganized. The received answers
would indicate the need to educate respondents about how to
conceive and organize the spending of free time in a quality
manner.
Through the project, respondents will become involved in
educational activities, therefore, it is essential to learn of their
relation toward written materials, because during training they will
be in a situation to learn teaching matter through written materials.
9.3 To the question of "When was the last time you read something - newspaper, magazine, when helping your children do their homework, or book?" three answers were
available; I read regularly, I do not read, and I read from time to
time. (up to 4 times a month).
81
Table 18 Overview of respondent answers about how much they read
CATEGORY/I READ NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
REGULARLY - every day 73 48.0
FROM TIME TO TIME - at least 4 times monthly
41 27.0
I DO NOT READ 38 25.0
TOTAL 152 100
Most respondents, 48.0% (N=72), stated that they read
regularly, while ¼ of respondents (N=38) read from time to time
(up to 4 times monthly) whether newspapers and books, or while
helping their children in doing their homework. However, a
significant number, 27.0% (N=41), stated that they do not read at
all. The presented figures are not optimistic in the sense of the
potential of the respondents for acquiring new knowledge, to which
special attention should be given when creating and selecting the
training programme.
10 EXPERIENCE AND INTERESTS OF RESPONDENTS FOR INCLUSION IN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Experiences to date of respondents concerning education,
as well as the assessment of their interests and motivation for
inclusion in educational activities are important indicators for the
creation of tailor-made employment preparation programmes.
10.1 Have you attended any additional courses up to date?
82
Most respondents, 132 (86.8%), stated that they had not attended any additional courses up to date, while 13.2%
(N=20) of respondents attended certain courses.
In Table no. 19, the number of respondents and the
educational activities that they attended are presented.
Table 19 Overview of educational activities in which the respondents were involved
PROGRAMME NAME NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
COMPUTER COURSE 4 20.0%
HAIRDRESSER 4 20.0%
PRIMARY SCHOOL 4 20.0%
TRADE SCHOOL - 1 year 2 10.0%
ASSISTANT COOK 2 10.0%
OFFICE SECRETARY 1 5.0%
READING COURSE 1 5.0%
JOB SEARCHING WORKSHOP 2 10.0%
TOTAL 20 100
From the data it is evident that the respondents were most
often involved in courses and training for simple occupations, for a
duration of up to 150 hours, and in line with these data, as part of
the project it is necessary to recommend similar programmes.
10.2 Readiness of respondents for inclusion in education
83
At the question of readiness for inclusion in education -
courses, more than half of the respondents 53.9% (N= 82) stated
that they were not interested. As the reason for their lack of
interest and of readiness most often they stated: I need to take of
the children, I have a lot of work around the house, illness, I am a
single mother, I am too old to learn, I do not think that education
will help me find a job. About 46% (N=70) of respondents stated
that they were ready for inclusion in education.
10.3 At the question of how ready they were to learn with the objective of acquiring an occupation, most
respondents, 55.9% (N=85), answered affirmatively. A significant
share, 44.0 % (N=67) of respondents were not interested to learn
and acquire an occupation.
The received answers would point to the well-known fact
that the Roma population is not especially interested in education
and that additional efforts are required to encourage and motivate
them to become involved in schooling.
The respondents who were ready for training had the
possibility of stating what educational programmes they wanted to
become involved in, which 60 respondents indicated (39,5%). Ten
respondents did not know what occupation they wanted to acquire,
but were interested in schooling.
10.4 Overview of occupations that respondents would like to
acquire
84
Table 20 Overview of occupations that respondents would like to acquire
OCCUPATION NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
COOK 12 17.1
MAID / CLEANING LADY 9 12.8
SALESWOMAN 7 10.0
HAIRDRESSER 7 10.0
OFFICE SECRETARY 6 8.6
COMPUTER COURSE 5 7.1
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 3 4.3
MAKE-UP ARTIST 2 2.9
NAIL APPLICATION / BEAUTICIAN 2 2.9
PEDICURIST / MANICURIST 2 2.9
STYLIST / DESIGNER / SEAMSTRESS 2 2.9
WAITRESS, TRAFFIC SCHOOL,
CHILDCARE WORKER
3 4.3
I DO NOT KNOW 10 14.3
TOTAL 70 100
From the figures it is evident that respondents show
interest for acquiring formal qualifications for an occupation in
which they have been working up till now. However, given the
existing educational status of respondents (most without
completed primary school), it will be difficult to satisfy their
professional expectations. Therefore, at project workshops it is
necessary to additionally raise awareness of respondents and to
define the real life and professional objectives.
85
The answers of respondents to the open question "In your opinion what knowledge and skills would help you find work easier?" are presented in Table no. 22.
Table 21 Recommendations of respondents on the necessary knowledge and skills to help them have an easier time finding
RECOMMENDATIONS NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
COMPLETED PRIMARY
SCHOOL
72 47.4
COMPLETED A COURSE -
course type not specified
25 16.4
SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE
(cooking, work at the cash desk or
computer, foreign language)
11 7.2
WORK EXPERIENCE – at jobs
involving cleaning, sales,
haircutting???
10 6.6
RECOMMENDATION OR
"CONNECTION"
4 2.6
DID NOT ANSWER 11 7.2
DOES NOT KNOW what would
help them
19 12.5
TOTAL 152 100
Most respondents, 77.6% (N=118), considered that
additional knowledge or work experience would ease finding work
and employment.
About 47.7% (N=72) of respondents stated that it would be
easier to find employment if they had completed school, 25
86
respondents (16.4%) considered that it would be easier to find
employment if they had completed some course or acquired
additional specific knowledge 7.2% (N=11) such as: cooking skills,
work at the cash desk, computer work, foreign language
knowledge. A smaller number of respondents, 6.6% (N=10),
considers work experience on tasks of cleaning, sales or
hairdressing favourable circumstances when seeking employment.
Four respondents stated that you need a good connection, to
"bribe" someone or to seek a recommendation for a good job.
Some respondents, 12.5% (N=19), do not know what knowledge
and skills could help them find employment easier, while 7.2%
(N=11) of respondents did not answer the question.
At the open question "Write some of your positive traits?"
Respondents mostly stated that they were hardworking
50.0% (N=76), good mothers and wives 15.1% (N=23). Of the
other traits, they stated that they were smart, intelligent 10.5%
(N=16) and communicative 9.9% (N=15). Less often they stated
that they are good and honest, nice, caring, patient, meticulous,
tidy, accurate, quick, determined, good friends, honest, open,
ambitious.
On the basis of received answers in this and previous
questions, it is evident that the respondents clearly articulated their
needs and assessed their traits, which shows that they know
themselves, are self-aware and they form the impression of a
87
target group that has potential for training for independently finding
employment.
11 EXPECTATIONS OF RESPONDENTS
To the question of from whom they expect help in resolving
their problems, respondents were offered seven answers and were
given the possibility of providing their own answers. Respondents
had the possibility of selecting more than one answer.
11.1 Overview of answers from whom the respondents expected assistance in resolving their problems
Table 22 Overview of answers from whom the respondents expected assistance in resolving their problems
ENTITIES from whom assistance was expected
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
City of Zagreb 100 66.0
Croatian Employment Service 98 64.5
Social Welfare Centre 96 63.1
State 83 54.6
Family 15 10.0
Friends 0 0
Roma associations 56 36.8
Other 0 0
Respondents most often state the City of Zagreb, 66.0%
(N=100), from which they expect solutions to their problems,
followed by the Croatian Employment Service, 64.5% (N=98) of
respondents, the Centre for Social Care, 63.1% (N=96) of
88
respondents, as well as the state, 54.6% (N=83) of respondents.
Only 15 respondents expect assistance in resolving their every day
difficulties from their family, while not one respondent believes in
asking for help from friends. A significantly high percentage of
respondents, 36.8% (N=56), expect possible assistance for their
personal problems from Roma associations, which speaks on their
part of the high level of confidence in and positive perception of
Roma associations. A small number of respondents expects help
from family, none from friends, which leads to the presumption that
they are all in a similar situation from where they cannot escape
without the assistance and support of society, municipal and state
institutions, because answers most often are related to resolving
housing issues and improving living conditions. It is not surprising
that the City of Zagreb is mentioned most often. In the past
decade, through the social policy measures of the City of Zagreb
significant financial means were directed towards improving the
quality of life of the most vulnerable citizens, to which the Roma
national minority belongs.
Not one respondent provided a suggestion or showed an
active approach in resolving their problems.
To the open question "What are you not satisfied with?"
the respondents provided the following reasons:
Table 23 Overview of what you are not satisfied with
ANSWERS TO WHAT THEY ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH
NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
89
FINANCIAL SITUATION 54 35.5
POOR LIVING CONDITIONS 47 30.9
BEING UNEMPLOYED 29 19.1
DISCRIMINATION EXPERIENCED AS A ROMA
13 8.5
NOT COMPLETING SCHOOLING
5 3.3
EMPLOYERS 2 1.4
MARRIAGE 2 1.4
TOTAL 152 100
Respondents for the most part state that they are not satisfied with their financial situation (social welfare is too low), 35.5% (N=54), and poor living conditions, 30.9% (N=47) (inadequate living space, poor conditions), followed by unemployment, 19.1% (N=29), and discrimination toward individuals of the Roma national minority, 8.5% (N=13). A small number is not satisfied with employers (N=2), marriage (N=2) and also for not having completed schooling (N=5).
The dissatisfaction of respondents is concentrated on material status and living conditions, which is understandable. Despite the fact that, concerning living space, all respondents in a certain manner had settled their living space needs, it is obvious that the space they were living in is inadequate, it is assumed, without adequate sanitary facilities, heating and water.
A certain number of respondents expressed concerns related to their position and discrimination of the Roma national minority in society. About 3% (N=5) of respondents were dissatisfied because they had not completed their schooling.
90
According to received answers, the dissatisfaction of
respondents could be grouped into five categories: low and
irregular income, inadequate living space, unemployment, lack of
education and presence of discrimination of the Roma national
minority.
The specified categories provide a wide range of
possibilities for new project ideas, and, through this project, an
attempt will be made to open and to define a proposal for
strengthening the involvement of Roma women on the labour
market.
The answers of respondents to the open question "What would you change about yourself with the objective of improving quality of life?" are presented in Table 24.
SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
I WOULD COMPLETE MY
SCHOOLING
29 19.1
I WOULD GET A JOB 29 19.1
BETTER LIVING CONDITIONS 23 15.1
I WOULD TAKE A COURSE 9 5.9
I WOULD PROVIDE A BETTER
FUTURE FOR MY CHILDREN
8 5.3
I WOULD CHANGE FOR THE
BETTER THE IMAGE OF ROMA IN
SOCIETY
8 5.3
I WOULD HAVE HAD LESS
CHILDREN
7 4.6
I WOULD NOT GET MARRIED TOO 6 3.9
91
YOUNG
OTHER PARENTS 6 3.9
WORK LESS IN THE HOUSE 5 3.3
I WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING 4 2.6
I AM TOO OLD FOR CHANGES 1 0.7
NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED 17 11.2
TOTAL 152
To the question "What would you change about yourself in order to improve your quality of life" the respondents
provided diverse answers. They clearly defined areas in which
they would attempt changes. They clearly defined areas where
they would make changes. They would introduce changes in the
areas of: education - getting an education, solving the questions of
unemployment - employment, improving living conditions,
changing the position of Roma in society and changes in personal
development (giving birth later in life and less children, less
household obligations).
An equal number of respondents, 19.1% (N=29), considers
that employment and completed schooling, as well as better
housing conditions, 15.1%, would improve quality of life. The
respondents stated that the completion of a course, the possibility
of providing their children a better future, a more positive image of
Roma in society, giving birth to fewer children, working less at
home, other parents, would have significantly contributed to
improving their quality of life. A smaller number of respondents,
11.2% (N=17), considers that nothing can improve their quality of
life. One respondent stated that she was too old for changes.
92
The respondents were quite objective, most were aware of
the fact that they were the drivers of changes in education and
employment, which provides a strong impetus to the leader and
partners in this project to undertake all possible activities with the
objective of creating a setting for the building of better and high
quality living conditions for Roma women.
Respondents had the possibility of providing their own
suggestion to the open question of from whom they expect help
when looking for employment.
The received answers were grouped into 10 categories and
are presented in table 21.
11.2 Overview of entities/factors from which respondents expect help when looking for employment
Table 21 Overview of entities/factors from which respondents expect help when looking for employment
ENTITY/FACTOR NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
%
CROATIAN EMPLOYMENT SERVICE 104 68.5
STATE 16 10.6
ROMA ASSOCIATIONS 7 4.7
INDEPENDENTLY LOOK FOR JOB 4 2.6
EMPLOYERS 4 2.6
FRIENDS 4 2.6
JOB ADS 4 2.6
MAYOR 4 2.6
BRIBE - pay someone to hire me 2 1.3
93
NO ONE 3 1.9
TOTAL 152 100
Most respondents, 68.4% (N=104), consider that the
Croatian Employment Service must provide assistance when
looking for employment or the state, 10.5% (N=16). As potential
supporting entities when seeking employment, respondents
identified: Roma associations, employers, friends and the mayor.
About 5.2% of respondents had an active approach toward finding
a job and stated that they would find one on their own or through
job ads. A smaller number of respondents, 3.2% (N= 5), looks at
their employment question with a negative attitude, not expecting
help from anyone and believe that, in order to become employed,
they have to pay someone - to "bribe" someone as they stated.
On the basis of the presented answers, it can be concluded
that respondents recognize the role of the Croatian Employment
Service and have a certain level of confidence in it. This is a good
foundation for a project whose goal is to develop a new, adapted
model for preparing Roma women for employment, where Roma
women will take on the role of subjects in the realization of their
needs.
CONCLUSION
The set out objective was reached with this study. The
received data clearly depict the unemployed Roma women, their
needs, expectations, as well as the possibilities for independently
searching for work and joining the labour market.
94
According to the surveyed sample, the target group of
potential beneficiaries of the project consists of married Roma
women 47.4% from 15 to 32 years of age 51.9% born and raised
in Zagreb 65.1%.
Most respondents, about 58%, were married after reaching
the age of majority, but a significant number also before reaching
age of majority 41.7%.
1/4 of respondents live in cohabitation arrangements or are
single mothers, which points to certain changes present in the
Roma community. Dedicated to the family, Roma women have,
consciously or unconsciously, taken on an atypical lifestyle for the
Roma community, which raises the question as to the reasons for
taking on this new lifestyle, which is more demanding and requires
even greater responsibility from the woman. How much this new
way of life will improve or further threaten the position of Roma
women is a topic for future studies.
In the group of respondents, predominant are women with
children (76.9%). Among them the most frequent are women with
three or four children (36.7%). One respondent has 12 and another
18 children. Given that about 35% of respondents are younger
than 26 years of age, it is not surprising that a high share of
respondents, about 37%, had a smaller number of children, up to
two. Roma women have children at a very early age. From the
survey sample, it is evident that most respondents (91% (N=95))
had their first child under the age of 21, of which a significant
95
number, 30.7%, by the age of 17. The children of 88.0% of
respondents regularly attend school.
Respondents for the most part live in a house 63.8% or an
apartment 21.7% in multi-member families of 5 to 6 members
32.9%. A smaller number of surveyed Roma women (about 14%)
live in shacks, trailers or some other living space, but do not
specify where. The living space in which most of the respondents
live 44.1% exceeds 50 m², while 19.7% of respondents live in a
space between 10 and 25 m². Most live in a space owned by their
parents 34.2% or the City of Zagreb 22.4%. Given that the
household consists of several members and the size of the living
space it is obvious that the respondents live in quite small and
limited spaces, and inadequate, it is assumed, considering the
infrastructure.
About 15% of respondents live in their own space. Figures
show that there is only a small difference concerning the question
of space ownership between the respondents 5.9% (N=9) and
their spouses 7.9% (N=12). About 15.8% of respondents live in
rented space. According to the received data, it is evident that the
respondents, mostly technically, have resolved the question of
their living space, although it is not of a satisfactory quality.
76.7% of respondents receive social welfare, of which this
is a fundamental source of means for subsistence for 57.2% of
respondents. The amount of social welfare that the surveyed
Roma women receive amounts from 245.00 HRK to 6,000.00
HRK. Most respondents receive social welfare amounting from
96
1,000.00 HRK to 2,000.00 HRK, while one fourth of respondents
from 245.00 HRK to 1,000.00 HRK. About 17% of respondents
receive social welfare above 3,000.00 HRK. Comparing the
everyday costs of living with the amount of social welfare that the
respondents receive, it is evident that the amount received does
not satisfy their basic living needs, and 23.7% of respondents gain
for additional means for living through temporary work or scrap
collection. According to the figures, about 1/4 of respondents
occasionally illegally join the labour market, which points to a
certain potential and need for providing professional assistance
and support to respondents looking for employment.
A certain percentage of women surveyed, 14.5%, are
supported financially by their husbands, and 3.9% by their parents,
father or live off alimony.
Education is a significant determinant of competitiveness
and employability of an individual, and in the respondents it is quite
low, and it can openly be said that it is at an even lower level than
expected. Most (65.8%) respondents have not completed primary
school, ¼ of respondents have completed primary school, and only
7 respondents have completed secondary school and only 1
respondent completed 2-year post secondary.
This fact points to the necessity of raising the awareness of
Roma women on the importance of education and finding ways of
involving them in educational activities.
97
According to self-assessment of foreign language
knowledge, 40.1% of respondents stated the importance of using a
foreign language (English, German or Italian), while 3.9% of them
said that they used two foreign languages. Besides the stated
languages, also spoken are Spanish, French, Albanian and
Macedonian. 52.4% of them use a foreign language at the level of
understanding. Not one respondent stated speaking the Roma
language, which would indicate that they consider it either their
mother tongue or that they really do not know it. Foreign language
knowledge is a positive reference for respondents and an
important competence in today's labour market, especially for
occupations in business activities such as the catering industry or
trade, to which Roma women are inclined.
In addition to education, an important indicator of labour
market competitiveness is work experience, for some jobs decisive
during the hiring process. Most respondents (68.7%) do not have
work experience, while the remaining respondents most often have
very limited work experience, up to 1 year. Roma women who
have work experience were mostly employed doing simple jobs
like: cleaning lady, saleswoman, on the production line, assistant
cook, waitress, hairdresser, work on computer, collecting
secondary raw material, work in laundry facility, babysitting and in
play area.
Most of the respondents (89%) have been unemployed for over
a year, of which about 72% has been "waiting" for more than five years.
98
63.2% of respondents stated that they are not actively
looking for a job, and merely 21.0% of respondents have prepared
a CV.
The attitude and initiative of respondents toward job
seeking is well below par, the following figures indicating this. In
the past six months respondents applied in total to 74 job
vacancies, which amounts to 12 vacancies a month or on average
0.5 applications per respondent. Of this, 82.2% of respondents in
the stated period did not apply to any job openings, while eight
respondents applied to only one job opening.
Respondents rarely contact - visit employers with the goal
of finding a job, 66.3% of surveyed Roma did not contact - visit
even one employers in the past three months, while only 12 of
them visited 5 or more employers.
Given that they are unemployed and are not actively
looking for a job, we were interested in how they spent their free
time. One fourth of respondents stated that they had no free time,
while about 18% of respondents stated that they had more than 5
hours of free time a day. Most often they spend their free time
unorganized, meeting up for coffee or watching television.
About 48% of respondents regularly read, whether newspaper
and books or helping their children do their homework, while a
significant number of respondents, 27.0%, do not read whatsoever.
Most respondents, 86.8%, have not attended any additional
course or were involved in education up to now, and those who did
99
attended training programmes for simple occupations and
computer courses. In general, 53.9% of respondents were not
interested in schooling. As the reason for their lack of interest and
of readiness most often they stated: I need to take of the children, I
have a lot of work around the house, illness, I am a single mother,
I am too old to learn. However, 55.9% of respondents stated that
they would like become involved in educational activities with the
objective of gaining a vocation. They most frequently state the
desire for qualifications for simple occupations (cook, maid,
saleswoman, hairdresser and so on) and for IT literacy.
A significant number of respondents, 77.6%, believe that
finishing primary school, additional knowledge and work
experience would significantly ease and speed up finding
employment.
They link their preferences to family and children. They
perceive themselves first and foremost as good mothers (50,0%) and
spouses (15,1%), and stated that they are smart, intelligent, good,
honest, good-looking, caring, patient, meticulous, tidy, accurate, quick,
determined, good friends, honest, open, ambitious.
In resolving their everyday problems, most expect
assistance from the City of Zagreb (66.0%), followed by the
Croatian Employment Service (64.5%), Social Welfare Centre
(63.1%) and the state (54.6%). Expecting assistance from their
family in resolving their every day difficulties are only 15
respondents, while not one respondent specified asking a friend
for help. An exceptionally high percentage of respondents (36.8%)
100
expect possible help in resolving their everyday issues from Roma
associations, which points to a certain extent to the establishment
and successful efforts of Roma associations, which have managed
to gain the trust of their community. The figures received point to
the conclusion that Roma women are aware that their everyday
problems cannot be resolved at the family and Roma community
level, but rather that greater support from the institutions is
necessary.
They are dissatisfied with their current material status (low and
unsteady financial income - 35.5% of respondents), housing conditions
(30.9%), unemployment status (19.1%), discrimination present toward
persons of Roma national minority (8.5%). A smaller number is
dissatisfied with experiences to date with employers, marriage and
for not completing school.
Respondents clearly identified areas in which they
expected changes. They particularly emphasized the need to
complete primary school and to find employment, as well as to
create and improve housing conditions. Furthermore, they
emphasize the need to change the position of Roma in society and
to create conditions for reducing discrimination and marginalization
of the Roma national minority. They recognize the need for change
in their personal development. (giving birth later in life and having
fewer children, fewer household obligations).
From the presented quantitative and qualitative results, it is
evident that Roma women are aware of their values and needs,
interested in changes, but lacking initiative.
101
Roma women, in order to become equal members/partners
in the labour market and society, necessary is professional
assistance and the help of the wider social community and
institutions.
The identified needs for changes in raising the level of
education and increasing capacities for employment of Roma
women must not be imposed. Roma women must be encouraged
to change through individualized employment preparation
programmes. Employment is an aspect of strengthening Roma
women, and it can be realized on condition that the Roma women
are included in the educational activities and acquire a specific
qualification, and develop skills to independently look for work. To
begin with self-confidence, motivation and interest for change are
developed and gained through tailor-made workshops and group
support meetings.
They have to be understood and accepted by their family
and the wider social community, and especially from the job coach.
The figures show that beneficiaries of the project are going to be a
demanding target group. A relationship of trust must be achieved
with the beneficiaries in a short time, who must be approached
with great care. They must be provided the opportunity to feel
understood and like useful members prepared to join the labour
market and society.
On the basis of received data, it can be concluded that the
respondents have no negative stance towards employment and
education, but rather a kind of passivity as a result of insufficient
102
information and transfer of established behaviour patterns from
one generation to the next. In order for a change to occur in the
behaviour pattern, intense individualized work with Roma women
and their families is necessary, as well as concrete assistance of
the institution and the wider public.
Through this project we will attempt to make a step forward
and to encourage the group of Roma women in the sense of
educating themselves and of becoming employed. They will be a
positive example to other Roma women and, together with
partners in this project, will participate in the building of an
individualized, tailor-made employment preparation program for
marginalized groups of women and the foundation and promotion
of the services of CASI "Romani', Centre for Advice, Support and
Information.
RECOMMENDATIONS
More intense involvement of Roma women in
workshops with the objective of strengthening, gaining self-
confidence and developing awareness on the importance of
education and employment
Organizing of workshops and support group meetings
with the objective of raising motivation for changes of the existing
state
Individual guidance of Roma women through the
process of preparation for employment, gradually developing their
independence and following their achievements.
103
Organizing workshops on the topic of efficient
organization and use of free time
Defining and involving in simple training programmes
Raising computer literacy according to a tailor-made
course
Establishing quality cooperation between the Roma
women and the job coach
Connecting Roma women with other women with the
objective of exchanging experiences
Initiating intense campaigns with entrepreneurs with
the objective of raising interest for employing Roma women with
the possibility of using funds from the Decade of Roma Inclusion
2005-2015
The City of Zagreb will recommend measures for
resolving housing issues for Roma through the construction of
houses acceptable to them (separate houses - not moving into
residential buildings)
Connecting the Croatian Employment Service, Zagreb
Office with the Social Welfare Centre Zagreb with the objective of
joint coordination of activities of beneficiaries involved in this
project
Annex 2 Employer Survey
104
Structure of employed workers in surveyed employers by level of education and gender
According to the presented, the share of employed women
(with the surveyed employers) without completed or with
completed primary school (24.9%) is significantly greater than the
share of employed men (10.2%) with the same level of education.
The employers specified the occupations that were
prevalent in their enterprise/craft company by ranking them 1 – 5,
with 1 – the most frequent occupations, and 5 – the least frequent.
105
Bez završene osnovne škole1,0%
Završena osnovna
škola9,2%
Srednja trogo-dišnja škola13,7%
Srednja četvero-godišnja
škola68,4%
Prvi stupanj
f akulteta i viša škola
3,4%Fakultet
4,3%
Muškarci
Bez završene osnovne
škole4,0%
Završena osnovna škola20,9%
Srednja trogo-dišnja škola7,6%
Srednja četvero-godišnja
škola51,8%
Prvi stupanj
f akulteta i viša škola
4,1%
Fakultet11,6%
Žene
Most employers as the most frequent occupations specified
the groups of occupations:
salesperson, shop assistant, shopping demonstrator
sales representative, bookkeeper, economist,
administrative clerk
cleaning lady, maid.
As for additional qualifications required for the jobs, the
majority of employers ranked as the most important:
IT literacy
driving license
foreign language.
The employers have also ranked the skills required for the
jobs, and the majority of employers specified as most important:
communicativeness
ability of dealing with people
teamwork.
In 2010 terminating employment in the surveyed employers
were 2,929 workers, of which 1,630 women, that is, 55.7%.
106
107
Istek ugovora o radu
55,0%
Sporazumni rskid ugovora o radu
26,2%Otkaz od strane
radnika4,4%
Otkaz od strane poslodavca
6,7%
Umirovljenje5,1%
Ostali razlozi prestanka rada
2,6%
Razlozi prestanka rada u 2010. godini kod anketiranih poslodavaca
I stek ugovora o radu
Sporazumni raskid
ugovora o radu
Otkaz od strane radnika
Otkaz od strane
poslodavcaUmirovljenje
Ostali razlozi prestanka
rada
Muškarci 469 502 47 121 92 68Žene 1.141 266 81 77 57 8
0
200
400
600
800
1.000
1.200
Broj
osob
a
Radnici koji su prestali raditi kod anketiranih poslodavaca tijekom 2010. godine (prema razlogu prestanka rada i spolu)
In 2010, 91 employers hired 3.070 workers, of which 1.808
women, that is, 58.9%.
In 2011, 69 employers (46.0% of those surveyed) planned
on hiring workers, of which 9 could not predict the number, while
the remaining 63 employers planned on employing 1,506 people
(387 women, that is, 25.7%).
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Bez završene osnovne škole
Završena osnovna škola
Srednja trogodišnja
škola
Srednja četverogodišnja škola
Prvi stupanj fakulteta i viša škola
Fakultet
Muškarci 8 5 115 967 10 14Žene 16 78 115 131 23 24
0
200
400
600
800
1.000
1.200
Broj
osob
a
Planirano zapošljavanje u 2011. godini kod anketiranih poslodavaca(prema razini obrazovanja i spolu)
From the chart it can be seen that employers plan on
employing mostly men with completed four-year high school.
The most frequent occupations that employers plan on
hiring in 2011 are: cleaning lady, administrative clerk, sales
specialist and salesperson.
To the question "Are you prepared to become involved in
this Project by including Roma women - beneficiaries of this
project, who meet the conditions of the job opening, as candidates
during recruitment?“ 53 employers (35.3%) answered affirmatively,
94 negatively (62.7%), while 3 employers did not reply. Of the 53
employers who replied positively, only 23 employers plan to hire
women in 2011, more precisely 258 women, whose educational
structure is as follows:
without completed primary school - 15 women (5.8%)
completed primary school - 69 women (26.8%)
completed three-year high school - 80 women (31.0%)
completed four-year high school - 60 women (23.3%)
first level university and two-year post secondary- 13
women (5.0%)
university - 21 women (8.1%)
When hiring, 35 employers (23.3%) used co-financing
according to the National Employment Incentive Programme.
Familiar with the programme "Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-
2015" are 57 employers (38.0%).
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Also, of all of the surveyed employers, 13 employers (8.7%)
had positive experiences when hiring individuals of the Roma
national minority, 11 employers (7.3%) had negative experiences,
125 employers (83.3%) had no experience with hiring individuals
of the Roma national minority and 1 employer (0.7%) replied that
he did not have any information on the nationality of employees.
Comments of employers related to employing individuals of
the Roma national minority:
they do not have good working habits, they often do not
show up for work, they leave work without telling anyone;
misappropriation of things
dedicated and hard-working individuals, left to pursue other
employment
they did not endure working the entire working hours, they
were searching for ways to leave work, making up excuses
they should also be given a chance
stopped coming to work
they have a specific relation toward work and work
responsibilities in general
I had a negative experience and do not wish to become
involved in the project
We have a quite positive stance related to assimilating the
specified category into society
positive attitude toward work and work responsibilities in
general
110
national, religious and other affiliation is absolutely
unimportant
we have a Roma woman in training, the experience is
positive
we do not hire women, and so no Roma women either
the most important thing for us is the qualifications of the
person we are hiring
the nature of the work requires mostly field work
for a few years already, an individual of Roma national
minority has been employed with us as cleaning lady and
we are quite satisfied with her
if they meet the conditions of the job opening, Roma
women can be employed too
the cleaning lady of Roma nationality stopped showing up
for work without explanation although she still had a valid
work contract
negative experiences with Roma - I cannot afford the risk of
hiring Roma
the male population has proven to be unreliable, they
would not show up for work, nor would they call, insolent
during communication
if they meet the required criteria
if a need for new workers should appear, we are willing to
hire a Roma woman
we are willing to hire Roma women, as well as all other
citizens of the Republic of Croatia if they meet the criteria
and have the necessary professional qualifications to
compete on an equal playing field
111
as well as all workers, the question is whether or not they
are willing to work
we are if they have the basic culture of behaviour, tidiness,
decency and readiness to learn what we are teaching them
According to the presented, the share of employed women
(with the surveyed employers) without completed or with
completed primary school (24.9%) is significantly greater than the
share of employed men (10.2%) with the same level of education.
112