Gender equality

Focus areas

Gender equality

Summary

Women's rights are human rights

The national legal framework and institutional architecture advancing equality between women and men is in line with international standards and established good practices. Nevertheless, women are still facing multiple forms of discrimination and inequalities in social, economic, and political life, frequently rooted in persistent patriarchal norms and gender stereotypes. They often face limited opportunities for effective participation in decision-making processes and are obstructed from fully participating in public life consistently being disproportionately represented in leadership positions at all levels. Even though more that 50% of the population are women, they represent 39.6% of the members of Parliament and less than 25% of mayors in the country.

Moldova has a significant gap in labour force participation between men and women. Women's participation in the labour force tends to be lower compared to that of men, with factors such as traditional gender roles, childcare responsibilities and limited access to certain professions contributing to this disparity. Women continue to be over-represented in rural and informal economies, as well as in most of the social sectors (e.g., education, health, social protection). Latest study on women’s involvement in business indicates a low share of women entrepreneurs (33.9% leading micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses), as those who wish to start their own business facing many barriers. Moreover, women rarely own large businesses (only about 1.3%).

Gender-based violence is still widespread in the country. Existing mechanisms for combating and preventing domestic violence and the remedies available are not fully efficient. The country has strong policies and legal instruments to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV), but its consistently high prevalence (above 70%) points to the gap between existing regulatory frameworks and the actual lived experiences of women and girls. Over one in three Moldovan women aged 15 years and older has experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.

In addition, the war in Ukraine generated an influx of refugees and a compound crisis of energy and food security exacerbating, in multiple ways, already significant gender inequalities.

Commitment. Equal opportunities. Empowerment

In Moldova, UNDP works to help the country shift systems and power structures that generate gender inequalities and women’s disempowerment. A particular emphasis is placed on promoting measures that offer more opportunities for women to participate in decision-making, be more competitive on the labor market, take leadership positions in the private sector and consolidate efforts to fight gender-based violence. UNDP will strive to implement actions aligned with its six signature solutions, all duly incorporating the gender dimension (whether it’s poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment or energy), while one of them directly focuses on gender equality as a self-standing critical priority area of intervention.

A regional centre for protection of women survivors of violence was established in Ungheni with the support of Japan and UNDP.

UNDP Moldova

In depth

UNDP, alongside other United Nations agencies, has partnered with civil society organisations in advocating for the adoption of legal provisions which established a 40% gender quota for political parties’ candidate lists and in the Government Cabinet, prohibition of sexism in media and advertising, and the introduction of 14 days of paternity leave. UNDP will continue to support gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment across key development areas in the country.

UNDP Moldova contributed to critical amendments to the legislation addressing gender-based and domestic violence, adopted in July 2016, that have introduced a 10-day restraining order that isolates the perpetrators from the family home, along with other unprecedented measures to increase the safety of victims. At the same time, UNDP Moldova provided critical support to women in leadership positions at all levels enabling them to become effective drivers of gender equality agenda, created jobs and supported women-led businesses, set-up services in support of the most vulnerable and marginalized women across the country.

Prevention and response to gender-based violence

In response to the spread gender-based violence in the country, UNDP Moldova produced new tools and evidence on the benefits of GBV prevention for achieving the SDGs, by stimulating strong participatory processes and local responses which, in their turn, ensure greater impact and resilience to the GBV triggers, especially at local level. Găgăuzia's regional authorities (with a population of 140,000) were supported to localize the National Strategy on GBV through piloting a local multidisciplinary team in Chirsova village and developing a participatory action plan.

In 2020, UNDP established a Regional Centre in Găgăuzia region for GBV survivors and impacted community members can access psychological, legal, and social assistance services, including through the creation of a mobile team to serve remote localities in the region. The safe space aided both Moldovan GBV survivors and refugee women from Ukraine, adapting to their needs.

This innovative experience, extended to various regions, including to Ungheni, ensuring accommodation and comprehensive services for GBV survivors, including legal, social, and psychological support and vocational counselling.
UNDP contributes to enhanced community safety including by enhancing the police force's response capabilities to security threats and improved support for violence survivors.

GBV survivors benefit from stronger legal safeguards on their paths to justice as the Regulation on Medical Assessment of the Severity of Bodily Injuries considers the psychological effects of violence on person’s health, introduces the principle of reasonable accommodation, as well as includes indications for mandatory reporting of domestic violence cases, irrespective of the survivors’ consent. This key piece was developed with UNDP support.

Five mobile teams were operationalized with UNDP support in 9 districts across the country, helping women and girls address gender-based violence grievances and access multidisciplinary support services, such as legal and social assistance, psychological support, employment assistance and economic empowerment initiatives. Additionally, women, including refugees from Ukraine, are assisted by local partner CSOs in finding employment. These CSO-led services complement the work of national authorities, including the National Employment Agency, by providing tailored support and bridging gaps in access to job opportunities.

UNDP supports the professionals – psychologists, social workers, teachers, and lawyers – from specialised organisations from all regions of Moldova to offer counseling to a wider category of population. Thus, UNDP has adapted the Common Elements Treatment Approach – a unique treatment approach to multiple mental health challenges, which is now familiar to professionals in Moldova. This counselling programme, developed by specialists from Johns Hopkins University in the USA and piloted in several countries where there is a shortage of mental health services and professionals trained to provide them, enables professionals to assist people struggling with alcoholism, violence, as well as mild forms of anxiety and depression.

Gender equality and effective governance, justice & human rights

UNDP helps the national partners to develop gender-sensitive policies and budgets, introduce gender analysis in policymaking, set gender-sensitive targets and indicators, and collect and disseminate sex disaggregated data. The Parliament has been supported in the re-establishment of the Women Caucus and enhancing its role in law making and oversight. The capacity of the Central Electoral Commission to collect, analyze and disseminate sex disaggregated data on candidates, elected officials, electoral administrators and active voters was enhanced through the automated elections system developed with UNDP support.

Gender equality and inclusive growth

UNDP helps public authorities and private sector in Moldova to promote equal opportunities for women and men with interventions ranging from policymaking to implementation. Social and economic empowerment of women is an area of special interest for UNDP’s work in Moldova. We contribute to SDG 5 by focusing on fostering women’s participation in decision-making and in local governance, social, human rights, and economic activities.

Aiming to achieve sustainable women’s economic empowerment, UNDP will address the factors that can most directly promote it: access to individual, household, and community resources; the breaking of unequal social norms and the building of strong, inclusive and gender sensitive institutions.

UNDP works with the private sector, improving access of women entrepreneurs to capacity development programmes and financing opportunities, as well as fostering cooperation and mutual support among business networks on both banks of Nistru river.

New technologies are changing the dynamics of work and the skills required presenting both opportunities for creating gender-equal economic opportunities for women, as well as important challenges. A key priority for UNDP is to ensure that women have relevant skills in the context of future of work. The need for skilling and reskilling will be addressed along with other factors constraining women’s equal access to economic opportunities, such as the unbalanced burden of unpaid care, social norms and stereotypes, and workplace inequality.

UNDP will continue to promote the advancement of digital literacy of women and girls, especially for those from disadvantaged groups, as well as for the advancement of women’s and girls’ access to STEEAM (science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, arts, and maths).

Gender equality and climate change, environment & energy

Environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change disproportionately affect men and women, with rural women in Moldova being particularly vulnerable. Due to their unequal economic and social status, rural women are more exposed to climate and environmental hazards. Their traditional roles as caregivers and providers for their families often increase their vulnerability when climate change impacts occur.

UNDP Moldova is actively supporting rural communities, especially women-led households and entrepreneurs, to enhance their resilience against environmental challenges. Through economic, social, and educational empowerment initiatives, UNDP aims to provide rural women with the tools and knowledge necessary to protect themselves, their families, and their ecological environment.

By focusing on improving women's access to education and knowledge, UNDP encourages the adoption of sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices and business models. These models often incorporate energy-efficient and renewable technologies, contributing to both environmental sustainability and economic empowerment.

Additionally, UNDP supports the identification of co-financing opportunities for climate-resilient agricultural production solutions at the local level, particularly in vulnerable communities.

Shifting the narrative from vulnerability to empowerment, UNDP's capacity-building measures aim to transform existing gender inequalities into opportunities for achieving gender equality. This approach challenges traditional gender stereotypes and cultural norms, empowering women to become active agents of change in their communities.
UNDP Moldova remains committed to promoting women's economic empowerment by facilitating access to employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, and essential resources. These efforts contribute to building more resilient communities and advancing Moldova's progress towards sustainable development goals.