Pedagogical Institute
I would like to thank you for the invitation to participate in today's training meeting on gender equality issues and to congratulate you for your long-standing action to combat gender inequalities, but also to combat discrimination against migrants and other groups of our population Gender equality means that the needs and human rights of both women and men are considered equal, as are their obligations.
Women and men have biological differences, which should be taken into account when designing legislation, policies, actions and measures, while men and women should participate equally in the decision-making process, free from stereotypes and prejudices based on their gender. Through a holistic approach, our aim is to promote women's active participation in society, creating a gender-sensitive political, economic and social framework. To achieve this goal, we create the right conditions by deconstructing gender stereotypes and prejudices in all areas, but also by strengthening and creating new structures to facilitate parents' equal sharing of responsibilities, their active participation in the labour market and in decision-making positions.
Education is the basis for a healthy society.
Education is the basis for a healthy society. It is in this context that the culture of each country is shaped. The promotion of gender equality cannot be an exception to this.
While positive steps have been taken in the right direction, at the same time, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality's Gender Equality Indicators, Cyprus ranks 22nd out of the 27 EU Member States in terms of gender equality. More specifically, there is a large gap in personal time, since the participation of women and men in the care and education of their children or grandchildren, elderly and disabled people, as well as in domestic work - what we call the care economy - is clearly much greater for women. As a result, women participate less, for lack of time, in social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities. Equally importantly, the result of the above has a negative impact in the area of 'power', where men are over-represented in all areas: politics, the economy, as well as on the boards of directors of research organisations and the media. At the same time, the gender pay gap in Cyprus reaches 9.9% which has a long-term impact on pensions, as the gap there reaches 37.2%, with women being close to the poverty line.
On a positive note, however, women and girls in Cyprus are performing very well in terms of education and academic qualifications. According to data from the Labour Force Survey, which is conducted by the Statistical Service on an annual basis, in 2014 the percentage of female and male higher education graduates stood at 35.1% and 30.1% respectively. In 2022 the percentage of female graduates is 41.1% and male graduates 36.7%.
Taking a more critical look by linking the above, where we observe the disparities in numbers and comparing them to the performance of girls in academia, one could say that suddenly women disappear from the social and political sphere as stereotypes and prejudices combined with the lack of care structures lock women at home, or push them into part-time work or pay them less than men, as they are consciously or subconsciously considered inferior.
The example of America is illustrative, where in academia, specifically in higher education, wages were much higher as long as the majority of teachers were men. As women entered the field, the pay scale decreased.
Having said the above, the Government's aim is to adopt a different approach to combating discrimination and promoting gender equality, away from piecemeal but through holistic actions. More specifically, in this direction, the first objective is the establishment of the Office of the Equality Commissioner to guide policy production, have a coordinating role and monitor the horizontal implementation of equality policies in all Ministries and Deputy Ministries. It has already been decided by the Council of Ministers that all Ministries and Deputy Ministries should appoint a person to work in this direction in coordination with the Office of the Commissioner. To be clearer, the National Strategic Plan for Gender Equality will be prepared in cooperation with all Ministries/Departmental Ministries, in consultation with the National Women's Rights Mechanism and civil society.
Subsequently, the Ministries/Departmental Ministries will prepare their own internal action plan to implement the National Strategy for Equality. To this end, each Ministry will appoint a Gender Equality Officer. This person will be in constant contact and consultation with the Office of the Equality Commissioner, who - always in consultation with his or her Ministry, of course - will draw up an action plan to implement the objectives of the strategy.
With regard to the Government's priorities in the field of gender equality in relation to education, these include :
- Enriching the content of our educational programmes with actions that promote empathy, gender equality, prevention of violence against women, consensus and respect so that our schools respond to the realities of the modern world and promote healthy relationships.
- We are expanding the institution of STEAM schools in all cities and promoting this approach in the general curriculum, while combating gender stereotypes.
- Through the effective reinforcement of vocational orientation we guide students on the basis of their competences and skills. The aim is to encourage girls to pursue the professions of the future and traditional "male professions" but also to allow boys, if they wish and have the skills, to pursue traditional "female professions".
- For this to be possible, of course, teachers and career guidance counsellors should be systematically trained on issues relating to the deconstruction of gender stereotypes and should consciously work in an inclusive way.
I would like to stress that women are not a homogeneous group. In other words, every woman on the basis of her socio-economic background, ethnic origin, religion, among others, faces multiple discrimination. It is for this reason that in addition to policies that concern the general population of women on the basis of their biological differences, at the same time we should also take the above into account in order to include them in our society.
I am well aware that your personal and professional goal is the well-being of our children and our society. I am also aware that your profession is a vocation and I congratulate you on your work. It is time for gender equality issues, and other issues affecting children, to be integrated as priorities in the school setting.
As you know far better than I do, the issues that affect our children in their daily lives go beyond history, news, math and antiquities. Without diminishing the importance of academics and curriculum, through the policies and actions I have mentioned above, as well as innovative actions within the curriculum, we can shape the inclusive society we want. We can shield children against harmful stereotypes and attitudes that affect their choices and their safety and well-being.
To this end, the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality is working with the Ministry of Education, the Pedagogical Institute, and we are at your disposal to support your actions towards a healthier society and a stronger, more inclusive and inclusive economy.
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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