According to a party statement, Mr. Papadopoulos was speaking at a GODISK event entitled "Woman: break the stereotypes" on the occasion of World Women's Day on Friday.
"March 8 is a day of honour and recognition of the timeless struggles of women to claim basic and fundamental human rights," he said, adding that "it is also a day of remembrance and awakening."
Since, he said, "women, unfortunately, continue to be victims of stereotypes and face social and economic inequalities, violence and harassment, both in employment and more broadly in social interactions."
Even worse, he said. Papadopoulos, "we find a significant lack of women's representation in decision-making centres.
In addition, women continue to bear the greatest burden of unpaid work, including caring for children and elderly family members." According to him, "in the last two years, the gender gap seems to have widened due to the coronavirus crisis, since confinement at home due to the pandemic and teleworking have led to conflicts between professional and personal life."
She cited Eurostat data showing that 77% of women in the EU believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in physical and psychological violence against women in their country, adding that "in Cyprus, this figure reaches 83%".
She also said that around four in ten women in the EU (38%) say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their income and work-life balance (44%), while one in five women say the crisis has had a negative impact on the time they can devote to paid work (21%).
"In Cyprus, more than half of the women surveyed (57%) see a negative impact on their income, which is much higher than the European average," he added.
Mr. Papadopoulos also said that "Cyprus ranks first across Europe with 68% of respondents (the EU average is 44%) stating that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their work-life balance."
"The above figures are indicative of the work that needs to be done to address the inequality we see between the sexes," he said.
Undoubtedly, he noted, "significant steps have been taken in the right direction in recent years."
The pandemic, he added, "nevertheless jeopardises the achievements that have been made, while there are still significant challenges that have not been addressed."
According to the DIKO President, in modern times, women need support with measures to reconcile family and professional responsibilities.
He said that "with respect and recognition, the Democratic Party promotes and supports policies that provide practical support, encouragement and empowerment of every woman by aiming, among others, to combat sexual harassment in the workplace, in public places and online, adopting new rules for work-life balance, establishing specific objectives and work arrangements to address the gender pay gap, promoting women's participation in the digital home, and promoting women's participation in the digital economy. In order to make the 21st century the century of women," Papadopoulos concluded.
Source: CNA
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