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Current AffairsCzech gay and lesbian league upset about repeated rejection of same sex partnerships
The Czech parliament with a majority of just one vote has for no less than
the third time rejected a bill enabling registered partnerships of same
sex couples. Whereas most MPs from left-wing parties supported the law,
all deputies from the Christian Democrats, a party that is close to the
Catholic Church, voted against, and they were joined by most of the Civic
Democrats, the largest right-of-centre opposition party. Christian
Democrat MPs have in the past been vocal in their opposition not only to
gay partnerships, but last week Jiri Karas, a deputy from the party, who
in the past has described homosexuality as a sin, adopted a more
conciliatory tone. More
Press ReviewPress review
Stony faces in place of polite smiles on the front page of Lidove Noviny:
the visit of the Dutch Prime Minister Peter Balkenend to Prague passed
under a cloud of displeasure after the Dutch head of government announced
that his country would allow Czechs only limited access to the Dutch
labour market after the Czech Republic joins the EU in May. The Czech
Prime Minister has threatened reciprocal action, says Pravo, but given the
number of EU countries which are adopting a wary stand and restricting
access to their labour markets such a policy would merely antagonize
relations in the EU and have a counter productive effect, the daily notes.
More
Current AffairsChamber of Deputies pushes through sexual harassment amendment
A new amendment to the Czech Republic's Labour Code on sexual harassment
was passed on Wednesday, when the Chamber of Deputies overruled the
Senate's rejection of the bill. The amendment clarifies what sexual
harassment is, and brings Czech law into line with that of the European
Union. I discussed the issue with Alena Kralikova of the Gender Studies
NGO in Prague.
More
Czech ScienceWomen in Czech science
In this week's Czech Science we'll be looking at a topic relevant not only
in the Czech Republic - and that is women in science. I talked to Marcela
Linkova from the National Contact Centre Women and Science, whose aim is
to promote women in scientific professions, and asked her first why women
could be considered a separate category in Czech science.
More
Current AffairsNew statistics reveal that Czech women are under-represented in politics
Czech women are less ambitious than men in terms of getting into high
office. This is one of the conclusions reached by the Czech Statistical
Office, which has just published gender statistics from the 2001 census.
And according to the European Union, the absence of women in positions of
influence, means that major decisions taken in the Czech Republic tend to
favor the male half of the population. The EU is not alone in believing
Czech citizens need more information on gender equality.
More
