Challenges for women at work
Greece is below average in Europe for female employment, ranking 20th among 34 countries
The few opportunities on offer, even less participation in high-level administrative-managerial positions and the limited duration of maternity leave – especially if no other infrastructure and facilities are provided, such as childcare centers in the workplace – place Greece among the European countries that are far from ideal for working women.
The third factor, that of little maternity leave in the private sector and the absence of childcare infrastructure, is often responsible for the other two, that is, fewer opportunities and above all the rarity or women’s promotion to the top of companies. One should add the inequality in salaries, a phenomenon not only seen in Greece, but internationally.
According to a survey carried out by British company Reboot Online on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, Greece ranks 20th among 34 countries in Europe in terms of working conditions for a woman, with an overall score of 120.7 on a scale of 1 to 300 – i.e. below the baseline score.
The best European country for a woman to work in is Sweden, which scored 241.40 points, while neighboring countries, namely Norway and Finland, also rank high. On the other hand, the worst country for a woman to work in is Turkey, while the penultimate position is occupied by Cyprus.
There are three criteria considered in ranking the countries: economic opportunities (in terms of participation in the labor force, higher education, business etc), participation in leadership, and maternity leave based on weeks off for which the mother receives full remuneration.
Regarding the criterion of economic participation, Greece receives 13.8 out of 100 – a score, however, which is not the lowest in the individual ranking.
Regarding the criterion of women’s participation in leadership, whether that means participating on company boards, having executive powers or holding managerial positions, Greece scores 62.80 out of 100, while in terms of maternity leave it scores 44.80, also out of 100.
