International Women's Day 2010

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The International Women's Day has been celebrated almost every year since the beginning of the 20th century, but at different days. The day is celebrated in memory of 8 March 1857, when women employed in the textile industry in New York protested due to inhumane working conditions. The United Nations started to celebrate 8 March as the International Women’s Day in 1975, the International Women’s Year. Two years later, in December 1977, the UN General Assembly adopted a special resolution proclaiming 8 March the International Women’s Day.

The theme of the 2010 International Women's Day is “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities – Progress for All”.

I. Women in the demographic picture of Slovenia

Slightly more women than men

In mid-2009 Slovenia’s population was 2,042,335; 1,030,568 women and 1,011,767 men. Even though fewer girls than boys are born every year, in the total population women predominate because their life expectancy is on average almost nine years longer than that of men due to genetic, sociological, health and other reasons.

A review by age groups shows a slightly different picture: only at age 60+ women outnumber men. In mid-2009, there were 18,800 women more than men in Slovenia; however, the number of women was smaller than the number of men in all five-year age groups up to the age of 60. After 60 years of age the number of women exceeded the number of men, the most noticeably in age groups 75-84. If we compare the indicator for the age group 80+ for Slovenia and EU-27, we can see how strong the disproportion between the number of women and men in higher age groups in Slovenia – which increased significantly between 1998 and 2008 – really is. In 2008, the disproportion was the most pronounced in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and the least pronounced in Ireland, Malta and Sweden.

II. Women and education

Thirty-five years ago every 50^th woman had tertiary education, while today it is every fifth. Thirty-nine years ago only a fifth of women had more than elementary education, 30% had no education or unfinished elementary education and only about 2% had post-secondary education.

In time the situation changed drastically so that at the 2002 Population Census only a tenth of women in Slovenia had less than elementary education. According to data for 2008, the share is about 5%, while more than half of women in our country have upper secondary education. In 2008, in the age groups 20-24 93.6% of women in Slovenia had at least upper secondary education (in EU-27 81.48%). In the same age group, 87.4% of men in Slovenia (and 75.7% in EU-27) had at least upper secondary education.

Educational structure by age groups

The 2008 Labour Force Survey showed the most favourable educational structure for women in the age group 25–34. In this age group 92.2% of women (and 90.8% of men) had at least upper secondary education, of whom 38.4% women (and 22.4% men) had tertiary education.

On average, people aged 55-64 had the lowest education; 64.4% of women (and 78.6% of men) in this age group had at least upper secondary education and 15.5% of women (and 16.6%) of men in this age group had tertiary education.

Leaving school early

Slovenia is among the countries with a very low share of young people who have only finished elementary school (or not even that) and do not participate in education (in 2007 the average for EU-27 Member States was 15.2%). Of course, in Slovenia too some of them leave school early. In 2008, less than 3% of women (and 7% of men) in the age group 18-24 left school early.

Ever more girls decide to continue studies after completing upper secondary education

By 1980, women in Slovenia were a minority among students; in the 1950s women represented less than 30% of the student population. After 1980 the situation changed and in the 2007/2008 academic year almost 60% of students were women. Among 98,128 students in higher education programmes at universities and single higher education institutions in the 2008/2009 academic year, 60% were women.

Female scholarship recipients

In 2008, 35% of female upper secondary school pupils and 22.5% of female tertiary students were receiving scholarships.

As regards the place of permanent residence, their distribution was very diverse. Most of the female upper secondary school pupils receiving scholarships were living in the Spodnjeposavska statistical region (almost all female pupils and two out of three male pupils) and the fewest were living in the Osrednjeslovenska statistical region (two out of nine female pupils and one in five male pupils).

As regards female tertiary students, most scholarship recipients were living in the Pomurska statistical region (every third female student and every fourth male student) and the fewest were living in the Osrednjeslovenska statistical region (only every sixth female student and every seventh male student).

In 2008, average monthly upper secondary school scholarship amounted to EUR 148 (EUR 143 for female pupils and EUR 153 for male pupils), while average monthly tertiary education scholarship amounted to EUR 212 (EUR 206 for female students and EUR 223 for male students).

III. Women and earnings

In 2008, average monthly gross earnings of women were 92.4% those of men, which means they were approximately EUR 110 lower. Average monthly gross earnings of women amounted to EUR 1,369 and of men to EUR 1,481. Of course, these are averages; and differences occur due to different educational, age and occupational structure of employees.

The difference between men’s and women’s earnings was the highest in financial and insurance activities. Gross earnings of women employed in financial and insurance activities were 33.8% lower than male earnings. About the same difference was observed in human health and social work activities, where women earned on average 30.6% less than their male colleagues. Average female and male earnings differed the least in transportation and storage. In this activity female earnings were on average EUR 88 higher than male earnings. However, women represented only about a fifth of persons employed in this activity and they performed better paid jobs.

Gross earnings of women were higher than gross earnings of men in three fields of activity: in construction (by 21.7%), in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (by 13.1%) and in transport (by 6.5%).

IV. Women and motherhood

Children

Despite the growth in fertility in Slovenia after 2003, women give birth to fewer children than in the past decades. In 2008, the highest number of children was born after Slovenia gained independence (21,817: 10,691 girls and 11,126 boys, which is 10% more than in 2007).

First-time mothers are getting older

In 2008, the mean age of mothers at childbirth exceeded 30 years: mothers were on average 30.1 years old and first-time mothers 28.4 years old. Both figures are the highest mean ages of women at childbirth in Slovenia after World War II. In mid-1970s the mean age of first-time mothers was less than 23; but then women started to postpone giving birth.

In 2008, the most fertile group of women were 28-31-year-olds. More than a third (34.4%) of women who in 2008 gave birth for the first time were older than 30. Only a fifth (21.9%) of first-time mothers who gave birth in 2008 were younger than 25 and 7.3% of first-time mothers who gave birth in 2008 were older than 35. In Slovenia the share of live births outside marriage for the first time exceeded 50% in 2007. In 2008, this share increased to 52.9%, mostly on account of young mothers.

Ever more fathers take paternity leave

The number of fathers who use the paternity leave with fathers’ compensation is increasing; since 2004 more than 70% of all fathers have been receiving this compensation. In 2004, leave was used by 12,667 fathers, in 2005 by 11,308 fathers, in 2006 by 14,098 fathers and in 2007 by 15,289 fathers. In 2008, fathers’ compensation was received or paternity leave used by 15,800 fathers or about 3% more than in 2007, when for this purpose over EUR 10 million was paid (in 2003 over EUR 5 million). In 2009, the number increased to 17,534.

Ever more fathers use childcare leave

Maternity leave continues with childcare leave, which typically lasts 260 days and is intended for further care and protection of the child. This leave can be used by one or both parents, and under special statutory conditions also by another person. In 2006, in Slovenia this leave was used by 921 fathers, in 2007 by 1,008 fathers, in 2008 by 1,125 fathers and in 2009 by 1,382 fathers.

V. Women and unemployment

The unemployment rate in Slovenia is growing, but less for women than for men. At the end of 2009, 46,468 women (and 50,204 men) were registered at the Employment Service of Slovenia.

The share of women among registered unemployed persons fell below half; in October 2008 it was 52.2%, in December 2008 it was 50.8%, in October 2009 it was 48.9% and in December 2009 it was 48.1%. In 2008, the share of unemployed women was 52.8%. For the last time women represented less than half of the unemployed in 1998. The share of unemployed women started to decrease in April 2008 and fell below 50% in February 2009. In December 2009 it reached the lowest level in the past ten years: 48.1%.

VI. Women and level of living

According to the Survey on Income and Living Conditions for 2008, the at-risk-of poverty rate in Slovenia was 12.3%, which means that 12.3% of people were living below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, i.e. their annual disposable income (after social transfers) was below the poverty line. With this value Slovenia is among eight EU Member States with the lowest risk of poverty (in EU-27 the average rate was 17%), but for some population groups in Slovenia the value of the at-risk-of-poverty rate was higher than the EU-27 average.

Older women in rented apartments are the worst off

According to this indicator, Slovenia was slightly above the EU average (19%), since the at-risk-of-poverty rate for women over 65 was 21%, nine percentage points higher than for the total population. The same rate as in Slovenia was recorded in Belgium, Ireland and Italy. However, in Slovenia this age group shows great differences between sexes (excluding income in kind): while the at-risk-of-poverty rate for women aged 65+ increased in one year by 2.7 percentage points (to 27.6%), for men it increased only by 0.9 of a percentage point (to 11.7%). This means that as many as 28% of women aged 65+ live in poverty and that they are among the most endangered people in our country.

At-risk-of-poverty rate (excluding income in kind), Slovenia, 2005–2008

Source: SORS

This difference is even greater if we compared the value of this indicator for those women who are over 65 and live alone (one person households). In one person households the at-risk-of-poverty rate is very high (41.9% in 2008) and for women much higher (51.4%).

At-risk-of-poverty rate (excluding income in kind), one person households by sex, Slovenia, 2005–2008

Source: SORS


The data on the at-risk-of-poverty rate by housing situation of women also show that among all age groups of women those aged 65+ and living as tenants in rented apartments are at the greatest risk: the at-risk-of-poverty rate for this group is 63%, while for male tenants aged 65+ it is only 15%.

If income did not include social transfers (family and social receipts), the rate would almost double to 23.0% (for older people to 32.9%).

VII. Women and health

Women live longer than men, but compared to men they have more health problems and therefore live fewer healthy life years.

On average, in the EU-27 women live 18 healthy life years less than life expectancy (men 15 years).

Women are more critical about their health than men

Due to different biological characteristics, reproductive functions, way of life, exposure to risk factors and sexual roles, the patterns of illness in women and men are different.

According to the 2007 European Health Interview Survey conducted by the Institute of Public Health, almost 62% of people in Slovenia aged 15 or more think that they are in very good or good health (58.2% of women and 65.5% of men). 29% of women (and 25.2% of men) thought that their health was fairly good, 10.1% of women (and 7.3% of men) thought it was bad and 3% of women (and 2% of men) that it was very bad.

VIII. Women and age

The mean age of people in Slovenia is increasing; women are on average 3.3 years older than men.
At the 1931 population census women living on the territory of Slovenia were on average 24.1 years old and men 22.3, so women were on average 1.8 years older than men. In mid-2009 women were on average 43.0 years old (men 39.7).

As regards statistical regions, on average the youngest women (42.2 years) live in Jugovzhodna Slovenija and the oldest (44.4 years) in Zasavska and Goriška statistical regions.

Life expectancy

One of the reasons for population ageing in Europe is longer life expectancy in all EU Member States; however, in some countries life expectancy is increasing at different intensity, and more for women than for men.

Compared to 2007, in 2008 life expectancy in Slovenia grew by 0.5 years for women (and 0.8 years for men). With the same mortality, a girl born in Slovenia in 2008 can expect to live 82.3 years (a boy 75.4 years).

Mortality for men is higher than mortality for women both in Slovenia and EU-27. In 2007 the standardised death rate in EU-27 was 483.1 per 100,000 women (and 799.7 per 100,000 men). In 2008, the standardised death rate in Slovenia was 633.5 per 100,000 population: for women 472.2 per 100,000 and for men 848.6 per 100,000.

In 2008, 18,308 people (9,134 women and 9,174 men) died in Slovenia. Women were on average 78.8 years old, 9.2 years older than men. In the past decade alone the mean age of women at death increased by 3.4 years (for men by 3.1 years).

The main cause of death for women was diseases of the circulatory system. This cause greatly exceeded all other causes both in Slovenia and EU-27: in 2008, 39.5% of all causes of death (46.0% for women). The second leading cause of death was malignant neoplasms, which were the cause of death of 28.4% of women.

Retired women

More than a quarter of women in Slovenia are retired. The intensity of population ageing reflects in the increasing number of people receiving pensions. In 2009, retired persons represented 27% of total population in Slovenia. In the structure of retired persons, in 2009 disability pensioners represented 16.4%, old-age pensioners 63.3%, survivor’s pensioners 16.4% and all other pensioners (military pension, pension advance, pension supplements, national pension) 3.9% of all pensioners in Slovenia. Among recipients of old-age pensions, women represented 53.7%, among recipients of disability pensions 40%, among survivor’s pensioners 90% and among other pensions 84.1%.

Between 2000, when the pension reform was adopted, and 2008, the retirement age of women increased by two years and a month – women were on average 58 years and one month old when they retired (the retirement age for men increased only by a year to 62 years). The time of receiving pensions is also getting a longer, which could be attributed to longer life expectancy and early retirement in the past. Retired women on average receive pensions for 21 years and 6 months and retired men for 16 years and 7 months.

Women in old people's homes

Between 2004 and 2008, 69,529 people were living in old people’s homes in Slovenia, of whom 74.5% women and 25.5% men. In 2008 a vast majority of them (61%) were 80+ years old, 51.4% of them women and 9.8% men.

IX. Occupational and social activity of women

Women in science

In the 2008/09 academic year women represented about 40% of the teaching staff at vocational colleges and higher education institutions. It is true, however, that the share of women among the teaching staff in tertiary education has been rapidly growing: in 1995 it was 20% and in 2006 34%. Despite that, in terms of the share of women among tertiary education professors Slovenia is at the end of EU Member States. In 2007/06 the share in the EU was around 40%, while in the USA it was 4 percentage points higher.

Women in politics

At the last National Assembly election in 2008 78 male and 12 female MPs were elected. The introduction of the so-called women’s quotas in municipal council elections did not have any effect on the increase in the share of women candidates for mayors at local elections in 2006. As regards the number of women mayors, 2002 election stands out as at that time 11 women were elected mayors. At the first local elections only two women mayors were elected. At the 2006 local elections tree women mayors were elected for the first time and four continued their mandate.

In 1994 women represented 10.8% of members of municipal councils in Slovenia, in 1998 12%, in 2002 13.1% and since 2006 21.5%. Higher representation of women on lists of candidates at 2006 local elections was the result of the changes in the Local Elections Act, determining that each sex must be represented by at least 20 candidates. So compared to previous elections held in 2002, all political parties had a higher number of women candidates on their lists of candidates (on average by 11.6 percentage points). On most of the lists of candidates for the 2006 local elections more than 30% of candidates were women; at the previous elections this happened only rarely.

At the last elections of members of the European Parliament in 2009, among 81 candidates just under 50% were women; and 28.6% of elected MEPs from Slovenia were women.

Women directors and managers

Among 41,423 persons who at the end of 2008 performed occupations from the occupational group of corporate managers and managers of small enterprises, 30.6% or 12,687 were women. Among them, 81.7% or 10,361 were corporate managers and the rest (18.3% or 2,326) were managers of small enterprises.

Among 12,687 women corporate managers and managers of small enterprises, 67.9% or 8,615 had tertiary education, 27.5% or 3,493 had at least upper secondary education and only 4.6% or 579 had elementary education. (The shares for men performing these occupations were 53.9% tertiary, 34.9% upper secondary and 11.2% elementary education.)

Women in the Slovenian armed forces

Among members of permanent forces of the Slovenian army, at the beginning of 2010 1,181 or 15.5% were women, among them 130 officers, 170 non-commissioned officers, 420 soldiers, 238 military staff and 223 civilian personnel.