The stereotypical roles of women and men, conscious and unconscious biases, continue to shape the choices of girls and boys, women and men in Cyprus, notes the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, referring to new data published by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).
Specifically, according to the EIGE employment indicators, despite the increase in the participation rate of women, which is the highest in the EU (86.3%), there is a division between male-dominated and female-dominated occupations (49.4%).
That is, while women in the 30-34 age group complete higher education at a rate of 73% – the highest in the EU – and men at 56%, this high rate of female university graduates is not reflected in their participation in education-related employment sectors.
Furthermore, the indicators show that the gender gap in Cyprus amounts to 54.7% in the field of personal time, which is associated with domestic work and caring for dependents (e.g. children, elderly), according to the indicators published today by the European Institute for Gender Equality. Accordingly, the gender gap is at 44.6% in the domain of knowledge and 13.6% in the domain of power.
The Commissioner's Office points to the "steady improvement recorded for our country, which rises by 5.1 points from 2015 and by 1.8 points from 2020. That is, from 42.5 in 2015 and 45.8 in 2020, it is rated at 47.6 in 2025."
It clarifies, however, that the new evaluation methodology adopted by EIGE does not take into account the degree of progress of each country, which is why Cyprus falls to 27th place among EU member states. According to the Institute itself, the new ranking is not comparable with previous ones, due to the change in methodology that has been in force since 2013. EIGE itself notes that "the drop in the score does not automatically mean that the conditions are getting worse" and that "the comparison of old and new scores is misleading", precisely because the way of evaluation is now put on a new basis.
It is noted that each international organization that conducts an evaluation follows its own methodology. It is indicated that in the European Investment Bank's research for 2025, the criterion is "companies by percentage of women in senior roles, by country" and Cyprus ranks second among the EU member states, with a percentage of 42%.
"The evaluation of our country through various international indicators is effectively used and is a motivation to continue with determination, methodical, tactical and coordination with all ministries/sub-ministries and the social partners the effort to combat and deconstruct gender stereotypes, which are the root of inequalities and maintain discrimination between women and men in our society", states the Office of the Commissioner.
"This is the biggest challenge we face, for which we need the cooperation of all: government, political forces, business community, civil society, each and every one of us. We record the gaps and deficiencies and codify the next targeted steps, implementing horizontal policies and actions, which strengthen the equal participation of men and women in all fields of activity", he concludes.
