As a thesis topic I chose Awareness graduates of the course Life Skills in Zambia. The present thesis consists of two parts - theoretical and practical. The theoretical part with the support of specialized literature devoted to the general description of the development problems of sub-Saharan countries. Furthermore, the theoretical part I describe precisely Zambia in the context of development issues. The last part is devoted to the characteristics of the course Life Skills and NGO ARHA, under whose leadership the whole project was created. The aim of the thesis is to determine the degree of awareness of graduate course Life Skills in Zambia. Examined Life Skills circuits become sex education, HIV/AIDS and gender. These areas were chosen because they are among the most discussed topics in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The thesis I established three research questions that relate to the issue. In the research part of the thesis I tried to answer them. It was the following research questions: What is the awareness of graduate course Life Skills in sex education? What is the awareness of graduate course Life Skills for HIV/AIDS? What is the awareness of graduate course in Life Skills gender? For the realization of research, I chose a qualitative research method semi- structured interview. Own research conducted in the building of technical secondary school Kambule in Zambia, where a six-month course in Life Skills took a place. Individual interviews were carried out during the period October - November 2014. The results of research show that the level of awareness of graduate course Life Skills is determined in the context of socio-cultural factors. During the half-year course graduates were informed just by socially tolerated facts. The information transmitted within the preventive and educational programs are considerably truncated, especially in the area of sex education. Life graduates of the course are indeed aware of thepreventive use of condoms, but it is emphasized that premarital sex is a sin. Cult marriages in Zambia has an important role. Due to the fact that Zambia is characterized as patriarchal society are women, especially in marriage, denied many rights. For example it is not generally tolerated the use of condoms within marriage. The research results show just on the above-mentioned facts, which stems from a purely traditional social order. Preventive educational programs are focused exclusively on measures that are in line with the traditional values of society - sexual abstinence and decisive rejection of premarital sex. A major shortcoming of preventive education programs is precisely this form of rigidity, lacking flexible response to current problems in society. Unfortunately, during the six-month course Life Skills graduates weren´t given relevant information that would help them respond to current problems in society. For example promotion and distribution of condoms was prohibited before the course has already started. The above-mentioned facts can be described as barriers in education and in the development of Zambia. Traditional patterns of behavior in Zambia are very deeply rooted and overcoming them can be considered difficult. However, this fact does not involve only the poor form of preventive education programs, but also low awareness participants on the issue. Based on a six-month course Life Skills and research in collaboration with the NGO ARHA was made a publication, which summarizes the lessons learned and also suggests ways how to improve the efficiency of the upcoming course.

How do people anticipate the future and plan their lives when little is certain? How can we take account of the significance of demographic ‘vital events’ (such as marriage, childbirth or migration) when the horizon of a possible future within which these events acquire meaning becomes pluralized, fluid or contested? How do changing life-course patterns relate to social transformations on larger spatial and temporal scales? Which social and economic institutions construct and normalize life-stages and, vice versa, how do life-course patterns affect and transform institutions? Finally, how do these processes relate to the construction and practice of gender orders? These were the central questions debated during the workshop on ‘Vital Conjunctures — Gender in Times of Uncertainty’1, where the papers by Jennifer Johnson-Hanks and Erdmute Alber compiled in this SPP 1448 Working Paper were presented, the first as keynote and the second as critical comment.

This thesis is focused on the problems of women in managerial positions in a selected metalworking company. It analyzes the status of women in the company, gender in the management and gender integration in the company. The position of women in managerial positions, criteria for success and barriers to their career are examined by analysis of company materials and interviews with staff. The main objective is focused on woman possibilities of work-life balance. There are practical suggestions at the end of this thesis.