Czechia ranks below EU average in latest gender equality index

The Czech Republic remains below average in the EU in ensuring equal opportunities and conditions for women, ranking 25th out of the 27 EU member states and dropping two spots in the last three years, according to the European Institute for Gender Equality's (EIGE) 2023 Gender Equality Index.

The index examines six areas: work, money, knowledge, power, time, and health. The Czech Republic scored 57.9 out of 100 points, below the EU average of 70.2.

The Czech Republic's ranking is unflattering and gender inequality is a long-standing problem, according to government human rights commissioner Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková.

"The unflattering position of the Czech Republic in the gender equality index does not really surprise me. Gender inequalities are a long-term problem in our society and their solution is not a matter of a few years," Šimáčková Laurenčíková said in a press release Tuesday.

Since 2010, the Czech Republic has improved its score by 2.3 points. Progress over the last three years since 2020 has been 0.7 points. The entire union has moved up an average of 1.6 points since last year, representing the highest year-over-year point gain for the union since 2013.

"The Czech Republic has been improving at a slower pace than other EU member states," EIGE said on its website." Its Gender Equality Index score has improved but remains consistently and significantly lower than the EU average. The Czech Republic’s progress in gender equality has been slower, and the gap between the country and the EU average has widened over time."

According to the index, the Czech Republic is below average in all six categories, scoring worst in women's power at 30.2 points out of 100 and ranking 25th, retaining the same position since 2020. In economic decision-making, the Czech Republic ranked 26th.

The most significant improvement was in the work category, where the Czech Republic improved by 1.8 points and ranked 24th with 68.9 points. Health, which measures women's life expectancy, access to healthcare, and healthy behavior, received the highest score at 84.8 points. The Czech Republic's best ranking was in the money category (which includes access to financial resources, mean monthly earnings, and poverty risk), placing 15th in the EU with 79.4 points a position unchanged since 2020 with stalled progress.

The biggest drop in the last three years was in the category of time, where the Czech Republic fell nine spots to 26th. This category measures the allocation of time spent doing care domestic work such as cooking and housework, and social activities.

Laurenčíková went on to say that measures being prepared to balance gender equality, including a new law against domestic violence and a Labor Code amendment with more transparent pay rules. "I expect these measures will be reflected in the Czech Republic's ranking in coming years," the commissioner said.

Sweden ranked first with the best index score of 82.2. Among post-communist countries, Slovenia scored closest to the EU average. Slovakia earned 59.2 points. After the Czech Republic, Hungary scored 57.3 points and Romania scored 56.1 points. Greece and Portugal made the biggest improvements over the past three years, improving their scores by 4.6 points.