On the European Parliament’s study on the gender pay gap
Statement by Charis Polycarpou, Head of the Economic Research Bureau of the C.C. of AKEL
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 27th July 2017, Nicosia
According to a study published by the European Parliament, Cyprus holds yet another negative first in the EU. Namely, the gap in pensions between men and women is the widest in the EU, a fact which reflects the difficulties women face in the labour market and hence when they retire.
It is clear that both the government’s tackling of the economic crisis, as well as its general philosophy have not only failed to address, but have exacerbated the problems Cypriot society is facing today.
As AKEL, we believe that the improvement in women’s pensions is inseparable from the improvement of their working conditions.
There is a need to improve the infrastructures for childcare and family development so that women’s employment is supported and thus women’s terms of retirement should be enhanced.