The dynamic presence of women in the Cypriot Parliament and government, as well as the fact that people of the fairer sex dominate the positions of commissioners, support the -perhaps superficial- view that capable women in Cyprus are not overlooked.
It is It is true that you now see in several important positions on our island, women who are respected for their abilities. It is clear, in simple terms, that in terms of positions of power, some perceptions of the past have been overcome.
This, however, is one side of the coin. Because at the same time the position is projected that we are far behind the desired levels and much more needs to be done.
The most read, in fact, refer to the indicators of the European Union, in relation to the positions they receive women in areas such as politics, economics and society.
With a grade of 30…
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) whose mission is to promote gender equality in the European Union, ranks Cyprus low in the year 2021 in relation to the positions of power held by women, evaluating it with 30 out of the 100.
In order to better understand this, it is enough to note that in this sector, out of the 27 member countries, Sweden and France stand out with a score of 84.5 and 81.4, respectively.
Politics…
In the two countries mentioned above, more than half of the Cabinet executives (52% and 51%) are women. In Cyprus we are showing improvement, however, we are far behind. Only 25% of government members represent the fairer sex. And to think that a year ago, our island was in a worse position. The corresponding figure for 2020 was even lower, as only 8% of ministers were women.
In the last 10
According to the statistical analysis of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), for the year we said goodbye two months ago, Cyprus is in the top ten, surpassing only three countries in the relevant ranking. The Czech Republic, Greece and Hungary.
The last 10 steps of the relevant table are as follows:
18. Lithuania 39.3
19. Malta 37.5
20. Estonia 36.6
21. Romania 34.7
22. Poland 31.5
23. Slovakia 30.7
24. Cyprus 30
25. Czech Republic 28.1
26. Greece 27
27. Hungary 22.9
In the economy…
EIGE in its statistical analysis of the positions held by women in the member states of the European Union, presents data for three areas: Politics, economy and society. The best score of Cyprus is in the field of society, where it is evaluated with 36.6, in politics it has 32.3, while it “steps” in the economy with only 22.9.
It is clear, in other words, that we do not trust people of the fairer sex in key positions in the economy, although international research indicates that the presence of women on councils has in many cases proved to be a lifesaver, as their way of thinking was targeted. making the right risk assessment.
Gender Quota
For the European Union, promoting gender equality, providing equal opportunities and bridging the gap in general gap between men and women is a big bet. In fact, specific actions are promoted in order to achieve this goal.
It is no coincidence that the MP of Ecologists, Alexandra Attalidou, in a recent session of the parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs raised a relevant issue for the council of the Anti-Corruption Authority. He had proposed a 40% gender balance, ie to ensure that 2/3 of the council members would come from one of the two sexes.
According to a recent Reuters article (14/01/2022), the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has begun efforts to “unblock” European legislation, which has remained in the drawers since 2012 and provides for a gender quota.
In 2012, the proposal was made that 40% of non-executive boards. large companies to consist of women. The proposed directive did not include sanctions, however those companies that did not meet the target should be given explanations.
Based on its provisions, it would apply to companies with more than 250 employees. It was estimated that it would affect around 2,300 business entities in the European Union.
18 of the 27 member states support this directive, but that is not enough, as all states must take a positive stance.
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Eight countries, Denmark, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Slovakia, have objected, arguing that the issue should be resolved at national level.
Germany, under Chancellor Angela Merkel, agreed with the above-mentioned countries, however, the new government of Olaf Solz will look at the issue with a different lens.
Already eight countries of the European Union have adopted in their legislation the gender quota for their registered companies. These are Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Greece and the Netherlands.
Another 10 countries have a more relaxed approach, employing some measures (Denmark, Estonia, Ireland) , Spain, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden).
Nine other countries, including Cyprus, have remained idle for the time being (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia). France, meanwhile, has the strongest female representation on the boards of the country's largest companies, at 45.3%, The EU accounts for 30.6%.
