Interreg NEXT MED Programme interviewed Eudokia Balamou, coordinator of SheEmpower project, to better grasp the situation of women in Cyprus regarding gender equality.
Interreg NEXT MED Programme interviewed Eudokia Balamou, coordinator of SheEmpower project to better grasp the situation of women in Cyprus regarding employment.
As Cyprus holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union from January to June 2026, let´s take a snapshot of this island of 1 million inhabitants.
Housing is probably one of the major concern of Cypriots early 2026. Prices have increased about 30 % the last five years (2020-2025). It is partly explained by strong foreign demand and the rise of remote work.
This leads to a situation in which young couples who want to buy a property can´t. What´s the alternative? It seems quite common nowadays to see married couples living at their parents´ house!
Family wise, fertility rate (children per woman) in Cyprus has fallen to 1.38 in 2024. The country is not just below replacement level; it is in decline. Without a dramatic shift, the island faces an ageing society, labour shortages, and increasing pressure on pensions and social services.
Moreover, the question why people are having less children may lie behind other reasons: there are less couples and some people prefer to remain single.
These are some examples that tell a lot about the profound transformations the Cypriot society is facing.
It is quite common in Cyprus to see married couples living with their parents
Eudokia Balamou fromLarnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency
Economy and women
Cyprus has a service-based economy, with services accounting for over 4/5 of its GDP. The main eco
nomic sectors are tourism, financial services, shipping, and real estate. Agriculture and light manufacturing (food, beverages, chemicals) play smaller roles, contributing to a diversified, open market economy.
However, it seems that there is a mismatch between what young people study and their jobs. In the case of women, most of them hold a university degree but when they finish their studies, they usually get married. This means that they will be more involve in family and household tasks and end up trying to find a job that is compatible with their family duties and less related to what they studied.
Adding to that, gap employment has slightly raised in Cyprus (+2.3 points between 2014 and 2024 according to Eurostat).
SheEmpower project: addressing relevant and needed skills
In December 2025, SheEmpower project which is about unleashing the power of female entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean started. This Interreg NEXT MED funded project is led by Larnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency (ANETEL) and composed of 7 more partners from Egypt, France, Italy, Lebanon and Spain.
The main idea behind it, is to provide women with training programmes that respond to the real skills´ needs, mentoring and a MEDestore digital platform that will help them network and connect with the right people and stakeholders. These tools could help women who want to start their new own business especially in rural areas.
More campaigns of men involved in household work
In Cyprus, very few men contribute to household work, and this includes most of the time the task of picking up the children from school.
So may be, besides getting the right training and services that support women create their own jobs, another important aspect would be to promote more campaigns where men are sharing more household work.
Collaborating in a Mediterranean project like SheEmpower, also allows these exchanges and see how other countries deal with these inequalities.
The usefulness of such project is to see this reality in other countries, what measures are being implemented to reduce this gap.
Eudokia Balamou from Larnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency
Give to gain
This year, the International Women Day motto is “give to gain”. When asked to Ms Balamou about it, she said that this should not be just a slogan but turn it into a reality.
Women should not hide; they should be more visible and be proud of their multiple roles in the society.
To achieve this, we should all start by something obvious but hard: change the mindset!
Let´s have more men role models inspiring the younger generation for more gender equality.
Relevant updated data about Cyprus in 2026
Last Update
09/03/2026
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