Slovenia is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, often described as «the green garden of Europe«. Lying on the junction of three European regions (the Mediterranean, Alpine and Panonian),  the territory of Slovenia has had an important geographical and political position, which resulted in a millenium and half long mixture between Slav, German and Roman cultural traditions. From this viewpoint one can say that Slovenia represents a naturally and culturally rich country with central European  charm.

Slovenia, the land »on the sunny side of the Alps«, is a land of crystal-clear mountain streams and lakes, wine-growing districts, green valleys and basins, unique karst caves, and abundant springs of termal and mineral water, spas and tourist resorts. Beside that it is also industrial, agricultural and tourist country.

Slovenia achieved its independence in 1991. In accordance with the new Slovene constitution, Slovenia is a democratic republic, state of law and social state. One year later, it was also  accepted as a full member of the United Nations.

Slovenia is in the period of  transition from a 50-years long »realsocialism« into a modern, market economy based society. It is also joining the European Union and the NATO Pact.

Due to this specific situation, Slovene society is faced with many changes and new challenges. One of the most important characteristics of Slovenia is also very high proportion of  women in workforce, approximately  48 % of total population.

Yet, the economic and social crisis, caused by the transition situation, is growing, and the rate of unemployement has increased, especially among the female population (approx. 14%). Newly created part time jobs don't improve the situation much. The employment policy, in the view of ensuring the previous workpost for women after their maternity leave, is not at all favourable, especially in private companies. Sometimes, women are under the pressure not to have babies during a certain work period. Such a discriminatory policy causes that the Slovenian population is steadily declining, not to mention that slovenia's population is aging.

With such a decreasing rate of population we can expect to have only one million of the Slovene population in only 50 years time. The question is, how to solve the problem of our demographic policy.

The SUUW priority is to join the efforts for establishing the modern family policy, in the sense of improving the demographic development. The holistic approach to the settlement of the social problems is absolutelly required, as well as to assert the equality of both sexes. We plead  to legalize the modern family policy, accordingly.

The concrete issue is to harmonize the family obligations with those in one's job. This calls for an appropriate, modern parental leave for employed parents, which involves the invigoration of the father's role in the family, as recommended by the international  conference on the role of the father, held in 1994. This is recommended in the EU Social Commission on non-transferability of parental roles. That means that father does not transfer his role on the mother, as it was the case so far in the history, and vice versa, mother not to the father. In turn, parents shuld not transfer their roles to other custodians, neither to grandmothers nor to institutions.

Folowing these principles, the SUUW proposes to the Slovenian parlament to adopt the alternant parental leave. Such a leave is in the interest of the care and upbringing of a small child up to his/her third year of age. This is the age that decisively determines the entire psycho-physical development of the child  as a whole. At present, Slovenia has a legalized one-year, fully paid maternity leave, which can be used by mother or by father, but fathers use it in less than 4 percent of the cases. The SUUW pleads for the recognition of equal opportunities, where both, mother and father as partner parents on equal terms use their parental leave. Such an alternative permits them to continue working throughout the maternity leave for reduced hours of work and enables them to be with the child all the time. The reduced hours of work should be considereded as full time when determining the individual retirement age. The smaller pay would be partly covered by the supplement for children not using social custody. This is foreseen, by our amendment, and the resolution on family policy adopted  eight years ago, but still not enacted. And it is precisely the enactment that the SUUW is currently engaged in.

The preferences of the alternate parent leave are as follows :

The child has a continued and healty custody and a whole-scale  upbringing by his father and mother. So far a feminization of upbringing has been prevalent – and thus a one-sided formation of person and culture.

But for the child's identification and socialization a full-scale upbringing is needed. In such a way lifelong family ties and mutual security are created. This safeguards the child from potential asocial attitudes, such as addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine.

Children are related to their parents through mutual solidarity and develop the cultural tradition along.

With the reduced time of work the parents' employment would still continue, which is significant   for their existence. It can also be decisive in the current crisis on the work market. Otherwise trends in ecomomic development foresee an increase of globalization and technological development in information science and automation theory. This will require a shorter work time for all employees and make it possible to work at home. This development will bring worth to the family and its significance for a humane shaping of the idividual and the society. The current international day of the family, scheduled for the 15^th of May, is meant not only as an introduction of a special day, but as an introduction of an international week – in order to fully evaluate the signifiance of the family.

Further on, partnership in parental relation is of extraordinary signifiance for the consolidation of partnership bonds, which prevents potential divorces. Today almost every third marriage ends in divorce.

The attainment of equal opportunities between the sexes, both in the family and in the field of work, leads to a full-scale self-realization of man and woman for their common good. The statute of SUUW includes also the co-ordination of the family and the profession.

This is a condition sine qua non for the development of the family as a whole and for the professional quality. It is the key which opens the way towards a humane civilization and guarantees our survival.

The activity of the SUUW is  thus of historical significance for the Slovenian nation.

                                                                                                             Translated by: Veronika  Klemenčič

                                                                                                              May 2001, Prepisal Igor Kafol, Junij 2002