Moldova’s integrating into EU to better women’s life, European Action Movement women say

Moldova’s integration into the European Union will improve the Moldovan women’s social situation, by providing genuine equal chances as men have, by observing their rights as employees and mothers, reads a joint declaration of the members of the European Women Forum (EWF,) Info-Prim Neo reports. Constituted on March 1, the EWF is an internal organization of the European Action Movement (EAM) aiming at bettering the women’s social status and at defending their rights; at promoting women in the decision-making process at different levels; at promoting the European cultural values and the human rights among the Moldovan women. At a news conference on Tuesday, March 4, the EWF president, the deputy president of the European Action Movement, Zoia Jalba, said Moldova was lacking a well-determined system of activities to insure the gender equality. The EWF president calls on all women to get rid of gender stereotypes and to personally contribute to change the woman’s status in Moldova, as nobody bans this thing. As an MP, Zoia Jalba plans to come up with legal drafts to modify the legislation on maternity leave and the Law on gender equality. The parliamentarian considers that the notion “chances” per se is inadequate in this context as it is related to gambling terms. Zoia Jalba pleads for replacing this term by “opportunities.” As the reality has it, the women are just as good in managing positions, the EAM secretary, Mariana Taranu, remarks. Yet the centuries-old mentality makes that the Moldovan women occupy insignificant positions in politics, business and public administration. The Moldovan women make up for 40% of the unemployed, while they represent only 10% of the administrative and political positions. The number of female parliamentarians overcomes 40% in Sweden and Norway, and 38% in Denmark and Finland. The representative of EAM’s youth organization, Natalia Coser, says, although the Government declares the youth one of its priorities and 2008 -- the Youth Year, no concrete results can be seen. The Moldovan young people are further deprived of a range of rights, especially the right to education and labor, says Natalia Coser. According to the leadership of the EWF, it has about 8,000 members and EAM supporters.