Equality Commissioner Christian Veske participated in the Gender Equality Forum

September 16-17, Equality Commissioner Christian Veske participated in the Gender Equality Forum in Prague, organized by the Department for Equality between Women and Men at the Office of the Czech Government. Veske took part in the discussion panel titled "Across Europe: Next Stop - Justice" and delivered a speech providing an overview of the situation regarding gender equality in Estonia.

The panel also included Josie Christodoulou from Cyprus, Monika Ladmanová from the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic, and Helena Valas from Slovenia. The discussion was moderated by Monika Šamová from the Czech government.

The conversation focused on how to assist EU member states that area bit lagging behind and how to inspire them to learn from the experiences and achievements of other countries. It was acknowledged that significant steps have been taken in recent years to promote gender equality across Europe.

Veske highlighted that Estonians often have reasons to be proud, pointing out three factors that have influenced gender inequality in Estonia:

1. Geopolitical Location: Estonia is situated between Russia and gender-equal Finnoscandia, which has significantly impacted the country during the transition period and in the early 2000s, when Estonia sought to follow the examples set by Finland and Sweden.

2. Pre-school Childcare Facilities: High-quality and affordable childcare has enabled women to participate in the labor market, but the generous parental leave system has hindered women’s career opportunities.

3. Gender Segregation in Education and the Labor Market: This is one of the reasons why Estonia's gender wage gap is so high.