Zacharaki: Significant increase in female employment by 6.2 percentage points

In the context of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, an event entitled "30 Years since the Beijing Declaration" was co-organised by the Missions of Albania, Greece, Andorra and Cyprus, focusing on women's leadership and the presence of women in entrepreneurship as key drivers of social and economic change.

The event highlighted both the progress and the ongoing challenges faced by women.

Participants stressed the need for member states to invest in equality policies, digital transformation and education.

In her speech, Greek Minister of Family and Social Cohesion Sofia Zacharaki stressed the importance of "women's participation in the labour market, entrepreneurship and in leadership positions."

Referring to Greece's progress in gender equality, she presented key statistics such as:

- "Women make up 52.8% of the total workforce, the second lowest in the EU"

- "The gender employment gap is 18 percentage points"

- "The highest unemployment rate for women was 14.3%, compared to 8.5% for men"

However, she highlighted a positive trend:

- "Greece has seen a significant increase in female employment by 6.2 percentage points, more than double the EU average of 2.7 percentage points"

- "Greece has seen a large decrease in female unemployment by 8.1 percentage points"

Zacharaki highlighted measures aimed at supporting women, including work-life balance initiatives, such as: "flexible working hours for parents, extension of parental leave and investments in affordable childcare solutions."

In closing, Zacharaki expressed hope for continued progress and cooperation in achieving gender equality.

AMNA