Dr Kristina Ambrazevičiūtė, Researcher at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, participated in the international conference “National Legal Systems and the EU Law: Reality and Future Challenges in a Comparative Perspective”, held at the University of Latvia on November 6–7.

In the session “Legal Issues of Equality and Gender,” the researcher delivered a presentation introducing the findings of the ongoing project “(Not)prolonging the working life of older women: legal environment, guarantees and intentions” (VAM), implemented at the Law Institute. The presentation focused on research results related to the situation of older women in the labour market.

Summarizing the responses of the Lithuanian and Latvian legal systems to the challenges faced by this group, Dr Ambrazevičiūtė highlighted the main features of these systems: in Lithuania, legal norms combine flexibility with stability – enabling older women to balance work and care, while the Latvian model focuses on job stability and protection, providing less flexibility but stronger employment security.

However, although both systems prohibit discrimination, neither addresses the combined effects of age, gender and care responsibilities. The researcher emphasized that while the Lithuanian and Latvian legal systems aim to ensure the continuity of older women’s employment, they still fail to resolve the key issue: formally guaranteed equality does not always translate into real opportunities. Until legal guarantees are accompanied by cultural and organizational changes, older women’s ability to remain in the labour market will remain more declarative than assured.