Slovakia is not the best country for women

Slovakia is walking on the right path when it comes to women’s empowerment. But the country still lags, even behind its closest neighbours.

This year's Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index placed Slovakia in 35th place. Despite observed improvements, the country continues to lag behind its neighbours except for Hungary and Ukraine.

The ranking, put together by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, measures women's well-being in 167 countries.

Slovakia needs more female politicians

Slovakia has progressed in a number of indicators in two years, including women’s cell phone use, women’s years of schooling and violence by a current intimate partner.

When it comes to women’s employment, Slovakia recorded 52.6 percent. Kazakhstan with 65.9 percent performed best in the regional group, however.

Slovakia did not perform well regarding women’s political participation, either. Only 20 percent of seats in the parliament are occupied by women in Slovakia, the report reads. Serbia with 37.7 percent exceeded other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

The discriminatory norms indicator, in which Slovakia again recorded 26 percent, captures discrimination against women in economic opportunities. Estonia performed best in the region with a score of 2 percent.

Click here to read the full article published by Slovak Spectator on 30 Octubre 2019.