The Labour and Social Security Ministry is planning a comprehensive network of measures and actions for the faster absorption of women in the labour market, Adonis Georgiadis said, speaking at the 2nd International Forum on Women's Entrepreneurship on Saturday.
The Forum is organised by the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Chamber Network of Women Entrepreneurs under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Region of Attica and the Municipality of Athens.
As Georgiadis noted, women are underrepresented in the labour market, and the wage gap between men and women is real.
According to the minister, the goal is to reduce women's unemployment and bring their participation in the labour market closer to the European average. At the same time, Georgiadis underlined that the greater participation of women in the labour market could be part of the solution to the problem of finding workers, an issue that, he said, is increasing as the development of the Greek economy is constantly generating new jobs, so the pressure to fill them is intensifying.
Also, the working population is decreasing yearly due to population aging and demographics, reducing the "pool" of available workforce.
The Minister of Labour emphasised that the framework of initiatives to increase the participation of women in the labour market that the ministry is considering concerns not only the bonus policy but also reskilling programmes and upskilling programmes while encouraging teleworking for women.
Among other things, Georgiadis commented that the social partners are actively involved in planning the programmes so that they respond to the real needs of the labour market.
Government constantly pursuing substantial gender equality, says Zacharaki
The Greek government's continuous efforts for achieving and safeguarding substantial gender equality was underlined by both Social Cohesion & Family Minister Sofia Zacharaki and Development Minister Kostas Skrekas at the 2nd International Forum on Women's Entrepreneurship - 'Women Who Win', being held in Athens on Friday.
Zacharaki underlined that the effort for the substantial participation of women in the business arena and their emergence as leaders in their chosen field is complex, as it is both an issue that relates to entrepreneurship per se as well as a broader social issue.
It is imperative to point out that when women play a leading role in any professional field "it is indeed so by their own choosing - not because it was imposed on them", she stressed.
She also underlined the significance of cooperation among public services and ministries on issues of equal opportunities and equal treatment.
To that effect, Zacharaki pointed out, initiatives relating to nurseries, maternity benefits, or increasing the participation of women in administrative boards all help to achieve equality.
Skrekas observed that women's unemployment has dropped to 12% from 21% five years ago, although overall unemployment has fallen to 9.9%. The government's goal is for the wag gap between men and women to drop below 3% by 2023.
The rate of women's entrepreneurship entering higher levels of management reached a 25.5% last year, Skrekas added. He also noted that businesses headed by a woman, per specific data, show better profitability indicators.
Also speaking at the forum, Athens Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) President Sofia Kounenaki-Efremoglou noted that the chamber will soon proceed with conducting targeted research on female entrepreneurship, adding that "female contribution is, potentially, at least equal to that of men, while there is also a particular type of dynamism and originality in women that remains untapped."
The 2nd International Forum on Women's Entrepreneurship is organized by the Athens Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI) and the National Chamber Network of Women Enterpreneurs (NCNWE).
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