Employment and Women on the 21st century in Europe: From Household Economy to SMEs Economy

Women with experience in house management, housewives, have acquired many skills that can be transferred to business management, but they are often unaware of their own potential. By means of its innovative approach, MUPYME Project analyses the typology of housewives’ skills
and their potential, raises awareness about said issue, and defines the shift from household economy to SME economy. The research developed under MUPYME has been carried out in a heterogeneous set of European countries.

DVV International is one of the partners in this project within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme under the lead for FEUP that focuses on housewives. Several studies have proven that housework requires management skills, monitoring activities and planning, setting priorities and, above all, strengthening those skills regarding the decision-making process. This project strives for the promotion of these skills in order to implement them in a business context.

MUPYME is a two-year project developed by an international consortium that comprises different organizations from Italy, Portugal, Germany, Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. These countries have taken into account the social realities they face, and they have shared what they consider to be the best practices to encourage housewives to implement the practical knowledge acquired by means of housework in a SME context (small and medium enterprises).

The methodology we have implemented in the Project focuses on determining and analysing housewives’ skills. Our purpose is developing a training strategy that is suitable for these women that are not aware of the potential of their household experience, can be linked to business economy.  In order to achieve this goal, it was necessary to share the information gathered by researchers and trainers ascribed to organizations that focus on life-long learning and adult education. Such exchange of experiences was carried out by means of workshops and cooperative meetings.

More information: www.mupymeproject.eu

Text: MUPYME/DVV International