The document discusses gender inequality and imbalance in education and academia in Cyprus. It finds that women face higher rates of poverty, earn less, and are underrepresented in political and high-level positions. Overcoming stereotypes and reforming evaluation criteria are proposed to leverage women's potential to drive economic growth and reshape society through greater participation and leadership in fields like engineering for healthcare.

1. Isabelle Chrysanthou
University of Nicosia, Medical School
Course Lead for Physics in Medicine

2. Overview
 The gender equality in Cyprus
 Gender balance in education
 Gender balance in Academia
 Problem for our society
 Acknowledgements

3. Main issues on Gender Equality in CY
 Poverty in female pensioners
 10 men vs 17 women; pension €100 for a man vs €63 for a woman
 Pay gap range: 16.2% - 20.1%
 Participation in political life
 1/11 ministers, 12% at parliament, 0/34 municipality majors
 Participation in decision making positions
 Judges 44/101, Senior civil servants 37%
 Commissioners 5/8, central bank director, accountant general
 Board representation in semi-governmental organisations 15%
Policies exist due to the harmonization process with the aquis
communitaire, but implementation, training and awareness of
the policies are lagging behind.

4. The Cyprus situation
The policy on gender equality in Cyprus
DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES; POLICY DEPARTMENT C: CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Susana Pavlou & Josie Christodoulou
On an other occasion, he said: “it seems that not only men think but there are women that
think too”. (Cyprus mail 14/3/2014)
BBC News-world Middle East

5. Education overall
2012
Not
completed
primary
Primary Secondary Tertiary
Men 4 13 51 32
Women 7 15 43 35
Total 6 14 47 34
Highest Educational Attainment for persons aged 20 and over in %
Cypriot students in tertiary education (in Cyprus and abroad)
Men Women
2010/2011 16.604 20.684

6. Tertiary Education
Field of study men women
x more
x less
Education 4.8 17.6 3.7
Humanities 4.2 10.9 2.6
Behavioural Sciences 5 9.2 1.8
Life Sciences, Health, Social Services 8.7 13.2 1.5
Μathematics and Physics 2.5 3.8 1.5
Arts 4.7 5.8 1.2
Environment 1 1.1 1.1
Media 1.9 2 1.1
Law 3.5 3.2 -1.1
Business and Administration 28 23.1 -1.2
Architecture 8.9 4.8 -1.9
Computing 8.5 2.7 -3.1
Engineering 18.5 2.5 -7.4
Percentage distribution of Students in University by field of study

7. Workplace
Age Group Men Women
15-19 4 4
20-24 51 46
25-29 76 73
30-39 84 77
40-49 86 74
50-54 84 66
55-59 75 54
60-64 51 22
65+ 15 5
Employment rates by Age for 2012

8. PhD students at Cyprus State Universities
Πανεπιστήμιο
Λευκωσίας
Ευρωπαϊκό
Πανεπιστήμιο
Ανοικτό
Πανεπιστήμιο
Τεχνολογικό
Πανεπιστήμιο
Πανεπιστήμιο
Κύπρου
20%
50%
52%
48%
80%
100%
50%
48%
52%
Άνδρες Γυναίκες
University of Cyprus
Cyprus University
of Technology
Open University
European University
University of Nicosia
Courtesy of Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Men (blue) Women (red)

9. University Faculty 2013/2014
Lecturer
Assistant
Prof.
Associate
Prof.
Professor
M W M W M W M W
University of Cyprus 59 41 65 35 71 29 91 9
Cyprus University of
Technology
68 32 69 31 81 19 87 13
Courtesy of Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
M W M W M W M W
Lecturer Assistant Prof. Associate Prof. Professor
University of Cyprus

10. Professors at the Universities in Cyprus
University of Cyprus
Cyprus University
of Technology
Open University
European University
University of Nicosia
Frederick University
Neapolis University
Men (blue) Women (red)
PrivateUniversitiesStateUniversities
Courtesy of Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

11. Participation at the University
Council
Άνδρες
91%
Γυναίκες
9%
Άνδρες
69%
Γυναίκες
31%
State Universities Private Universities
Men (blue) Women (red)
Courtesy of Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

12. Research Program Coordinator
Men Women
Energy 100 0
Technology 100 0
Natural Sciences 100 0
Public Health 60 40
Education 66 33
Coordinators in Cyprus research projects of the
Cyprus Research Foundation 2008-2010

13. Recap
 Engineering is not popular
 Stereotypes
 High drop out along the career path of
an Academic
 Accumulation of unpleasant experiences
 Evaluation system

14. Why is this a huge problem for
our society?
 Crisis
 Financial
 Security
 Well being
 Environmental

15.  When a region in the developing world
has a problem with
 Children protection
 Health
 Community prosperity
 What type of aid has been identified to be
an effective tool to mediate the situation?
Women empowerment
Innovation for women's empowerment and gender equality
International Centre for research on Women,
Anju Malhotra, Jennifer Schulte, Payal Patel, Patti Petesch

16. Deeper and truly transformative
changes can reshape societies
The multifaceted crisis of our society tells us
that we are in desperate need for change:
 New innovative processes
 Innovation in technology application
 Who can make a difference?
Greater involvement from women has an impact beyond what their numbers
would suggest. For example, women are more likely than men to invest a large
proportion of their household income in the education of their children. As those
children grow up, their improved status becomes a positive social and economic
factor in their society.

18. Back to our conference:
Ladies in engineering for health carei
Problem 1 – engineering is not popular
 Health care is popular; Engineering is not
 We do healthcare engineering (hybrid sector)
 We encouraging collaboration across sectors
○ Easy: Women collaborate
 We encourage innovative research projects leading to
women empowerment
○ Medium: There is evidence that this works (contraceptive pill,..)
 We encourage Ladies to lead research projects
○ Difficult: Need measures

19. Ladies in engineering for health carel
Problem 2 – drop out, progression to senior positions
 The Academic System (Evaluation schemes
and grant application) favours quantity rather
than quality:
 Research paper pollution
○ - stop republishing previous work, publishing minute
changes
 Grant application craze
○ - apply for one grant only
Leading to : Mediocrity of the hyperactive
 Reward work done for the community/society
We lost the balance

20. Recap
We have to overcome:
 Societal Stereotypes
 Evaluation criteria for academic promotion
By leveraging the facts that:
 Women make true change to reshape
societies
 Women are a powerful drivers of economic
growth

21. Resources
The policy on gender equality in Cyprus (2012)
DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES; POLICY DEPARTMENT C: CITIZENS'
RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Susana Pavlou & Josie Christodoulou
Cyprus National Report on the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration (2014)
National Machinery for Women’s Rights Ministry of Justice and Public Order
Editor Mary Koutselini
CEDAW shadow report (2013)
Ο Έμφυλος Χάρτης στην Τριτοβάθμια Εκπαίδευση της Κύπρου
Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Empowering the third billion,
DeAnne Aguirre, Leila Hoteit, Christine Rupp, Karim Sabbagh
Innovation for women's empowerment and gender equality
International Centre for research on Women,
Anju Malhotra, Jennifer Schulte, Payal Patel, Patti Petesch

22. Acknowledgements
Data and reports from:
 Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and
Women’s Empowerment
 Susana Pavlou – Director of the Mediterranean Institute of
Gender Studies
 Eleni Kaldoudi - Associate Professor, School of Medicine,
Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupoli, Greece
Eleni Kaldoudi and Birgit Glasmacher from IFMBE

23. cite as
I. Chrysanthou, Women in Science, Invited Talk at the
WiMBE Networking Event, MEDICON 2016, Paphos,
Cyprus, 2 April 2016