SIX OF the 39 EU women hailed as role models by an international study are Cypriot, even though fewer women on the island hold senior positions than elsewhere in Europe.
The figures emerged from a report by the Chambers Against Stereotypes in Employment (CHASE), which examines the situation in Europe for women in male-dominated financial sectors.
The report was presented by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KEVE) yesterday.
KEVE General Secretary Panayiotis Loizides highlighted the Chamber’s attempts to promote women in business and fight against stereotypes in the workplace.
“The expansion of female participation in business activities is one of the aims aim of the European Commission within the framework of the Lisbon Strategy,” Loizides said. “And it is my personal belief that women in business will largely contribute to the financial development of our country.”
Justice Minister Doros Theodoros congratulated KEVE on their participation in the programme and expressed his esteem for the six Cypriot women chosen as “role models”.
The Minister stressed it was everyone’s responsibility to eliminate stereotypes and discrimination within the workplace and create truly equal opportunities.
“Despite the progress that has been noted in the past years – currently in Cyprus, 21 per cent of highly positioned professionals are women, the European average is 23 per cent – there is still male dominance, especially in positions that involve decision-making,” said Theodorou.
The road to true equality would be a slow process, he added. “But with the help of the government, social partners and the Mechanism for the Protection of Women’s Rights, we will fight against discrimination and give women equal opportunities with men to a career,” he concluded.
Work on the CHASE programme began in December 2004 and concluded in February 2006. The main aim of the programme was to find and eliminate the stereotypes that deter women from entering male-dominated finance sectors and to introduce women into the business and general financial life of Europe.
The stereotypes were found through an electronic questionnaire prepared by the programme’s operators.
Businesswomen as well as women in management positions and clerks in businesses took part in the study.
The main results of the study were as follows:
l The business environment continues to be largely male-dominated
l The majority of working women are found in professions that are considered to be female-dominated
l 91 per cent of women believe that men are in a better position than they are due to women’s family obligations
l 81 per cent believe that pregnancy and motherhood constitute a burden on professional development
l 80 per cent have heard that it is more important for men to have a successful career than women
l 75 per cent believe that women should take more care of their appearance than men if they wish to succeed
l 73 per cent have heard it be said that women are “weird”
THE ROLE MODELS FROM CYPRUS:
Artemis Toumazi, president and CEO of the Cyprus Women’s Co-operative Bank and president of BPW Cyprus
Upon facing prejudice from her family in 1999, Toumazi, decided to help women overcome such stereotyping and so created a bank to support businesswomen. Her career began as a manager of a family business that distributes Suzuki cars.
She advises all women not to fear hard work and to choose something they really love.
Lina Ellina, Entrepreneur
Ellina spent six years refining her entrepreneurial concept before launching “Oleastro”, the first and only organic olive oil made in Cyprus. She has three degrees and was the top MBA graduate in her class.
Her advice to budding young female entrepreneurs is to invest a lot of time in developing their business concept and to pursue the most innovative and challenging road.
Anna Karyda, Entrepreneur
Karyda owns a group of companies that specialise in the repair, maintenance and inspection of motor vehicles, as well as “Karydas Drive & Fly”, a service providing airport parking facilities that was the first of its kind in Cyprus.
She feels guilty about her long working hours preventing her from spending enough time with her only daughter but truly believes “it’s the quality of the time, not the quantity that makes the difference.”
Alexandra Matsis, Manager
Matsis is country manager for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in Cyprus. She is also the first Cypriot woman in a managerial position in the sales representation area for an airline. “The most important decision I ever made was to leave behind a ‘comfortable’ job”.
Her advice to all women is to love what they do, “just like Dora Bakoyianni, the first female mayor of Athens whose gusto and determination make her so admirable.”
Pepy Orphanidou, Manager
Orphanidou is manager of Systems and Support for Hanseatic Shipping Co Ltd. She started out working at a Classification Society before ending up at Hanseatic as a technical co-ordinator. As the first woman in this post, she was denied training and faced prejudice from her superiors. Her road to success has unfortunately been marred by the ultimate sacrifice: not having a family. Her advice to other women is to consult their inner selves. “My strongest ally is my female intuition.”
Chrystalleni Sozou, Manager
Sozou is the general manager of Lanitis Entertainment Ltd, the holding company of Heaven’s Garden Waterpark Ltd, NPS Multimedia Attractions Ltd and Carob Mill Restaurants Ltd.
She was late starting a family and has one daughter. She admits that long hours are required for a successful career. Sozou has tried to promote women but sees a reluctance to pay the price. “For women to succeed they must want it deep within their soul.”
