Poor economic performance since the country’s independence in 1991 has led to growing poverty and declining social welfare. Economic growth has increased recently, but the Republic of Moldova remains Europe’s poorest country. Poverty is concentrated in rural areas where more than 70 per cent of poor people live. Agriculture provides employment to 40 per cent of the population, but it is only half as productive as it was before independence. Almost half the population live below the absolute poverty line of US$220 per person, per year.
Women’s participation in business is low - only five per cent of managers are women - but the numbers are rising. Approximately 2 per cent of women managers run big enterprises, 10 per cent are in mid-sized enterprises, 40 per cent are in small enterprises and the other 48 per cent are in micro-enterprises. The increase in women’s participation in business represents a positive alternative to unemployment, and is an efficient use of labor resources. Moreover, national policies do not currently identify women as a target group for entrepreneurship, limiting the support they receive to pursue independent employment. Another shift has been the growing prestige of higher education to fill the needs of the new market-based economy. Women represent 55 per cent of students overall, and 57 per cent of students attending vocational schools. This positive trend is offset by the fact that only one in ten female graduates finds employment. The transition has taken its toll on women’s health. For instance, the proportion of pregnant women with anaemia has reached an all time high of 45 per cent - the highest rate in the region. The number of maternal deaths is 28 per 100,000 live births – a result of poor nutrition, substandard living conditions and limited or no access to prenatal care. Men’s health has also suffered. Poverty and stress have led to higher rates in men of suicide, alcoholism, drug use, and cardiovascular disease, increasing the gap in life expectancy between men and women to seven years. The Republic of Moldova is the main source in Europe for women and girls trafficked in Western Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. In 2001, the Republic of Moldova made a first step toward outlawing trafficking in human beings by making an amendment to the criminal code. Domestic and international partners recognized certain limitations in the law and helped the Government to refine its institutional and legal structures in order to better meet its obligations to protect victims and punish criminals. In 2002, a new criminal code was adopted, and entered into force the following year. Since 2002, 52 people have been convicted of trafficking-related offences, 24 of whom were prosecuted under the new criminal code. The Government has also recognized that a lack of economic development, unemployment and high level of corruption are at the root of trafficking. The Moldovan constitution holds women and men equal before the law. Currently, however, women hold only about 10 per cent of seats in Parliament. The Government has taken a series of steps to improve gender equality, including creating committees devoted to women and family issues, and to equal job opportunities. A gender unit is now housed within the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family, and gender focal points are appointed in all ministries. In 2003, the Government adopted a National Plan to promote gender equality. Still, no mechanism exists to monitor the situation or record any improvements. Source: IFAD |
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The majority of unemployed Moldovans - 68 per cent - are women. Women earn 70 to 80 per cent of a man’s salary and are three times as likely to lose their job as a man. One factor holding back Moldovan women from advancing in their careers is a lack of social services. With the transition, services like childcare became less available as state subsidies dried up, putting increased pressure on women trying to juggle the dual responsibilities of work and home. As women spend more of their time in unpaid domestic chores, they are unable to pursue training or gain other skills that would enable them to obtain a better job. Instead they are relegated to unstable, poorly paid and legally unprotected informal work.