Nicosia: Gender Equality is a horizontal priority for Nikos Christodoulides’ government, announced the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Josie Christodoulou, at the BPW-Cyprus Conference titled ‘Empowering Leadership: Unlocking the Impact of Women on Boards,’ held at the Pancyprian Gymnasium. She emphasized that gender equality is the key to addressing some of today’s most significant challenges.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Christodoulou highlighted that women contribute to 66% of the world’s work, both paid and unpaid, yet only earn 10% of the world’s income. Remarkably, they reinvest 90% of their income back into their families and communities.
Christodoulou pointed out that the representation of women in leadership roles remains limited. She cited EIGE statistics, noting that in 2021, women held 30.6% of board positions in the largest publicly listed companies in the EU-27. On a national level, women comprised 12% of board members in the largest quoted companies, 13% in central banks, and 11.4% in p
ublic companies in 2023. She noted that women hold 30% of the presidential or vice-presidential roles in semi-governmental organizations and 37.7% at the ministerial council, marking a first in the country’s history.
Christodoulou reiterated that gender equality is a core priority for the government, implemented through a comprehensive strategy. Her Office, established by law in July, is tasked with formulating, coordinating, and evaluating the National Strategy for Gender Equality in collaboration with all ministries and deputy ministries.
The strategy includes actions to align national legislation with the EU Directive on equal gender representation on company boards. Her Office collaborates with the Ministry of Finance and the Law Office, with France leading initiatives at both EU and national levels. Other initiatives involve addressing pay disparities between male-dominated and female-dominated professions, enhancing work-life balance, extending maternity leave to 22 weeks, and increasing care faciliti
es for children and the elderly through the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Christodoulou announced the launch of an annual thematic campaign titled ‘HerStory’ to inspire women and girls. The Ministry of Education has introduced training for career advisers to break down stereotypes, while the Ministry of Agriculture is providing training for women in rural areas to boost their economic independence.
In terms of corporate practices, the Commissioner’s Office, alongside the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, developed an ‘Action Plan for gender equality’ to promote gender equality in business operations. Collaborations with the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) are underway to promote women in work and leadership roles.
Concluding her address, Christodoulou emphasized that achieving gender equality, particularly in overcoming challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, necessitates ongoing support and collaboration between the public and private sectors. She underscored that gen
der equality is not a competition between genders but a solution to pressing business, economic, and social challenges.