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- Ελληνικά
"I, my mother, am a mother of many children, I get up at dawn to go to the fields, to get my children ready, and then my grandchildren, to clean and clean and clean and clean."
And yet if I ask you to close your eyes and think of a man in the profession of agriculture, animal husbandry or rural businessman I am sure the figure will be male.
Friends,
It is with great pleasure that I am here with you today and I thank the organisers and hosts for inviting me and for our close collaboration over the past few months.
The role of the rural woman, the farmer, the entrepreneur, has historically been vital. The rural woman farmer, the rural entrepreneur, has left her mark by keeping the countryside alive, contributing to rural and economic development. She has worked and continues to work hard, supported, sustained and cared for her family, and has contributed and continues to contribute to the preservation of our cultural tradition and heritage.
However, women have often faced and still face social, economic, cultural, and now technological/digital barriers, limiting their productivity and their ability to be recognized or to participate equally in rural development and economic development in general, leaving them to this day in invisibility.
One of the reasons for the above, apart from stereotypical and anachronistic prejudices, is also the fact that we do not have data, statistics and studies that could help us in policy-making. So, allow me to talk a little about the EU, of which our country is a member.
It is a fact that the European agricultural economy is in a constant process of structural changes and adjustments. The challenges include enlargement, environmental issues, climate change and crisis, securing new entrants of women and men into the agricultural sector, more liberal trade agreements, new forms of cooperatives (the majority of which are not women), the new realities of agribusiness and, more broadly, the future of the primary production sector, a future that implies an increase in employment in the sector. At the same time, however, it appears that the participation of women, at least in the formal EU agricultural labour market, still lags behind that of men in this process of development and change.
Gender mainstreaming and measures concerning women are an integral part of the European Regulation in support of rural development.
From the available data, it appears that, to date, in many Member States they have not been rigorously implemented and there is an urgent need to build on the experience gained from the This need stems from the objective of maintaining and strengthening the rural and entrepreneurial population in the countryside through the creation of jobs and a wide range of economic activities, particularly in rural and mountain areas. This, after all, is one of the Government's priorities.
But this particular project, my friends, has a strong gender dimension. Unfortunately, however, the underestimation and misunderstanding of this dimension has and will continue to have a negative impact on the success of this project. It is for this reason that there should be specific conditions such as, among other things, ensuring equal opportunities between women and men, taking the gender dimension into account when designing measures and policies and monitoring the impact of measures and policies on men and women. For this to happen, however, we need data, which we do not have, because in our country there is a lack of surveys and the collection of government data and statistics related to men and women in the primary sector.
The problem does not only concern Cyprus. The EU describes as disappointing the lack of comprehensive data on women in the rural economy and calls for Europe-wide studies and research in order to be able to examine for example the different ways in which the Common Agricultural Policy impacts on women farmers and farmers and how it could be better adapted to their needs. The promotion of the countryside and the recognition of all, farmers and rural women, is of enormous importance in order to lead to significant and real social, economic and environmental changes that contribute to social cohesion, but also help to change attitudes and prejudices, at local, national, European and global level. It is no coincidence, moreover, that the European Institute for Gender Equality has launched an intensive action focusing on gender, environment, green and digital transition.
In this direction, friends, the Government has put high on its agenda the promotion of equality between women and men and the woman farmer, the rural woman, is part of this effort. That is where the role of the Office of the Gender Equality Commissioner comes in. Our Office, always in cooperation with all Ministries and Deputy Ministries, will coordinate and monitor the implementation of actions that promote gender equality in all areas of life.
This cooperation naturally extends to the Office of the Commissioner for the Environment, but also to bodies such as the National Mechanism for Women's Rights, the Women Farmers' Department of the Cyprus Farmers' Union, women's political organisations, trade unions, the social support network of mountain areas and NGOs, whose purpose directly or indirectly is to safeguard women's rights as human rights and to strengthen efforts and struggles for gender equality.
At the same time, and because I want to be honest and not hide behind my finger, the State has a responsibility and obligation towards all of us. Today, our Office, through its upgrading, is taking action to develop those actions that will contribute to the consolidation of equality between women and men. We have already started to plan these actions and some of them will be part of the new National Strategy for Gender Equality for the period from 2024 to 2026. Specifically, the actions include training programmes on digital and financial literacy, targeting rural women in order to empower them, strengthen them and ensure their economic independence, is the first step in this stage.
To implement these programmes, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, the Commissioner for the Environment and the Cyprus Youth Organization, we will visit their communities, respecting both the importance of returning to the countryside and the rhythms of the women themselves and what they undertake on a daily basis, in order to discuss with them first of all, and on the basis of their suggestions and needs to prepare the educational programmes.
At the same time, together with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Deputy Ministry of Culture, we will take joint action to highlight the role of rural women in the cultural tradition and which will also result in their business support. In addition to empowerment, however, the guarantees for young women farmers must also be formed, so that their own important contribution does not find obstacles and difficulties.
The farmer and the rural woman needs and must be highlighted. The multiple roles attributed to her and her invisible contribution for so many decades to the care economy and to work, including in the primary sector and entrepreneurship, need to be replaced with empowerment, equal opportunities, giving them a voice and removing barriers, including stereotypes and prejudices that make it difficult for women to participate equally in all areas of life. I am also well aware that all these efforts are no easy task, but they are imperative if we are to collectively contribute to the fight against female poverty, to the sustainable development of our society, to the promotion of a healthy society and a more robust economy.
(MB)
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