Republic of Moldova

 

International targets

• Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and in all levels of education no later than 2015.
  

Initial national targets

• Expand women’s participation in the social life.
  

Revised national targets

• Increase women’s representation in decision-making positions.
  
• Reduce gender inequality in employment.

(Source: draft National Report „Millennium Development Goals Report:„New Challenges – New Objectives”)

 

Similarly to race and ethnicity, gender is a social construction. It defines and differentiates the roles, rights, responsibilities and obligations of women and men. The inborn biological differences between women and men form the base of social norms that determine the behavior of men and women, as well as the social, economic, and political differences. Even if the specific nature and the degree of differences varies depending on countries and time, at the beginning of the twenty first century men and boys are typically favored – they are provided with more possibilities, greater access to skills and resources, more important opportunities for social, economic, and political welfare.

At the same time, the gender situation in Moldova varies on different dimensions. Hence:

• Men have a greater representation in management structures;
  
• Unemployment affects men more than women;
  
• Women are disproportionately represented in the social sector, with poorly paid positions;
  
• Women represent the majority of the unpaid labor force;
  
• Men represent the majority of students in the secondary vocational education cycle;
  
• Men life expectancy is lower than women’s by around 8 years;
  
• Over 90% of violence victims are women.

In Moldova men have greater representation in management positions but 62% of unemployed were men in 2006.  Men’s life expectancy is lower than women’s by around 8 years; over 90% of domestic violence victims are women. In average women’s salaries represent 68.1% of men’s salaries, and women being prone to a greater risk to lose their jobs.

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