Women’s progress in Cyprus has never been an unexpected development

It is simply the natural expression of a society whose talent has always extended far beyond the narrow boundaries it was historically allowed to occupy.

If anything still appears “exceptional” about women’s achievements, the issue lies in expectation, shaped long before adulthood, in the quiet ways the world teaches children who belongs where and who must ask for permission.

Those early impressions matter. They define who feels comfortable in a science lab, who walks into a newsroom without hesitation, who applies for leadership roles confidently and who learns to hold back before the world even forms an opinion.
During the recent two-day journalism workshop in Troodos, organised by the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, this truth surfaced repeatedly. The conversations showed how easily stereotypes enter coverage and how strongly they influence what the public eventually accepts as normal.

We often celebrate women for becoming “the first” in their field. Praise framed in that way can reinforce the belief that their presence was never expected in the first place.

Talent stands on its own. It does not become more impressive because it belongs to a woman. The more we describe their work as extraordinary, the more we suggest that they were never counted in the original picture.

Where inequality begins

Public discussion normally focuses on equality at the point where outcomes can be measured – employment, earnings, political representation.

But imbalance starts much earlier. It is found in childhood confidence, in small remarks about what boys or girls are supposedly better at, in assumptions that shape ambition long before people enter the job market.

This is why Cyprus’ educational record is so revealing. Girls outperform boys at almost every stage of school and dominate higher education. Eurostat data show that women now account for 74.2 per cent of master’s students in Cyprus, the highest share in the European Union, and around 66 per cent of doctoral graduates, again among the very top in Europe.
If education were the defining measure, Cyprus would already appear among the most gender-equal labour markets in Europe.

The shift into employment, however, tells a different story, one that has been documented for years.

A long-standing gap

The latest Gender Equality Index places Cyprus at the bottom of the EU table, with a score of 47.6 points out of 100 and particularly low performance in the areas of time, knowledge and power.

National figures echo this position. Women make up 58 per cent of registered unemployed people. Among adults aged 20–64, 85.8 per cent of men are employed compared with 74.5 per cent of women.
Part-time work follows a similar trend, with 11.8 per cent of women working reduced hours compared with 6.3 per cent of men, decisions often driven by responsibility rather than preference.

These pressures fall most heavily on women in their thirties and forties, the years most linked to care duties and career progression.

The earnings that shape a lifetime

Over time, these patterns turn into hard financial consequences.

Recent data show that women in Cyprus earn about 15.4 per cent less per hour than men. In practice, this translates into more than €400 less per month on an average salary, a quiet erosion of income that accumulates over decades.

The pension system reflects the same story. Eurostat figures indicate that women in Cyprus receive pensions close to 39 per cent lower than men’s, one of the widest gaps in the EU.

These are not the results of weaker performance.

They are the predictable outcome of narrower opportunities, more frequent interruptions and slower progression throughout a working life.

The invisible workload

Behind these disparities lies a reality rarely captured fully in labour statistics.

Cypriot women spend more than 30 hours per week on unpaid care and household duties, almost double the time men spend, according to Eurostat’s Time-Use Survey.
This shapes every professional choice: who can upskill, who can accept a promotion, who can work full-time without sacrificing health.

Gender norms also restrict boys and men.

The expectation to appear unemotional or self-sufficient limits their ability to participate in workplaces that increasingly rely on communication and cooperation.
Stereotypes affect both sides, although the impact is uneven.

Access, technology and Cyprus’ digital transition

As Cyprus pushes forward with AI, cybersecurity and research, these divides take on new weight.

Only 3.3 per cent of the country’s labour force consists of scientists and engineers.

Women make up 44 per cent of those roles, close to the EU average but far below what their academic performance would suggest.

Digital-skills indicators paint a similar picture. Above-basic digital skills are held by 27 per cent of women compared with 39 per cent of men.
A modern economy cannot grow if half of its talent is still shaped by assumptions formed during childhood.

At the same time, the moment structural barriers ease even slightly, progress appears almost immediately.

In technology, digital governance, research, fintech, talent support and community-building, women such as Liudmila Marochkina, Kyriaki Michailidou, Eftychia Frangeskou, Raluca Ioana, Natallia Miranchuk, Artemis Pnevmatikou and Tanya Romanyukha are reshaping Cyprus’ innovation ecosystem, each in a different field but together widening the country’s capacity for growth.

Their success is not unusual. It is what happens when talent is finally allowed to move freely.

Beyond individual careers, entire networks have emerged. Women in Tech Cyprus, supported by TechIsland and part of a global community, now brings together hundreds of women working in technology, offering mentorship, training and a visible set of role models.

The Women in STEM Cyprus Forum and the recent “Voices of Change” summit in Nicosia have drawn in students, entrepreneurs, policymakers and industry leaders, making a simple point: equality in STEM is not an optional add-on but a condition for a competitive economy.

In sports journalism, Andrea Kafas pushes against long-established expectations simply by doing her job with authority in a space where women were rarely visible. The message to younger audiences is clear: no sector belongs to one gender.

The women who remain unseen

Beyond these recognisable figures lies a broader landscape that receives little attention.

Migrant women, domestic workers, carers, and women in rural or mountainous regions sustain much of Cyprus’ daily functioning, however their experiences seldom appear in policy debates.

International reviews of Cyprus’ human-rights record have repeatedly raised concerns about migrant workers’ access to rights, pay and social protection.

EU labour reports show that many migrant women arrive with qualifications they never have the opportunity to use. Rural areas face barriers of their own, limited childcare, unreliable transport and restricted job opportunities.
Programmes aimed at improving digital skills largely cluster in major cities, widening the urban–rural divide.

Their absence from official employment data reflects geography, not lack of ability.

Remote work and uneven outcomes

The shift to remote work was initially sold as a leveller. In practice, it produced familiar patterns. Eurofound research found that men were more likely to use remote work to increase paid hours, while women absorbed extra unpaid labour at home.
The boundary between home and work disappeared. Women working remotely were more likely to supervise children, interrupt tasks for domestic responsibilities and experience reduced visibility. Career progression followed the same lines.

Flexibility created opportunities for some; for others, it added another layer to an already heavy load.

What is beginning to change

Even so, reforms are taking shape. Cyprus has adopted a National Strategy for Gender Equality 2024–2026, which treats gender as a horizontal issue across policy, from education and labour to defence and digital transition.

Maternity leave has been extended, and parental leave now covers the self-employed and continues until a child turns fifteen.

Compulsory preschool and all-day schooling are being expanded, with reforms bringing children into the system earlier and EU-funded projects aiming to increase the number and quality of childcare facilities.

Women in rural regions are gaining access to training in entrepreneurship, digital literacy and financial management through schemes supported by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and EU recovery funds. New programmes by the Cyprus Computer Society and its partners specifically target women who want to build start-ups or move into IT roles, backed by communities such as Women in Tech Cyprus, Young BPW and others.

The Thalia 2021–2027 scheme offers incentives for employers who hire women returning to work after care-related breaks, while new rules require all public policies to undergo gender analysis.

Representation is nudging forward too: women now hold more than a third of cabinet posts, although parliamentary representation still hovers at around 14 per cent, one of the lowest shares in Europe.

Even in traditionally male-dominated institutions, there are signs of movement. A recent law now allows women to volunteer for National Guard service, signalling that defence, too, is part of the equality conversation.

These are not cosmetic changes. They start to shift the practical conditions that decide who can participate fully in public life. But policy alone cannot undo habits formed over generations.

The role of journalism

This brings the discussion back to the media. The Troodos workshop emphasised a point that is rarely examined directly: journalism shapes social imagination. It determines who appears knowledgeable, who appears credible and who seems to belong in public life.

Participants from television, print and online outlets looked at how editorial decisions, from the sources we call to the images we select, can either reinforce long-standing assumptions or quietly dismantle them.

Opening the workshop, Gender Equality Commissioner Josie Christodoulou stressed that information could act as a lever for change, helping society move beyond stereotypes inherited over decades.

Training, led by gender expert Maria Angeli, offered practical tools for recognising and challenging biased patterns in everyday reporting. Her message was direct: small adjustments create gradual shifts in how authority and expertise are perceived.

A girl watching the news is not seeking permission. She is seeking evidence.
Who explains the economy?
Who comments on international affairs?
Who is interviewed on technology or maritime issues?
Who appears in the headline photograph?
Who speaks as the expert whose view informs public understanding?

These impressions define what later feels ordinary.

As Cyprus prepares for the EU Council presidency, this becomes even more important. The narrative the country presents abroad, innovation, competitiveness, digital readiness, must reflect the society behind it. Journalism is part of that alignment.

What Cyprus must let go of

Ultimately, the real test is whether Cyprus can let go of the idea that women’s achievements are somehow unusual. Progress slows whenever capability is treated as an exception or when stereotypes decide what counts as normal.

A confident country recognises talent without qualifiers. It stops asking women to prove what they have already demonstrated many times over.

Merit is merit. Success is success. Recognition should not depend on who has to knock hardest to be seen.

If this shift takes hold, women across every sector, from Cyprus’ most traditional roles to its most cutting-edge industries, will no longer need to justify their presence. They will simply step into the roles their work already earns, without waiting for permission.

And Cyprus will be stronger for it, not because something entirely new has been created, but because it has finally chosen to trust what was there all along.