Panorama.am

17:27 11/03/06

WOMEN ARE FREE, BUT …

`There has been a little progress in the sphere of
Defence of Rights of Armenian women in the last 4
years. Yet it proceeds rather slowly,’ chief secretary
of Socintern Women’s Organization Marlene Haas thinks.

`Today our problem is the fact that there is an
attitude among our women and men which is an obstacle
to women participation in the political-social life of
the Republic,’ ARF representative to Socintern Women’s
Organization Maria Titizyan said. As she thinks the
above mentioned attitude is the result of foreign
influence on the one hand and of lack of experience
and self-confidence among women on the other hand.

Today women representatives of various fields took
part in the conference `Women in the process of
forming civil society.’ As M. Titizyan said the
unemployment among women is more, they are paid less
than men for the same work.

Yet, male and female representatives of our executive
and legislative bodies do not agree with the above
mentioned statement.

Minister of Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanyan knows no
cases when the amount of money paid to women and men
for one and the same work is different. And in her
turn NA Deputy Hranush Hakobyan stated: `In Education
field 86% of workers are women, 83% in health field,
73% in cultural field, 20% of Judges, 1/3 of lawyers,
25% of diplomats. This means that women are
everywhere. But it is another question that the number
of female representatives is small in state
governmental bodies. I do not agree that women must be
appointed ministers or deputies just because they are
women. Doesn’t it mean that is their only quality?’

Those present think that this situation is not typical
of Armenia but of the whole world. But the situation
in Armenia `is far from being at least satisfactory,’
head of ARF group Levon Lazarian says. As V.
Hovhannisyan thinks not men are not afraid to give
freedom to women but women are afraid to take that
freedom.

Everybody is sure the role of women in the process of
formation of civil society is as important as that of
men. Yet the most important and in this case sad thing
is that there are no even signs of civil society in
our country. /Panorama.am/