Most Public Offices In Romania Continue To Be Filled By Men - Equal Chances Agency

According to the survey, in 2009, only four ministers are women, accounting for 19% of all minister positions. Although an improvement compared to last year, when no woman was minister in the government, the number of women in such leading positions is still considered low.

"The European average among ministers of national governments shows the ratio between men and women is of about three to one (75% men and 25% women," the survey states.

Women are also poorly represented in decision-making positions within ministries, such as those of secretary of state and under-secretary of state.

In 12 out of 19 ministries of the Romanian government, women are not represented at all at this level. Ministries where women are not represented include the Ministry of Transport, The Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture. The only ministries that have a balanced representation are the Ministry of Education, the Ministry for the relation with Parliament and the Ministry of SMEs.

According to the agency, the representation of women increases along with the decrease of decision levels.

In 2004 – 2008, at the level of the Senate, 9.48% of lawmakers were women, while at the Chamber of Deputies, 10.54% of lawmakers were women. In the current Parliament, in office during the period 2008-2012, the Senate includes only 5.83% lawmakers that are women and women in the Chamber of Deputies account for 11.3%.

 

Compared to the average of national parliaments in the EU, where 24% of lawmakers are women, the European Parliament’s average of 31% in 2004-2009, the Romania’s representation of women in Parliament is of merely 9.76%, according to the result of parliamentary elections held in 2008. In the European Parliament, women’s representation saw a significant leap to 35% in the current mandate from 31% in the previous mandate. Romania’s European lawmakers are currently 36% women.

"The election of Roberta Anastase as speaker of the Chamber of Deputies is a premiere for Romania, as she is the first women to hold the third most important position in the country after 1990," the survey notes.

At the level of county councils, in the current mandate, 12.6% of positions are filled by women, while women in local councils account for 10.8%. In prefect’s offices, women are only 4.7% represented and only 3.5% of mayors elected in 20008 are women.

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