Presentation given at the OECD Gender Budgeting Experts Meeting, Vienna, Austria. 18-19 June 2018 For more information see http://www.oecd.org/gov/budgeting/gender-budgeting-experts-meeting-2018.htm

1. Gender equality in Slovakia
Olga Pietruchova
Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and the Family of the SR
Department of Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities
www.gender.gov.sk

2. Legal Developments in SR
• SR has strengthened its legislative and
institutional frameworks for gender equality in
accordance with European Union (EU)
• Anti-discrimination Act
• Labour Code
• Act on Labour Inspection
• Competence Act

3. Strategies and Action Plans
• National Strategy for Gender Equality 2009–2013
• National Action Plan for Gender Equality 2010–2013
• 3 National Action Plans for the Prevention and
Elimination of Violence against Women: 2005-2008,
2009–2012 and 2014–2019
• Strategy for Gender Equality and Action Plan for GE
for 2014-2019
• Yearly Summary Report on Gender Equality in
Slovakia (since 2009)
• Statistic Office: yearly statistics book Gender 201x

4. Strategy and Action Plan
New Strategy and Action plan 2014-2019 on
Gender Equality (appr.20/11/2014):
6 areas of concern
1. Labour Market 4.Dignity and VaW
2. Decision-making 5. Institutional framework
3. Education, R&D 6. Internat. Relations & DA
Action Plan defines 64 tasks to fulfil the Strategy

5. Gender Mainstreaming
Not fully implemented yet but some positive
developments:
• Legal documents have an obligation to asset the
gender impact or impact on gender equality (often
very formal)
• Horizontal principle „Equality between Women and
Men“ is an obligation in ESIF programs and projects.
Breaching the principle is a reason to contract
termination (disqualifying criterion)

6. HP Equality between Men and Women
ESF: To ensure gender equality in the labour market and in a
preparation to access labour market
ERDF and other ESIF: Reduction in horizontal and vertical
gender segregation throughout the sectors of economy
Monitoring indicators:
• Number of workers reimbursed from the project (total;
male/female);
• Men's and woman´s wages reimbursed from the project
(average, median)
• Share of women working in project management positions

7. Family and Work by ESF
• Projects to support the emploment of
mothers of small children
– Subsidies to loan of mothers
– Subsidies to child facilities
• Still lack of nurseries – building new facilities
with special attention to children with
disabilities, socially excluded (Roma children)

8. Major Positive Developments
• the reduction in the gender pay gap: since in 2005
the gender pay gap in the unadjusted form of in
hourly earnings between men and women was
26.7%, by 2017 it had fallen to 18%.2
RMR mesiac = monthly GPG
RMR hodina = hourly GPG
2 Average Earnings Information
System, Trexima, Bratislava
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

9. Main Challenges – Labour Market
• Relationship between paid and unpaid work and the
distribution of unpaid work between men and
women - a significant gender dimension to the
effect of parenthood on women’s and men’s
employment – the presence of children under the
age of 6 years in a family substantially reduces
women’s employment rate (40%) but raises men’s
employment rate (83%)
• Horizontal segregation of sectors based on
stereotypical concepts of “women’s work”

10. Challenging social norms(?)
• In the conservative environment there is strong
support for the traditional, stereotypical division of
tasks and duties between women and men in the
family life – defending gender stereotypes
• Discussion on “gender ideology” – opposition to
LGBTI rights and using gender as a social construct in
the policy, oposision against Istanbul Convention
• Opposition to labour participation of women which
„destroys the family“
• Women in IT – against „natural interests of women“

11. How to move forward...
• Focusing on issues not theory
• Using media incl. social media to attract young
people (campaigns)
• Targeting education – HER STORY
• 100 anniversary of women´s suffrage in
Slovakia
• EU obligations, OECD, UN, CoE as argument in
public administration