ATHENS — Gender equality remains an open challenge for political institutions and civil society, said Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou during her online lecture at the College of Europe on Thursday.

Sakellaropoulou was invited to speak by the college's European Political & Governance Studies Department, and her lecture was titled “Democracy & Gender Equality”.

The European Union has played an important role, internationally, in promoting gender equality and tackling violence against women and young girls, she noted.

The pandemic's repetitive lockdowns have raised the barriers women faced in the labor market even before the coronavirus' outbreak, rendering women more vulnerable to unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, she pointed out.

Sakellaropoulou's lecture was introduced by Professor Agnès Hubert, while Rector Federica Mogherini delivered a welcoming speech.

The virtual event launched a series of conferences in honor of Belgian feminist Elaine Vogel-Polsky.