President announces ten science scholarships for women

President Nicos Christodoulides conceded that Cyprus has a way to go to achieve true equality between the sexes, stating that it is a political issue.

“Despite the important steps we have taken we must admit that we have not yet achieved full and substantial equality,” the president said.

As such, Christodoulides announced a scholarship programme in tech and sciences for ten women over the age 25 who did not have the opportunity to continue studies after secondary school.

He noted that women shoulder most of the work when it comes to caring for family members, a factor which leads to less participation in other sections of society.

He cited the Gender Equality Index in which Cyprus ranked 22 out of the 27 EU nations.

The president’s comments were made to mark international women’s rights day but was delayed due to the train crash in Greece earlier this month.

He also emphasised that the scholarships, which will be allocated on a yearly basis, are done in the memory and honour of doctor Christiana Kouta and her contributions to academia.