ATHENS – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday stressed the great importance of increasing the participation of women in the labour market and politics during an event for the presentation of the National Action Plan for Gender Equality 2021-2025.

The prime minister said that it is a comprehensive plan, which is reinforced with financing instruments that will address the problems of society, starting with violence against women.

Mitsotakis described the #MeToo movement as an “awareness raising revolution” and stressed that the increased participation of women in the labour market, apart from being a moral obligation of the state, also has a developmental impact.

He noted that Greece ranks third to last for the participation of women in the labour market, and this has to change. “It is extremely important from an economic standpoint for the goal of growth,” he added.

The prime minister also stressed that “we must achieve the equal participation of men and women in responsibilities such as raising children.”

He referred to the trend of working from home and whether this works for or against women.

“Every man or woman should claim their professional development regardless of gender,” Mitsotakis said, and noted that the participation of women in the highest levels of business and political representation is low, not only in Greece but in Europe.

“The percentage of women in parliament is desperately low. We have women on the ballots but they are not voted for by the electorate, they are not voted in by women who make up 50 pct of the electorate,” the prime minister noted.