What is the status quo? Are women in minorities a minority in official bodies and leadership? How equal is it in our organisations? What are the challenges? In November 2022, we sent a questionnaire to our member organisations to get answers to these questions and assess the status quo. We are pleased that over 40 organisations participated, helping to get a comprehensive picture.
The results of this survey were presented by Zora Popova, FUEN scientific officer, at the beginning of the meeting. The answers showed that women are well represented in organisations, especially in the operational area, whereas men dominate leadership positions, i.e., presidencies or boards. "Women do the work while men sit in the leadership", Zora Popova summarised the situation. Regarding knowledge about gender equality and guidelines, it was found that about two-thirds of the participating organisations have the knowledge, but very few of them have official documents or guidelines on gender equality in the organisation. Hardly anyone has attended training on this topic.
"The results show that there is a need for more gender equality," Zora Popova pointed out. "The main obstacle cited is the traditional role of women, which does not leave time for other activities between family and job." This is a fact that Eugenia Natsoulidou, a participant in the meeting, could confirm. "What women have achieved through the women's movement is to have a choice. But women today still have too many responsibilities in private, while men focus on their careers."
However, the results show that a lack of promotion, awareness, or stereotypes within the organisation also stand in the way of better gender equity. As measures that are needed, the study participants named management training, support from experts, and raising awareness for the topic in order to create awareness in the first place.
