At just 47.6 out of 100 points in the Gender Equality Index, Cyprus ranks last among EU member states, according to the latest report from the European Institute for Gender Equality.

Although Cyprus is improving in terms of gender equality over time, it is still performing below the EU average, with scores showing an increasing disparity in recent years.

The report identifies progress and gaps relating to gender equality in seven key areas: violence, health, power, time, knowledge, money and work.

These are examined in all 27 EU member states, with Cyprus ranking last in the category time and second-to-last in power and knowledge.

Cyprus ranks particularly low in regard to care activities, including unpaid work like looking after children or elderly and housework, as well as social activities such as engaging in leisure, cultural, or sporting activities outside the home.

In addition, the report finds that Cypriot women report relatively levels of physical or sexual violence.

Cypriot women have the highest rate of health consequences following physical or sexual violence in the EU, at 76 per cent, compared to an EU average of 57 per cent.

Meanwhile, 36 per cent of women in Cyprus have experienced physical or sexual violence since the age of 15, ranking the island five per cent higher than the EU-average.

The report does not merely examine statistics, but also undertakes an evaluation of the societal perception of women.

In Cyprus, three out of four men think that it is acceptable for a man to control his wife’s money. This view is shared by more than half of women, and particularly prevalent among elderly people

Overall women in Cyprus continue to do most of the work related to home and children and face a significantly higher risk of low-paid work, 33 per cent compared to only 14 per cent of men.

Yet, Cyprus does record progress in certain aspects regarding gender equality.

The island reports one of the highest full-time equivalent employment for women at 55 per cent, compared to 44 per cent in the EU.

Cyprus also records the highest share of female academics aged between 30 and 34 years, with 73 per cent of women having completed tertiary studies, marking the highest share within the EU.

Another area of improvement is the growing number of women entering the information and communications technology sector in Cyprus.

Currently, 24 per cent of specialists in the field are women, and the rate has been growing since 2015.

The greatest improvements in Cyprus were in the work and health domains, with the latter measured by several indicators, including self-perceived health and the proportion of Cypriots of all genders who engage in physical activity.

Cyprus ranked 18th in the EU with a score of 84.4 points – having increased three points since 2020.

Human rights commissioner and ombudswoman Maria Stylianou Lottides had recently warned that measures to achieve gender equality was still met with resistance.

She said that the historically unequal power relations between men and women not only continue to exist, but that any attempt to dismantle them was met with resistance from “leadership interests.”

Her statement followed a remark by high school teaching union Oelmek president Demetris Taliadoros, who, referring to Education Minister Athena Michaelides promoting teacher evaluations on a television programme said that a woman came to change the legislation after 50 years.