The women in Moldova earn by 14% on average less than the men. At retirement age, this difference widens to 37%. Even if the women have a higher level of education than the men, only 47% of all the women are employed. The women from rural areas have much fewer employment opportunities and are greater exposed to social norms about gender roles, being engaged to a greater extent in unpaid activities, Carolina Bugaian, a founding member of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Moldova (AFAM), stated in an annual conference of women entrepreneurs, IPN reports.
According to her, cooperation between the public authorities and the support organizations is vital for overcoming such challenges. The women are more exposed to the risk of poverty than the men, especially when it goes to the vulnerable categories of population, such as women from rural areas, older persons, persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities. Given the faced challenges, the approval by the Government of the program to promote and ensure equality between men and women in the Republic of Moldova for 2023-2027, the national entrepreneurship promotion and competitiveness enhancement program, the program to support female entrepreneurship and the e-trade package with measures of support for business development is welcome.
Deputy Prime Minister Dumitru Alaiba, Minister of Economic Development and Digitization, said that economic development is one of the Government’s priorities and they aim to promote entrepreneurship, primarily female entrepreneurship. A country that doesn’t fully include half of its population loses opportunities. A country that doesn’t offer equal chances really fails to realize its own potential.
Germany’s Ambassador in Chisinau Margret Maria Uebber noted that the presented statistics show the women do not fully take part in the country’s social and economic life. The empowerment of women, the ensuring of women’s participation in decision making is in the special attention of the German Government. “Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure to speak at the launch of the network of women refugees from Ukraine in Moldova, which is financed by the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund. It was an excellent initiative to empower the women from Ukraine and to also offer them a platform to connect, to have a common voice and express their needs in front of the host Government,” stated the German diplomat.
