The role of women in Belarusian society has significantly increased - Maryanna Shchetkina

The role of women in Belarusian society has significantly increased. This point of view was expressed by the Chairperson of the Belarusian Women's Union, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Republic, Marianna Shchetkina, today at a meeting with young teachers and students of Vitebsk State Medical University during an off-site meeting of the BSZh board in the Vitebsk region.

The meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere in the form of an open dialogue with young people, during which a wide range of issues was touched upon, concerning not only the work of the Belarusian Women's Union, but also the processes occurring in society as a whole. Given the high status of the guests, students were interested in the most diverse topics - youth and legislative policy, trends in the development of the information field: media, and the internet space. Democratic issues were also raised. In particular, young people were interested in the possibility of social leave for fathers for childcare. In this regard, Marianna Shchetkina noted that in Belarus, a small number of men use their right to childcare leave. In Europe, paternity leave has long ceased to be a rarity; its popularity has been boosted not only by financial incentives for families but also by the generally positive perception of such a phenomenon by society.

In her opinion, in the future, with the development of flexible employment forms, paternity leave for childcare will be used more and more often. Creating conditions for the exercise of the right to this leave is much more important than a directly applicable norm, believes the Chairperson of the BSZh. The participants of the dialogue were also concerned about how to maintain balance, combining career with a happy family. The leader of the Belarusian Women's Union expressed the opinion that these spheres of life are equally important: one should get an education and build a career (fortunately, the country has all the conditions for this), and also definitely start a family and raise children. "We must be proud of the past, appreciate the present, and believe in the future," added Marianna Shchetkina.

The off-site meeting of the board of the Belarusian Women's Union is dedicated to the work of the Vitebsk regional organization of the BSZh on issues

of innovative development of social programs in the region.

Alina Grishkevich – BELTA.