Women in Cyprus still face a 27% gap in pensions compared with men, and no clear improvement is being recorded in the gender pay gap, according to Commissioner for Gender Equality Tzotzie Christodoulou. She was speaking on Wednesday at an open discussion on women in leadership, equal pay and the division of family responsibilities, where two pieces of EU-driven legislation were also presented as moving forward.
Dialogues for Gender Equality series
The event, held at the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, was part of the "Dialogues for Gender Equality" series, an open dialogue initiative promoting equality between women and men. This session focused on "Gender, Leadership and Entrepreneurship" and was attended by women entrepreneurs, students and journalists.
The invited speakers were Maria Tsiakka, Chair of CYTA's Board of Directors, and Marina Zevedaou, Founder and Director of Aspen Trust Group, who shared experiences from their careers and discussed leadership, entrepreneurship and career advancement.
Ms Christodoulou said the aim of the series is to inform and empower young people and to record experiences, challenges and proposals that can be used to shape actions and policies.
"We will use them either for actions or for policies," she said of the issues raised. "For me, this is the most important thing. To listen so that we can move forward."
Equality practices at CYTA
Ms Tsiakka outlined measures implemented by CYTA, including staff training, breastfeeding rooms, support for returning to work after maternity leave and teleworking during the first years after having a child. She also stressed the importance of measuring the results of equality policies.
She said that following the announcement of positions at the organisation, seven of the 14 director-level positions were filled by women. She attributed the result to the culture that has been created within the organisation, which allowed women to seek the positions.
Database of women professionals
Ms Zevedaou referred to an initiative to create a database of women professionals, linked to the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), aimed at strengthening women's presence on boards of directors and in other positions of responsibility.
The database can be used to identify women with professional experience and expertise in various fields. It also responds to the argument that there are not enough women available for such positions.
Legislation on boards and pay transparency
Ms Christodoulou said a bill on women's participation on the boards of directors of listed companies is before the House Commerce Committee, as part of harmonisation with the relevant European Directive.
On pay transparency, she said that harmonisation with the European Directive on pay transparency is under way. The Ministry of Labour has prepared a bill, and discussions with the social partners are continuing.
Incentives for businesses
The Commissioner also raised the possibility of incentives for businesses that implement equality policies, citing women's participation on boards as an example.
She explained that incentives would not necessarily take the form of tax relief, but could form part of a broader strategy, allowing a business that meets specific equality criteria to use them when seeking a contract.
She added that adopting equality policies at all levels of an organisation contributes to job satisfaction, staff efficiency and profitability, as well as to the effective operation of organisations and their positive image in society.
Gender segregation in the labour market
Participants noted that gender segregation persists in the labour market, with a tendency to encourage women into traditionally male-dominated professions, but no corresponding tendency for men to enter female-dominated professions.
Ms Christodoulou said one possible reason may be that professions dominated by women are paid less. She cited kindergarten teachers as an example, comparing the profession with the better-paid technology sector.
Informal care and maternity in the pension system
The discussion also addressed how informal care and maternity are recognised in the pension system. The Commissioner said that pension credits for informal carers were under discussion, as was the possibility of awarding more pension credits during maternity leave.
She also pointed to the need to change the culture around family responsibilities so that men take on a greater share of care work. According to statistics she cited, men increase their working hours after the birth of their first child to strengthen the family income, leaving a greater share of childcare to women.
Portrayal of women in the media
A significant part of the discussion focused on how the media portray women, particularly those in leadership positions. Participants raised the use of expressions such as "a woman's touch" when a woman takes over the leadership of an organisation.
It was also noted that women in leadership roles are often asked in interviews "how do you combine family and work?", a question rarely put to men in similar positions.
Participants further considered whether journalistic coverage is still shaped to some extent by a male perspective, both in the choice of topics and how they are presented. The points raised will be examined as part of the next strategy for equality.
Source: CNA
