Men still do not take adequate responsibility when it comes to housework and childcare, despite many women being employed and working full-time.
This was said by the majority of participants in the "Balancing professional and family life" survey, which was conducted by the DeFacto agency for the purposes of the Safe Women's House.
This indicates that traditional gender roles are deeply rooted, and women still assume most of the responsibilities in the household, said the NGO.
"I work in a store, I stand all day, and when I come home, all household chores are waiting for me," said one of the research participants.
"This statement reveals the everyday life of many women who, in addition to their professional obligations, bear the burden of maintaining the home and taking care of the family. Although women contribute equally to the economy, social norms still hold them back, leaving them trapped in the exhausting rhythm of the 'double shift,'" he writes. in the announcement of the Safe Women's House.
"What women do in one day, a man cannot do in a month. And so, every day the same - you get up at six in order to get everything ready, prepare and just work," said a focus group participant from Bijelo Polje.
"With children, responsibilities start already in the morning - waking up, school, activities, lunch, getting ready... Basically, I do what I have to do. There is little space and time for some of our needs, it is constant harmonizing and combining obligations. Looking for a free moment for yourself", said a focus group participant from Podgorica.
Some female participants pointed out positive examples among the younger generation of men, who are more open to participating in household duties and more responsible towards the needs of the household. There are also examples, as stated, where men are equally involved in childcare and other family responsibilities.
"I have a husband who is very involved, especially when it comes to taking care of the children. He always supports me and takes on part of the duties, which means a lot to me," said the focus group participant from Bar.
However, traditional norms are deeply rooted in family and social patterns of behavior, SŽK points out. The participants describe situations in which family members, especially the elderly, make distinctions between "men's" and "women's" jobs, which further reinforces these social norms.
"My father-in-law, when his son was folding laundry, said: 'Why are you folding your mother, you're not a girl,'" said a focus group participant from Bar.
The participants pointed out that the division of labor was often learned in the primary community - the family. Men, in their opinion, are not sufficiently prepared for equal participation in the household, while women are expected to learn the basics of household maintenance, such as cooking and cleaning, from an early age.
"They prepared us for what women's and men's jobs are. Probably now men still think that they shouldn't do it, that it's a shame that they do it, and that we women have to do it. I mean, our role and our jobs were once destined to be housewives, and then we kind of evolved and went to work, and now something has to change for them too. So, it can't be - we will do everything, and they will do nothing," said a focus group participant from Bar.
They point out how important it is for parents to reconsider traditional roles and to encourage equality between the sexes in everyday duties, in order to free the young generation from the pressure of traditional norms.
"I think that it is something that you pass on, so you pass it on later with a story, so that you instill it somewhere in the younger ones," said a participant of the focus group from Bijelo Polje.
The research was conducted through the project "Women's balance, the price of multitasking" financed by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights.
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