The Government attaches great importance to the issues of promoting equality between men and women and focuses its efforts on the formulation and implementation of horizontal equality policies, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades stressed in his address on Tuesday afternoon at the General Electoral Assembly of the Cyprus Federation of Business Women Professionals (COGEE) in Nicosia.
In his address, which was read by Minister of Justice and Public Order Stefi Drakou, President Anastasiades expressed his conviction that the dynamism that distinguishes women allows them to successfully serve the multiple roles and responsibilities they undertake.
"The achievements and the generally successful activism of women in private and public life, demanded respect, recognition and utilisation of their abilities", he said and added that "it is this respect that consciously led me during the formation of my Government and the first and especially the second, to utilise a significant number of women in key posts and positions of responsibility, more than at any other time since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus".
He also said that today 50% of the Commissioners of the Republic are women, while at the same time the presence of women on the Boards of Directors of semi-governmental organisations has increased significantly as they now exceed 35%.
He noted that the Council of Ministers includes five distinguished women, while for the first time a new woman has been elected as Speaker of the Parliament.
Making a brief reference to how much the Government has achieved in terms of labour, particularly in reducing the pay gap, the President said that according to the latest and revised figures of the Statistical Office for 2019, the pay gap stands at 10.1 per cent, compared to the EU average of 14.1 per cent.
He added that "this positive development ranks Cyprus in the 7th best position among the member states with a significant increase in recent years, as we achieved a significant reduction of the gap, from 15.6% in 2012 when we took office, to 10.1%."
He also mentioned that in the National Action Plan for Equality between Men and Women 2019-2023, which was prepared after research and study by the present Government, special emphasis is placed on deconstructing stereotypical attitudes and sexism in combination with reconciling family and professional responsibilities.
He further said that from 2017 to date, the present government has increased the grants given to women's organizations to organize activities in this direction by 52%.
With regard to the legislative area of labour legislation, the President said that important laws have been passed, which strengthen the role of women in the sphere of family, work and society at large, and at the same time, important legislation has been drafted in the area of preventing and combating gender violence, which strengthen the existing protection grid for women victims of violence and abuse.
"The present government, through its policies and actions, sends the message to show zero tolerance to sexist and similar behaviours that harm and degrade the status of women," he stressed.
This is why, he said, "very recently, the Council of Ministers decided to establish the National Coordinating Body for the Istanbul Convention, under which substantial actions are expected to be promoted to effectively prevent and address violence against women."
These laws, according to President Anastasiades, are complemented by a wide range of policies and programmes concerning the reconciliation of family and professional obligations, the training and reintegration of women into the labour market and the promotion of women's rights.
The practical proof of the importance that the KEBE attaches to the issues of women's entrepreneurship and the participation of women entrepreneurs in decision-making centres is the fact that, according to Mr. Agastiniotis, that "officials of the KOGEE and each local OGEE participate in the Boards of Directors of the KEBE and the Local Chambers, thus contributing to the formation of the positions and policies of the Chambers", while two KEBE executives hold positions on the board of the KOGEE and the local organizations.
He added, however, that despite the significant progress made in recent years, there are still prejudices and stereotypes about the role of women and pay inequality.
"Unfortunately, the pandemic has hampered the role of women and now more than ever, institutions and the state must work closely to combat these as this will have a very beneficial impact on both the local economy and the society at large," she said.
Finally, the President of the KEBE assured that the Chamber will continue its close cooperation with the KOGEE and "declares its readiness to support any new initiative and action".
The President of CEB Antonis Antoniou referred to three challenges both in Cyprus and in the rest of Europe for the recognition of women as equal entrepreneurs which are those of equal treatment and recognition in the workplace in general, promotion to the upper management layers of management and recognition and appreciation as capable of creating and succeeding in all kinds of start-ups or new companies.
"We have achieved a lot and have made significant progress, but there is a long way to go and room for improvement, especially with regard to the position of women in senior management positions, where we have to admit that we are lagging behind and there is still work to be done," he said.
He also said that if one reviews most private companies, organisations and Associations in the country, "it is difficult for women Presidents and Senior Managers to exceed 10 per cent."
This is despite the fact that globally all evidence and studies show that Women CEOs demonstrate integrity and superior values, are more sensitive to their responsibilities and obligations, make difficult yet wise decisions and are more receptive to opinions and have better communication levels, he added.
Antoniou assured that the OEB will be a supporter of any initiative aimed at improving employment conditions, as we must recognize, he noted, "that without the contribution of women, there can be no healthy economy and no functioning socio-economic structures."
She said that through its long-standing efforts and campaigns such as "Equal Pay", the COGEE has demonstrated the boldness to assert women's right to a non-discriminatory working environment, but one that promotes equal opportunities in work, education, pay and career and advancement prospects.
She also mentioned that the OEB was the first Organisation in Cyprus to adopt a Code of Practice on Addressing Sexual Harassment at Work as early as May 2004, in order to instil basic social values and legal obligations.
He also said that the CBI, on its own initiative, actively contributed to the creation and development of a certification standard for companies that implement policies that ensure gender equality conditions for their staff, which is still being implemented today by the competent Ministry of Labour.
Also, the President of the OEB said that COGEE and OEB jointly launched since 2017 the institution of the Women's Excellence Awards "Erifili", which due to the difficulties of the pandemic have been interrupted but will soon resume with renewed enthusiasm.
COGEE President Mary Papadopoulou said that "we have faced problems and challenges that today are dizzyingly changing in an ever-changing world and added that the COGEE has undertaken to promote a programme of action, knowing "from the beginning that we have to make a revolution for the obvious", including equal participation in decision-making centres, equal opportunities and the elimination of stereotypes and prejudices, "for all those things that keep women on the margins".
The President of the CIGE then referred to the actions and awareness-raising campaigns undertaken by the Federation, stressing, however, that "the gap is still wide."
"While it lasts, we will continue with the same stubbornness and commitment," she concluded.
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