More and more young women choose to pursue higher education. The State University of Moldova (USM) sees an upward trend in the number of female students. Of the 11 thousand students attending the USM, 70% are women and 30% are men. Even at some faculties that until recently were traditionally considered “boys’ faculties”, today there is an increase in the number of women enrolled.
USM deputy rector Otilia Dandara says this trend demonstrates the desire of young women to increase their professional qualification, because global and national experience shows that women and girls who have higher qualification have more possibilities of employment. At the same time, women still face discrimination on the labor market.
During a conference titled “Strategies for preventing gender-based violence in the context of multiple crises”, Otilia Dandara noted that, when it comes to employment, even today there is discrimination in terms of salary and attitude. Employers would still favor men over women when hiring due to stereotypes. “We women and girls somehow try to overcome these stereotypes that exist in our society. But today we witness another phenomenon, the phenomenon of women’s emancipation, which sometimes in family communication, in our work groups, can go to the other extreme, i.e. the imposition of women’s behavior in relation to male colleagues or employers”, said Otilia Dandara, adding that the balance should be maintained by educational methods rather than through discrimination.
Valentina Bodrug-Lungu, president of the Gender Center NGO, declared that nothing justifies violence. “Violence cannot be tolerated. These messages at the international level are reiterated year after year.”
Ersilia Apreda, coordinator of the International Organization for Migration, said that IOM supports programs to prevent violence against women and girls, so as to help women not end up in situations of abuse or violence. “Since you are students and you are future professionals, that is why we are here to strengthen the discussion between us and guide you to embrace these aspects. We talk about how women and girls need to learn to respond, but we also need to talk about how men and boys treat women”, said the IOM coordinator.
The scientific-practical conference “Strategies to prevent gender-based violence in the context of multiple crises” was held by the International Organization for Migration, in partnership with the State University of Moldova, as part of the international campaign 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls.
