Women’s Employment Information Center (WEINC)

The Women’s Employment Information Centre (WEINC) was formally established as an NGO in December of 1994, by an initiative of the Kaunas Municipality and the United Nations International Labour Office (UNILO). WEINC began as a local organization, and although it continues to the address the needs of women in Kaunas and the surrounding districts, it works closely with women’s NGO’s on a national and international basis. Nationally, the WEINC has a number of individual and joint projects that address the needs of women through electronic and practical skills training and business and personal consultations. On an international level, WEINC has a number of projects that were established in partnership around women entrepreneurs with Finland, Sweden and France. WEINC has also participated in international joint projects and training of women in equal opportunities, organizational management, women in politics and trade unions. WEINC has international links with many organizations that work within women’s human rights framework, collaborating with the US, Canada, Western Europe and the Baltic States.

The WEINC strengthens the areas in which it can actively promote gender equality in Lithuanian society. It is also one of the very few organizations that specifically addresses and meets the needs of women in the employment domain. It will continue to work collaboratively with women’s organizations nationally and internationally to empower women.

Vision: To develop innovative strategies to improve the status of women in Lithuania and to influence and promote local and national policy to protect women’s rights and promote gender equality.

Mission: To improve the status of women in Lithuania, solve their employment, business establishment and development problems, train women leaders, as well as influence public opinion on equality issues.

Objectives:

 To influence formation of women’s policy at a local and national level;

 To promote the idea of social economy, equal rights and possibilities for women and men;

 To encourage women entrepreneurship by supporting development of newly established businesses;

 To encourage women leadership in politics;

 To provide updated information about available job openings and to provide job placement service.

Activities:

The Centre has an employment agency, where women get free of charge job search and job placement services. In 2008 there were 1293 of unemployed women who were looking for a job through our agency. 182 of them were offered jobs.

The Centre provides various educational courses and seminars: English language courses, Accounting courses, Computer literacy courses, Computerized “Pragma” accounting courses, Courses of electronic commerce, Internet courses, nursing courses. The aim of the courses is to give women a more advanced position in the labor market, and to promote life-long education and non formal education.

The Center has established Clubs that are targeted at different groups of women. Businesswomen Club 21st Century is a club for women who operate businesses. The Club seeks to create an image of a business woman in Lithuania, more favorable laws and governmental programs for businesswomen. Women’s Job Club Crossroad is for women who have been unemployed for a longer period of time, lack self-confidence, and need support to overcome psychological and skill barriers of a modern labor market. Kaunas Women’s Politicians Club MILDA is a club uniting women politicians from different parties. The aim of the Club is to seek more women representation in local and regional governments.

Women and Political Decision-Making in Lithuania

National Level

Members of Parliament

Percentage of men and women members of local councils

European Level

Members of the European Parliament