Slovakia

Gender equality in the domain of work has stalled. Segregation remains a major challenge.

The employment rate (20-64) is 60 % for women versus 75 % for men. The total employment rate is 68 % and Slovakia has not yet reached its national Europe 2020 strategy (EU2020) target (72 %).

The gender gap in the employment rate is the same when the number of hours worked is taken into account. The full-time equivalent (FTE) employment rate of women is around 44 %, compared to 60 % for men.

Among women and men in a couple with children, the FTE employment rate for women is 59 % compared to 89 % for men. This gender gap is much higher than that of couples without children (30 percentage points (p.p.) for couples without children and 2 p.p. for couples with children). The FTE employment rate increases and the relative gender gaps decrease as education levels rise. The gender gap in employment is higher among people born abroad than among those born in Slovakia.

8 % of women work part-time, compared to 4 % of men. On average, women work 39 hours per week, compared to 41 hours for men. 9 % of working-age women versus 0.3 % of working-age men are either outside the labour market or work part-time due to care responsibilities.

Gender segregation in the labour market is a reality for both women and men. 27 % of women compared to nearly 5 % of men work in education, human health and social work activities (EHW). About five times more men (37 %) than women (7 %) work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations.

Slovakia’s score in the domain of money has increased. Gender equality has improved in both sub-domains, but the main progress is in earnings and income.

Mean monthly earnings of women and men have increased and the gender gap has narrowed. Women earn around 21 % less than men per month.

The gender gap in earnings is higher among women and men in a couple with children and among people with middle and high levels of education, always to the detriment of women.

The population of women and men at risk of poverty has decreased. The risk affects women and men with the same intensity: approximately 10 %. 28 % of lone mothers are at risk of poverty.

Inequalities in income distribution have decreased for both women and men, but the gender gap has slightly increased. The gender pay gap is 20 % to the detriment of women. In 2012, women had lower pensions than men and the gender gap was 8 %. The EU-28 averages are 16 % and 38 %, respectively.

Slovakia’s score in the domain of knowledge has increased. Gender equality has improved regarding both segregation and attainment and participation.

The number of tertiary graduates has increased significantly, mostly among women. 19 % of women and 16 % of men have a tertiary degree. The gap, which was to the detriment of women, has been reversed. Up to the age of 49, there are more women than men who have completed tertiary education.

Only 12 % of women with disabilities have attained tertiary education, compared to 27 % of women without disabilities. For men these shares are 14 % and 20 %, respectively.

Slovakia has not met its national EU2020 target to have 40 % of people aged 30-34 obtain tertiary education. The current rate is 28 %.

Women’s and men’s participation in lifelong learning has decreased.

In Slovakia gender segregation in knowledge is less of a challenge than in many other EU Member States. Nonetheless, gender gaps remain high. 48 % of women students are concentrated in the fields of education, health and welfare, humanities and arts, compared to only 25 % of men.

In the domain of time, the score has decreased. The situation has become more gender unequal, especially in the sub-domain of care activities.

Women take on more responsibilities than men for caring for their family. 35 % of women care for and educate their family members for at least 1 hour per day, compared to 19 % of men. This gender gap has increased. Among women and men in a couple with children, women are much more involved in daily care activities (77 %) than men (47 %).

60 % of women do cooking and housework every day for at least 1 hour, compared to only 16 % of men. This gender gap has increased. Moreover, the gap is larger among women and men in a couple with children, with 85 % of women and 18 % of men doing cooking and housework daily.

Inequality in time-sharing at home also extends to social activities. Men are more likely than women to participate in sporting, cultural, and leisure activ­ities outside the home (20 % versus 11 %). Participation in voluntary or charit­able activities, however, is slightly higher for women than for men (9 % and 6 %, respectively).

1 % of children under the age of three and 68 % of children between the age of three and school age are enrolled in childcare. Slovakia has not met either of the two ‘Barcelona targets’, which are to have at least 33 % of children below the age of three and 90 % of children between the age of three and school age in childcare.

The score in the domain of power has decreased, due to a decrease in the representation of women in decision-making positions regarding economic power.

The sub-domain of political power has stalled. 10 % of ministers are women, compared to 12 % in 2005. Conversely, gender equality has improved in parliament, where women hold 20 % of seats, up from 18 % in 2005.

The representation of women in publicly listed companies has increased. Women represent 15 % of corporate boards of publicly listed companies, an increase from 10 % in 2005. At the same time, women have disappeared from the decision-making positions in the central bank, whereas in 2005 they represented 20 % of the seats.

17 % of the members of the boards of research funding organisations are women. Women make up approximately 19 % of board members of publicly owned broadcasting organisations. In sport, women comprise just 10 % of members of the highest decision-making bodies of national Olympic sport organisations.

The scores in the sub-domains of status and access have increased slightly, while the score in the sub-domain of behaviour has stalled.

The sub-domain of status measures perceived health, life expectancy and healthy life years. Life expectancy has increased for both women and men. Women on average live nearly 7 years longer than men. When it comes to healthy life years, however, the gender gap disappears.

62 % of women and 70 % of men assess their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. The level of satisfaction regarding health increases with the level of education; moreover, the gender gap is bigger among people with a low level of education than those with medium and high levels of education.

The score of the sub-domain of access has improved due to a decrease in unmet medical and dental needs among women and men. The gender gap in this area has also decreased slightly.

47 % of men smoke or drink excessively, compared to around 24 % of women. At the same time, more men than women (40 % and 33 %, respectively) engage in healthy behaviour (physical activities and/or consuming fruit and vegetables).http://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/MH0414745EN2.pdf

Violence against women is included in the Gender Equality Index as a satellite domain. This means that the scores of the domain of violence do not have an impact on the final score of the Gender Equality Index. From a statistical perspective, the domain of violence does not measure gaps between women and men as core domains do. Rather, it measures and analyses women’s experiences of violence. Unlike other domains, the overall objective is not to reduce the gaps of violence between women and men, but to eradicate violence completely.

A high score in the Gender Equality Index means a country is close to achieving a gender-equal society. However, in the domain of violence, the higher the score, the more serious the phenomenon of violence against women in the country is. On a scale of 1 to 100, 1 represents a situation where violence is non-existent and 100 represents a situation where violence against women is extremely common, highly severe and not disclosed. The best-performing country is therefore the one with the lowest score.

Slovakia’s score for the domain of violence is 30.0, which is slightly above the EU average of 27.5.

In Slovakia, 34 % of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at least once since the age of 15.

18 % of women who have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by any perpetrator in the past 12 months have not told anyone. This rate is higher than the EU average of 13 %.

At the societal level, violence against women costs Slovakia an estimated EUR 2.4 billion per year through lost economic output, service utilisation and personal costs (1).

The domain of violence is made up of three sub-domains: prevalence, which measures how often violence against women occurs; severity, which measures the health consequences of violence; and disclosure, which measures the reporting of violence.

[1] This is an exercise done at EU level to estimate the costs of the three major dimensions: services, lost economic output and pain and suffering of the victims. The estimates were extrapolated to the EU from a United Kingdom case study, based on population size. EIGE, Estimating the costs of gender-based violence in the European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2014, p. 142.

Slovakia’s score in the domain of work is 66.5, showing progress of 1.2 points since 2005 (+ 1 point since 2015). Despite increased participation of both women and men in employment, Slovakia remains third last in the EU for the work domain.

The employment rate (of people aged 20-64) is 66 % for women and 79 % for men. With the overall employment rate of 72 %, Slovakia has reached its national EU 2020 employment target of 72 %. The full-time equivalent (FTE) employment rate rose from 42 % to 46 % for women and from 58 % to 61 % for men between 2005 and 2017, but the gender gap of 15 percentage points (p.p.) persists. The FTE employment rates are much higher for women and men in couples with children (63 % and 92 % respectively). Also, the gender gap is much wider among women and men in couples with children (28 p.p.) than in couples without children (less than 1 p.p.).

Twice as many women work part-time (9 %) as men (4 %). On average, women work around 39 hours per week and men 41 hours. The uneven concentration of women and men in different labour market sectors remains an issue. Around 27 % of women work in education, health and social work, compared to nearly 5 % of men. Fewer women (7 %) than men (39 %) work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations.

Slovakia’s score in the domain of money is 74.2, showing substantial progress of 12.7 points since 2005 (+ 0.2 points since 2015), with strong improvements in the financial situations of women and men.

Despite increases in mean monthly earnings of both women (+ 56 %) and men (+ 45 %) from 2006 to 2014, the gender gap persists. Women still earn 21 % less than men. Among couples with children, women earn 27 % less than men. The gender gap in earnings is also much wider among people born outside Slovakia: foreign-born women earn 40 % less than foreign-born men.

Around 11 % of women and men are at risk of poverty, with decreases of around 2 p.p. and 1 p.p. respectively from 2005 to 2017. People facing the highest risk of poverty are those with low education (22 % of women and 27 % of men) and foreign-born people (21 % of both women and men). Income distribution became more equal among women and among men between 2005 and 2017. On average, women earn 80 cents for every euro a man makes per hour, resulting in a gender pay gap of 20 %. The gender pension gap is almost 8 %.

Slovakia’s score in the domain of knowledge is 60.4, with a 5.9-point increase since 2005 (+ 0.4 points since 2015). Slovakia ranks 14th in the EU in the domain of knowledge and has improved in both sub-domains (attainment and participation, and segregation).

The share of women with tertiary education has increased at a faster pace between 2005 and 2017. The share of women tertiary graduates is 21 %, compared to 18 % of men. The gender gap is wider within the 25-49 age group, where the share of women with tertiary education is 11 p.p. higher than the share of men. Slovakia has not yet reached its national EU 2020 target of having 40 % of people aged 30-34 with tertiary education. The rate stands below this target at 38 % (45 % for women and 31 % for men). Participation in lifelong learning has decreased from 15 % to 11 % for both women and men between 2005 and 2017. Slovakia’s participation rate in formal and non-formal education and training is the 25th in the EU.

Although Slovakia made significant improvements in the sub-domain of segregation and ranks seventh in the EU, the uneven concentration of women and men in different study fields in tertiary education continues to be a challenge. Around 48 % of women students and 25 % of men students study education, health and welfare, or humanities and art.

Slovakia’s time domain score has not changed since the last edition of the Index, because new data is not available. The next data update for this domain is expected in 2021. More frequent time-use data would help to track progress in this domain.

In the domain of time, Slovakia’s score dropped to 46.3, representing the biggest decrease in gender equality in the domain of time in the EU since 2005, especially in the sub-domain of care activities. Women take on more caring responsibilities than men. Around 35 % of women care for and educate their family members for at least one hour per day, compared to 19 % of men. This gender gap has decreased from 11 p.p. to 16 p.p. Among women and men in couples with children, women are much more involved in daily care activities (77 %) than men (47 %). In total, 60 % of women cook and do housework every day for at least one hour, compared to only 16 % of men, with generally higher shares among women (85 %) and men (18 %) in couples with children.

Fewer women (11 %) than men (20 %) are involved in sporting, cultural or leisure activities outside the home, which is among the highest gender gaps in the EU. A slightly higher share of women (9 %) than men (6 %) are involved in voluntary or charitable activities.

Slovakia’s score in the domain of power is 26.8, with no significant change since 2005 (+ 3.7 points since 2015). It is the lowest score for Slovakia across all domains, and ranks 25th in the EU. There are improvements in the sub-domains of political and social decision-making, while there is regression in the sub-domain of economic power.

The share of women ministers doubled from 12 % to 24 % between 2005 and 2018. The share of women parliamentarians rose from 17 % to 21 % in the same period and the share of women among members of regional assemblies also increased slightly (from 12 % to 14 %).

The sub-domain of economic decision-making regressed due to a decline in the share of women on the board of the central bank, from 33 % to 0 % between 2005 and 2018. At the same time, improvements were made on the boards of the largest publicly listed companies, where the share of women doubled from 11 % to 22 %.

Women comprise 15 % of board members of research-funding organisations, 22 % of board members of publicly owned broadcasting organisations and just 8 % of board members of the highest decision-making bodies of national Olympic sports organisations.

Slovakia’s score in the domain of health is 85.8, showing progress of 2.3 points since 2005 (+ 0.5 points since 2015). Gender equality in health status and access to health services has improved. There is no new data for the sub-domain of health behaviour.

Self-perceptions of good health increased significantly between 2005 and 2017, at the same time, Slovakia’s score in the sub-domain of health status is the 21st in the EU. Around 63 % of women and 71 % of men perceive their health as good (compared to 49 % and 56 % in 2005). Health satisfaction increases with a person’s level of education but decreases with age. Life expectancy increased for both women and men between 2005 and 2016. Women on average live seven years longer than men (81 years compared to 74 years).

Adequate access to medical and dental care also increased between 2005 and 2017, although at a slower rate than health satisfaction. About 5 % of both women and men have unmet medical needs (compared to 9 % and 7 % in 2005). Around 4 % of both women and men report unmet needs for dental care (compared to 8 % and 7 % in 2005). People with lower levels of education, those aged 65 or more, single people and women and men with disabilities have the highest unmet needs for medical services.

Why is there no score for the violence domain?

There is no new data to update the score for violence, which is why no figure is given. Eurostat is currently coordinating an EU-wide survey on gender-based violence, with results expected in 2023. EIGE will launch a second round of administrative data collection on intimate partner violence, rape and femicide in 2022. Both data sources will be used to update the domain of violence in the Gender Equality Index 2024.

Unlike the other domains of the Index, the domain of violence does not measure differences between women’s and men’s situations; rather, it examines women’s experiences of violence (prevalence, severity and disclosure). The overall objective is not to reduce the gaps in violence between women and men, but to eradicate violence completely.

Data gaps mask the true scale of violence

Istanbul Convention: state of play

The Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive international human rights treaty on violence against women and domestic violence. Slovakia signed the Istanbul Convention in May 2011 but is yet to ratify it.

A lack of evidence to assess violence against women

Violence at a glance

1. Femicide
   In 2018, over 600 women were murdered by an intimate partner, a family member or a relative in 14 EU Member States, according to official reports. Two women were killed by their partners in 2018. There is no data available for the number of women killed by a family member.
   Source: Eurostat, 2018

2. Physical and/or sexual violence 
   27 % of women who experienced physical and/or sexual violence, experienced it in their own home.
   8 % of lesbian women and 6 % of bisexual women were physically or sexually attacked in the past five years for being LGBTI.
   Source: FRA’s Fundamental Rights Survey and LGBTI Survey II, 2019
3. Harassment
   33 % of women experienced harassment in the past five years, and 23 % in the past 12 months.
   57 % of women with disabilities experienced harassment in the past five years, and 38 % in the past 12 months .
   Source: FRA’s Fundamental Rights Survey, 2019
4. Cyberviolence
   11 % of women were subjected to cyber harassment in the past five years, and 8 % in the past 12 months.
   Among women aged 16-29, 28 % experienced cyber harassment in the past five years, and 19 % in the past 12 months. 
   Source: FRA’s Fundamental Rights Survey, 2019
5. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
   No data available.

Istanbul Convention: state of play

The Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive international human rights treaty on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Slovakia signed the Istanbul Convention in May 2011 but still has yet to ratify it. Urgent action is needed to end misinterpretation of the Istanbul Convention and to reinforce efforts to end violence against women.

A lack of evidence to assess violence against women

Femicide

In 2020, over 788 women were murdered by an intimate partner, a family member or a relative in 17 EU Member States, according to official reports. In Slovakia, no women were reported to have been killed by a family member or by an intimate partner in 2020.

Source: Eurostat, 2020

Istanbul Convention: state of play

The Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive international human rights treaty on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence. Slovakia signed the Istanbul Convention in May 2011 but is yet to ratify it.

EIGE/FRA survey

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) will carry out a survey on violence against women (VAW II) in eight EU Member States (CZ, DE, IE, CY, LU, HU, RO, SE), which will complement the Eurostat-led data collection on gender-based violence and other forms of interpersonal violence (EU-GBV) in the remaining countries. The use of a unified methodology will ensure the availability of comparable data across all EU Member States. Data collection will be completed in 2023, and the results will be used to update the domain of violence in the Gender Equality Index 2024 and its thematic focus on violence against women.

A lack of evidence to assess violence against women

Femicide

In 2021, 720 women were murdered by an intimate partner, family member or relative in 17 EU Member States, according to official reports. In Slovakia, two women were murdered by an intimate partner. No data is available for the number of women murdered by a family member.

Violence at a glance

1. Intimate partner violence

   In Slovakia, 51 % of women who have ever been in a relationship have experienced violence by an intimate partner during their adult life. In total, 31 % have experienced physical violence (including threats) or sexual violence, while 49 % have experienced psychological violence. Around 11 % have experienced intimate partner violence during the last 12 months, while 17 % have experienced it in the last five years.

   Source: Eurostat, 2021

2. Sexual harassment at work

   In Slovakia, over half of women who have ever worked have experienced sexual harassment at work. Up to 9 % of women have experienced sexual harassment at work during the last 12 months, while 24 % have experienced it in the last 5 years.

   Source: Eurostat, 2021

Istanbul Convention: state of play

The Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive international human rights treaty on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence. Slovakia signed the Istanbul Convention in May 2011, but has not yet ratified it. The Convention has not yet entered into force in Slovakia.

The European Council approved the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention on 1 June 2023.

EIGE/FRA survey on violence against women

The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) will carry out a survey on violence against women (VAW II) in eight EU Member States (CZ, DE, IE, CY, LU, HU, RO, SE), which will complement the Eurostat-led data collection on gender-based violence and other forms of interpersonal violence (EU-GBV) in the remaining countries. The use of a unified methodology will ensure the availability of comparable data across all EU Member States. Data collection will be completed this year, and the results will be used to update the domain of violence in the Gender Equality Index 2024, with its thematic focus on violence against women.

Nedostatok dôkazov na posúdenie násilia páchaného na ženách

Femicída

Podľa oficiálnych správ bolo v roku 2020 intímnym partnerom, rodinným príslušníkom alebo príbuzným v 17 členských štátoch EÚ zavraždených vyše 788 žien. Na Slovensku neboli v roku 2020 hlásené žiadne ženy zavraždené rodinným príslušníkom alebo intímnym partnerom.

Zdroj: Eurostat, 2020

Istanbulský dohovor: aktuálny stav

Istanbulský dohovor je najucelenejšou medzinárodnou zmluvou v oblasti ľudských práv venovanou predchádzaní násiliu na ženách a domácemu násiliu, ako aj boju s nimi. Slovensko podpísalo Istanbulský dohovor v máji 2011, ale ešte ho neratifikovalo.

Prieskum EIGE/FRA

Agentúra EÚ pre základné práva (FRA) a Európsky inštitút pre rodovú rovnosť (EIGE) uskutočnia prieskum o násilí páchanom na ženách (VAW II) vo ôsmich členských štátoch EÚ (CZ, DE, IE, CY, LU, HU, RO, SE), ktorý doplní zber údajov Eurostatu o násilí založenom na pohlaví a ďalších formách násilia medzi ľuďmi (EU-GBV) v zostávajúcich krajinách. Použitie jednotnej metodiky zaistí dostupnosť porovnateľných údajov vo všetkých členských štátoch EÚ. Zber údajov sa dokončí v roku 2023 a výsledky sa použijú na aktualizáciu oblasti násilia v indexe rodovej rovnosti 2024 a jeho tematickom zameraní na násilie páchané na ženách.

A lack of evidence to assess violence against women

Femicide

In 2021, 720 women were murdered by an intimate partner, family member or relative in 17 EU Member States, according to official reports. In Slovakia, two women were murdered by an intimate partner. No data is available for the number of women murdered by a family member.

Source: Eurostat, 2021

Violence at a glance

1. Intimate partner violence

   In Slovakia, 51 % of women who have ever been in a relationship have experienced violence by an intimate partner during their adult life. In total, 31 % have experienced physical violence (including threats) or sexual violence, while 49 % have experienced psychological violence. Around 11 % have experienced intimate partner violence during the last 12 months, while 17 % have experienced it in the last five years.
    

   Source: Eurostat, 2021
    

2. Sexual harassment at work

   In Slovakia, over half of women who have ever worked have experienced sexual harassment at work. Up to 9 % of women have experienced sexual harassment at work during the last 12 months, while 24 % have experienced it in the last 5 years.
    

   Source: Eurostat, 2021
    

Istanbul Convention: state of play

The Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive international human rights treaty on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence. Slovakia signed the Istanbul Convention in May 2011, but has not yet ratified it. The Convention has not yet entered into force in Slovakia.

The European Council approved the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention on 1 June 2023.

EIGE/FRA survey on violence against women

The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) will carry out a survey on violence against women (VAW II) in eight EU Member States (CZ, DE, IE, CY, LU, HU, RO, SE), which will complement the Eurostat-led data collection on gender-based violence and other forms of interpersonal violence (EU-GBV) in the remaining countries. The use of a unified methodology will ensure the availability of comparable data across all EU Member States. Data collection will be completed this year, and the results will be used to update the domain of violence in the Gender Equality Index 2024, with its thematic focus on violence against women.

Nedostatok dôkazov na posúdenie násilia páchaného na ženách

Femicída

Podľa oficiálnych správ bolo v roku 2020 intímnym partnerom, rodinným príslušníkom alebo príbuzným v 17 členských štátoch EÚ zavraždených 720 žien. Na Slovensku boli obeťou vraždy intímnym partnerom dve ženy. Nie sú k dispozícii žiadne údaje o počte žien zavraždených rodinným príslušníkom.

Zdroj: Eurostat, 2021

Stručný prehľad násilia

1. Násilie v intímnom vzťahu

   Na Slovensku 51 % žien, ktoré niekedy žili vo vzťahu, zažilo násilie od intímneho partnera počas svojho dospelého života. Celkovo 31 % zažilo fyzické násilie (vrátane hrozieb) alebo sexuálne násilie, zatiaľ čo 49 % zažilo psychické násilie. Približne 11 % zažilo násilie zo strany intímneho partnera počas posledných 12 mesiacov, zatiaľ čo 17 % zažilo násilie v posledných piatich rokoch.
    

   Zdroj: Eurostat, 2021
    

2. Sexuálne obťažovanie na pracovisku

   Na Slovensku viac než polovica žien, ktoré niekedy pracovali, zažila sexuálne obťažovanie v práci. Až 9 % žien zažilo v priebehu posledných 12 mesiacov sexuálne obťažovanie na pracovisku, zatiaľ čo v priebehu posledných 5 rokov ho zažilo 24 %.
    

   Zdroj: Eurostat, 2021
    

Istanbulský dohovor: aktuálny stav

Istanbulský dohovor je najucelenejšou medzinárodnou zmluvou v oblasti ľudských práv venovanou predchádzaniu násiliu na ženách a domácemu násiliu, ako aj boju s nimi. Slovensko podpísalo Istanbulský dohovor v máji 2011, ale ešte ho neratifikovalo. Dohovor na Slovensku ešte nenadobudol platnosť.

Európska rada schválila pristúpenie EÚ k Istanbulskému dohovoru 1. júna 2023.

Prieskum inštitútu EIGE/agentúry FRA o násilí páchanom na ženách

Agentúra EÚ pre základné práva (FRA) a Európsky inštitút pre rodovú rovnosť (EIGE) uskutočnia prieskum o násilí páchanom na ženách (VAW II) vo ôsmich členských štátoch EÚ (CZ, DE, IE, CY, LU, HU, RO, SE), ktorý doplní zber údajov Eurostatu o násilí založenom na pohlaví a ďalších formách násilia medzi ľuďmi (EU-GBV) v zostávajúcich krajinách. Použitie jednotnej metodiky zaistí dostupnosť porovnateľných údajov vo všetkých členských štátoch EÚ. Zber údajov sa dokončí ešte v tomto roku a výsledky sa použijú pri aktualizácii údajov v oblasti násilia v indexe rodovej rovnosti 2024 a jeho tematickom zameraní na násilie páchané na ženách.