ACCORDING to surveys from the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEV), men greatly outrank women when it comes to senior positions in Cyprus’ community.
The survey began in May 2004 and was made up of two questionnaires with one targeted at employers and the other at women, both working and unemployed.
The results showed that women were occupying 14 per cent of senior positions and 86 per cent occupied by men whilst in the science sector 38 per cent of the positions were occupied by women compared to a slimmer 62 per cent by men.
Women only outranked men in administrative/secretarial positions with 64 per cent compared to the 36 per cent occupied by men.
The President of OEV, Michalis Pilikos, told a press conference that in the last five or six years there has been a “spectacular increase” in women’s occupation.
According to the official website of the European Commission’s representation in Cyprus, a woman should not find it more difficult to get a job than a man. Once a woman gets a job, there should be no wage difference for the same work or work of equal value that is done by a man.
This also applies to bonuses and other benefits. Her employer cannot give her different conditions of work and she has the right to the same working hours, overtime, leave, sick leave, dress codes, work flexibility, promotions and termination of employment. The same applies to vocational and other training.
She should also have the same social security rights and should she work on a part-time basis, she is entitled to the same conditions as a full-timer on a pro-rata basis.
There are measures which women should be aware of if they are pregnant, have just given birth or are breastfeeding. For instance, women are entitled to 14 weeks maternity leave, two weeks of which have to be before and/or after the birth of the baby.
If a woman works night shifts, she can change the working hours to daytime. Moreover, if the work she does is detrimental to herself or her baby, her employer is obliged to give her other duties within the company.
Should this not be possible, she can go out on special leave until the risk is over.
Her employer cannot terminate her employment on the basis of her condition.
