Bulgaria Among Top Five Countries in Terms of Gender Equality in Business

Sofia, February 23 (BTA) - Bulgaria is among the top five countries in the world regarding gender equality in business. The country ranks five in the world in the share of women participating in boards of directors (22 per cent), caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy Galab Donev said at a working meeting with the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, the Social Ministry said.

The Minister referred to a data of an international survey carried out by the EY consultancy company and the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) carried out among 22,000 companies in 91 countries. Eurostat data show that the coefficient of employment among women in working age is 60.9 per cent. According to this indicator, Bulgaria is ahead of countries, such as Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Poland and Romania.

The Labour Ministry promotes the participation of women in the labour market. Around 60 per cent of the unemployed, included in public-financed programmes and promotional measures, are women. An allocation of 497,980 leva is envisaged in the national budget to encourage employers hire single parents with children up to the age of five.