Gender Pay Gap in Cyprus

Name: Christina Papamichael, Evelyn Ioannou

Committee: GI

Specific Issue: Gender Pay Gap in Cyprus

Title of the project: ‘Bridging Gender Pay Gap in Cyprus’

Introduction: Gender Pay Gap is the average difference between women’s and men’s hourly earnings within the economy. Women in Europe earn on average around 17% less than men and that has an impact on lifetime earnings and women’s pensions. The main causes are direct discrimination, undervaluing of women’s work and the segregation in the labour market. In Cyprus there is 23,1% pay gap – one of the highest rates in Europe. The problem needs to be tackled in order to create a more equal society and a good business sense. Equal policies which target direct or indirect discrimination and equal opportunity policies which aim to encourage and help women remain in employment, combat job segregation need to be adopted. Also wage-related measures aim to combat wage inequalities and improve low paid women’s occupations. All in all better education of women and better use of human’s resources, productivity and competiveness can reduce pay gap.

Outline of the Project: Obtain school’s permission, distribute flyers to inform about the issue and to announce a poster competition, put the winning poster on the school walls/boards on the 8th of March (Woman’s Day)

Aim(s): Spread awareness within our school about the problem of gender pay gap in Cyprus (until the 8th of March), encourage students to be active in helping to eliminate problems related to gender issues in Cyprus, spread awareness about gender pay gap in Europe and Cyprus (objective)

Indicators of success: participation in the poster competition, quality of participant’s work

Target audience (+how will they be engaged): Pancyprian Gymnasium student community by flyer, participating in the poster competition.

Scope: school community by extension their own families (i.e. local community)

Duration: a month and a week
Costs: flyers (600) 70 Euros (sponsored by the School’s Parents Association), money prizes 1700 Euros total (1st 700, 2nd 600, 3rd 400 – local banks and cooperative Association), poster (X 25) 100 Euros

Delegation of tasks/involvement of others: Evelyn & Christina in collaboration with the teacher of graphic designing at school will design the flyer, a team of two students and two head teachers will open tenders for the printing of the flyers and the winning poster copies, a team of judges (art teacher, head teacher, students not taking part in the competition, the principal)

Development: 1. Inform the principal about the project to get permission, 2. Design the flyer and ask for tenders, 3. Print out the flyers ,distributes, put in announcement boards, opening of the poster competition, 4. Get back the application forms (tear off part of the flyer), 5. Set up the team of judges for the poster, 6.Evaluate the posters, 7. Print out the winning poster, 8. Announce the results of the competition, 9. Put copies of the winning poster on the school’s walls on the 8th of March.

Feasibility: The banks and local cooperative associations are likely to sponsor the activity because of the promotion and the advertisement involved. The School’s Parents Association is always supportive. The cause complies with the present policies of the government. The school
community is positively inclined towards such student activities. All in all the project is feasible.

Timeline: see the school principal-February 1st, design the flyer, ask for tenders and get the money for printing, the flyer -by February, print out the flyers- by the 9th of February, give out the flyers/opening of the competition-February 10th, application deadline-15th of February, set up the team of judges-by the 24th of February, competition deadline-26th February, evaluation of the posters/get the money for printing the winning poster-by the end of February, print out the winning poster-by the 5th of March, announce the competition results-5th of February and put the winning poster on the school’s walls on the 7th of February.

Risk analysis
Qualitative – main risks: the local banks and cooperative associations may be unwilling to support the activity.

Risk management
Responses to main risks: In case the probable sponsors refuse to support the activity, we will apply to the Students Alumni Association.