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- Русский
Worldwide:
- 9 out of 10 men and women have deep prejudices against women
- 49% believe that men are better leaders than women.
- 25% believe it is justified for a man to beat his partner (UN 2023); In an era of #MeToo
Prejudice is also becoming a reality in the EU.
- 16% pay gap (in Cyprus 9.9%)
- one in five women have suffered sexual and/or physical violence from a current or former partner
Around the world:
- 81,000 women and girls have died at the hands of their partner or a family member
- 81,000 women and girls have died at the hands of their partner or a family member
- one in five women have suffered sexual and/or physical violence at the hands of their current or former partner
Around the world:
- 81,000 women and girls have died at the hands of their partner or a family member. This means that every 11 minutes a woman is murdered in her home, a place where she should theoretically be safe. By the time we leave here, some 16 women somewhere in the world will have died as a result of domestic violence. The UN Secretary General said on 8 March that we need 300 years to achieve substantive equality.
Honourable Madam Speaker of Parliament,
Honourable Madam Member of the European Parliament
Honourable Madam Commissioner for Legislation,
Friends,
Thank you for inviting me to speak on this issue and congratulations, Mrs Eleni Stavrou, for the initiative. The above is obviously not the position that any woman deserves. However, this is the reality of the position of women and Cyprus, unfortunately, is no exception. No country has managed to achieve full and substantive equality.
Since the day of my appointment as Gender Equality Commissioner I have been invited to speak at various thematic events. Among others, Women in Shipping, Women in Science, Women in Peace Processes, Women and Cybersecurity. What do all of the above have in common? That women in all these areas are not recognised, heard or promoted. I will repeat what I mentioned at previous events. Women need a space and a voice so that women's role models can be created which should be heard and promoted at all levels - including in decision-making centres. The fact is that we cannot be what we do not see. You cannot be what you cannot see. To this day we hear, for example, that quotas will not promote deserving women. We fully agree that we need to promote the worthy and the deserving, women and men.
Judging from the fact that in Cyprus women PhD holders outnumber men, I am sure that there are many worthy women among us.
Friends,
All actions and policies from gender budget, foreign policy and gender, labour and gender are being planned, while actions to consolidate gender equality have started to be implemented.
After the conference, our friendly experts here will talk about the reasons why women "disappear" in their careers as well as legislation and codes concerning bullying and sexual harassment. The need to create structures for infants, the elderly and people with disabilities will be discussed. Because, as we all know, the responsibility of caring for these people falls on women. They are called upon to bear this heavy burden, in addition to the multiple roles that our society has imposed on them, unlike men who have to perform mainly one role: that of the financial carrier in the home.
In order to improve the situation and eliminate patriarchal and stereotypical, anachronistic prejudices that prevent women from advancing, the Government has placed equality between women and men high on its priorities by introducing a different approach: to work proactively. What do I mean? Legislating for women's rights is there. Where improvement is needed, I am sure it will be improved and where there are gaps, they will be filled.
But what has been missing over time is a systematic, continuous effort to ensure that gender equality is constantly on the table, being discussed, while actions and policies are implemented on a horizontal basis to promote equality. In other words, while we will proceed to further create structures and make it easier for women in particular to reconcile their family and professional lives, this does not mean that at 5 or 6 o'clock in the afternoon they are not the ones who will get their children off school and start the so-called second shift at home.
If we do not touch patriarchal and stereotypical norms in order to highlight the role of men in the equal sharing of parental responsibilities, practically not only in theory, but also in terms of housework, we will continue to exhaust women without giving them the prospect of personal development and professional advancement. It is for this reason that we are currently designing holistic approaches through the integration of the gender dimension. I will give you an example concerning gender mainstreaming: we have identified and recognised that there is a labour shortage in certain professions. A holistic approach does not mean promoting more women into the profession. This is piecemeal. A holistic approach means that while we are starting to work in the education system, by integrating gender equality in education programmes, but also by training career counsellors to advise our children on the basis of their abilities and not their personal perceptions, we are also preparing a professional environment that is ready to accept women, with the necessary equipment, e.g. with bins for feminine hygiene.
The bet, my friends, is to get the message across to society We have already started in this direction by putting equality between women and men on its proper basis, away from political correctness, taking holistic approaches rather than piecemeal ones, integrating the gender dimension horizontally into the state machinery.
The aim, ladies and gentlemen, is to embed the gender culture in the state machinery and the top-down approach policy. This means the balanced participation of women and men in every sector, from the governance of the country to the kitchen of our homes. We have achieved 44% in the Government's first appointments. Women's representation in the Cabinet reaches 35.3% for the first time. Equality is an exercise in practical democracy, but it is also essential for progress and prosperity in every aspect of our lives. Therefore, as essential as it is for women to be involved in decision-making centres and at all levels of professional advancement, it is equally important for men to be involved in this effort and for synergies and cooperation to be created.
(OP)
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