| Those of us who believed that with the last revision of the Constitution and the amendment of article 116 we ensured the equality of rights and obligations of both sexes and equal treatment in Greece, we were in the dark. The announcement of the competition for the admission of students for the constable and officer schools of the Hellenic Police caught our eye. Admission is not based on the required qualifications and ability to perform the specific work, but on the basis of gender. If you’re men, you’re in luck! You belong to the privileged gender that will receive 85% of the new positions. If you’re a woman, you’re out of luck! You only pay 15%. If you also happen to be pregnant or have recently given birth, don’t even think about applying to the contest. You are blocked by definition. Just like that! The announcement in question includes “pregnancy or recent childbirth” first in the list of “gynecological characteristics and diseases” that exclude candidates from police schools! That is, not only complete contempt for the principle of gender equality, the Greek Constitution, Community Law and the decisions of the Council of State, but also complete irrationality of the Public Administration which has not yet realized that gender cannot be a reason for discrimination and unequal treatment, when in fact the policewomen already serving are both highly competent and flawless in the performance of their duties. And then we wonder what is to blame for the high unemployment of women and the low birth rate in Greece |
article by Anna Karamanou, MEP from PASOK, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality 10. 05. 2002