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 1
161
Embed
casiromani.hzz.hrcasiromani.hzz.hr/UserDocsImages/booklet konacna verzi… · Web view1 About the IPA Programme. 1.1 IPA Programme. IPA - Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
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
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,