On July 25, representatives of business associations and civil society organizations from the Republic of Moldova came together for the launch of the newly created Women’s Economic Empowerment Alliance. Through the Alliance, the members will join forces to ensure equal access for women to economic opportunities in the country.
The Alliance, created with the support of the Women and Girls Empowered Consortium (WAGE), in partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the American Bar Association Rule of Law (ABA ROLI), aims to reduce gender inequalities in entrepreneurship and contribute to overcoming legal and societal barriers to the economic empowerment of women in the Republic of Moldova.
The Women's Economic Empowerment Alliance brings together representatives of business associations, women's business associations and civil society organizations in the women’s rights field from various regions of the country, including the Transnistrian Region and the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. The member organizations of the Alliance include: the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Moldova (AFAM), the Association of Professional and Business Women of Moldova, the Association of Business Women of Balti, the Employers' Association of Light Industry of Moldova (APIUS), Center Partnership for Development (CPD), the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Policy (CAPE), the Association of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities of Moldova "European Abilities without Limits" (AEFL), NGO "Stimul", NGO "Resonance", NGO "Vesta" and NGO "Women's Initiatives".
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, women make up a smaller proportion of the employed population compared to men (47.9% women and 52.1% men in 2020). For women aged 25-49 with at least one child (16 years and under), the employment rate in 2020 was 47.3%. In 2020, women earned, on average, 13.7% less than men (86.3% of the average salary of men). The average gross monthly earnings of women in 2020 amounted to 7,387.2 lei, and of men – 8,558.5 lei, a discrepancy of about 1,171 lei. Research conducted as part of WAGE’s Gender and Inclusion Analysis for Moldova also found that a lack of flexible work arrangements and the declining availability of affordable children care has contributed to the constraints on women’s full economic participation. Gender stereotypes and sexual harassment also exacerbate women’s ability to fully participate in the workforce.
The Women's Economic Empowerment Alliance brings together representatives of business associations, women's business associations and civil society organizations in the women’s rights field from various regions of the country, including the Transnistrian Region and the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. The member organizations of the Alliance include: the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Moldova (AFAM), the Association of Professional and Business Women of Moldova, the Association of Business Women of Balti, the Employers' Association of Light Industry of Moldova (APIUS), Center Partnership for Development (CPD), the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Policy (CAPE), the Association of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities of Moldova "European Abilities without Limits" (AEFL), NGO "Stimul", NGO "Resonance", NGO "Vesta" and NGO "Women's Initiatives".
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, women make up a smaller proportion of the employed population compared to men (47.9% women and 52.1% men in 2020). For women aged 25-49 with at least one child (16 years and under), the employment rate in 2020 was 47.3%. In 2020, women earned, on average, 13.7% less than men (86.3% of the average salary of men). The average gross monthly earnings of women in 2020 amounted to 7,387.2 lei, and of men – 8,558.5 lei, a discrepancy of about 1,171 lei. Research conducted as part of WAGE’s Gender and Inclusion Analysis for Moldova also found that a lack of flexible work arrangements and the declining availability of affordable children care has contributed to the constraints on women’s full economic participation. Gender stereotypes and sexual harassment also exacerbate women’s ability to fully participate in the workforce.
The Alliance created the Legislative Agenda of Women, which was launched during the event, to address many of these gaps, support the economic empowerment of women, and to create an enabling environment for women’s full participation in business and the economy in the Republic of Moldova. The policy paper addresses five major priorities designed to help create an inclusive business environment: tax facilities related to early childhood education (nursery and kindergarten); fiscal facilities for palliative care services, for care services for the elderly, for care services for children with disabilities, and for summer care services for school-age children; promoting fiscal facilities for micro-enterprises; information campaigns on combating discrimination in the field of work; information campaigns on combating harassment in the workplace. The Alliance will determine advocacy activities and actions to take based on the Legislative Agenda later this year.
The event was organized under the initiative "Reducing Barriers to Women's Economic Empowerment in Moldova," implemented by the consortium of Women and Girls Empowered (WAGE), Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the American Bar Association Rule of Law (ABA ROLI) and funded by the U.S. Department of State Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues (S/GWI).
For more details, please contact Elena Ratoi, Program Officer for Moldova at CIPE, at eratoi@cipe.org.
Posted on July 25, 2022.
For more details, please contact Elena Ratoi, Program Officer for Moldova at CIPE, at eratoi@cipe.org.
Posted on July 25, 2022.
*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government.
Women and Girls Empowered (WAGE) is a global consortium to advance the status of women and girls, led by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in close partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise, Grameen Foundation, and Search for Common Ground. WAGE works to strengthen the capacity of private sector organizations (PSOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in target countries to improve the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV); advance the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda; and support women’s economic empowerment (WEE). In this context, WAGE provides direct assistance to women and girls, including information, resources, and services they need to succeed as active and equal participants in the global economy. WAGE also engages in collaborative research and learning to build a body of evidence on relevant promising practices in these thematic areas. To account for the deeply interconnected nature of women’s and girls’ experiences, WAGE’s initiatives employ approaches that are highly collaborative, integrated, and inclusive. WAGE is funded by the U.S. Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.
Women and Girls Empowered (WAGE) is a global consortium to advance the status of women and girls, led by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) in close partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise, Grameen Foundation, and Search for Common Ground. WAGE works to strengthen the capacity of private sector organizations (PSOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in target countries to improve the prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV); advance the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda; and support women’s economic empowerment (WEE). In this context, WAGE provides direct assistance to women and girls, including information, resources, and services they need to succeed as active and equal participants in the global economy. WAGE also engages in collaborative research and learning to build a body of evidence on relevant promising practices in these thematic areas. To account for the deeply interconnected nature of women’s and girls’ experiences, WAGE’s initiatives employ approaches that are highly collaborative, integrated, and inclusive. WAGE is funded by the U.S. Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.