Women in Slovakia are still paid less for work than men, statistics show. The campaign titled “When I Grow Up” organised the Labour Ministry in cooperation with the European Commission’s Representation to Slovakia points out the difference in remuneration of men and women, State Secretary at the Labour Ministry Jozef Burian told an August 12 news conference in Bratislava. The campaign is funded with approximately €400,000 excluding VAT.
This is is a sensitive topic among people, Burian said. “Despite the fact that Slovakia has good legislation in this area, such as the Anti-Discrimination Act and the Labour Code, there are still differences,” he said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
This autumn, a campaign titled “Reconciling the Family and Professional Lives” will follow up the project. The campaign will be supported with €23 million from the European Social Fund. The first phase of the project is creating conditions for day-care centres, corporate crèches and other types of childcare. According to Jozef Burian, it is essential to create conditions for working mothers to be able to work, and thus avoid economic instability and even poverty at retirement age.
The next phase is to enable or arrange for flexible working hours for mothers in order to be able to harmonise their work and family lives.
“In Slovakia, women and mothers of young children, as well as women approaching retirement age are among the most disadvantaged groups on the labour market,” stressed Oľga Pietruchová, head of the Labour Ministry’s Department of Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities.
Slovakia is allegedly facing a paradox in Europe. “Despite the fact that more women graduate from universities, they speak more foreign languages and are prepared for professional life, ultimately they earn less,” Andrej Králik from the EC Representation to Slovakia told SITA. The topic of gender equality has been resonating in the European Union for a long time, while a number of guidelines and legislation has been adopted. Despite this, there is a big difference in access to senior positions and remuneration. In the European Union. women have to work 59 days per year more than men in order to earn the amount that men do. In Slovakia, it is 78 days more.
“I welcome both the project and the campaign. It is necessary to point out the differences and look for solutions," Králik added.
(Source: SITA)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
