2024-08-12-世界银行-保加利亚性别景观（英）_17页_872kb

Bulgaria Gender Landscape Summary

Core Content

This document provides an overview of the gender equality situation in Bulgaria as of 2024, based on data from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGI), the World Bank, Eurostat, and other sources. It highlights progress made in certain areas and persistent challenges in others, with a focus on human endowments, economic opportunities, voice and agency, and legal frameworks.

Main Points

Gender Equality Index (EIGI)

• Bulgaria scored 65.1 out of 100 on the 2023 EIGI, ranking 12th lowest among EU-27 countries and 5.1 points below the EU average.
• Since 2020, Bulgaria has improved its score by 4.4 points, one of the largest gains among EU members.
• Despite progress, Bulgaria still lags behind the EU in money and health dimensions, and the country's gender equality progress has been slower than EU peers.

Human Endowments

• Girls in Bulgaria have higher productivity than boys, based on the Human Capital Index (HCI), due to better learning outcomes and higher adult survival rates.
• However, HCI levels are among the lowest in the EU and ECA region, even when considering GDP per capita.
• Education: Girls and boys have similar enrollment rates at preprimary, primary, and secondary levels, but Bulgaria's rates are below EU averages.
• Tertiary education: Girls have higher enrollment rates than boys, and their rates are comparable to the OECD average.
• Gender gaps in fields of study: Women are overrepresented in female-dominated fields (e.g., Education), but underrepresented in male-dominated ones (e.g., Natural sciences, ICT).
• Digital skills: Bulgarian women have lower digital skills than their EU counterparts, despite no gender gap in skill levels.
• Health: Women in Bulgaria live longer than men, but report worse health self-assessment. Adolescent birth rates are significantly higher than EU averages.
• Impact of the pandemic: Increased domestic violence and care burdens for women, reinforcing traditional gender roles.

Economic Opportunities

• Labor force participation: Both men and women saw increases from 2014 to 2020, but the gender gap in employment widened, especially for women with young children.
• Unemployment: Women had a lower unemployment rate than men in 2022 (4.04% vs. 4.71%) and were better off than the ECA and EU averages.
• Unpaid care work: Women spend more time on unpaid care tasks than men, contributing to the "double burden".
• Gender pay gap: The unadjusted gender pay gap in 2021 was 12.2%, close to the EU average. It is largest for women aged 35–44 and in financial and insurance sectors.
• Sectoral segregation: Women are more concentrated in service-based industries and lower-paid sectors, while men dominate manufacturing, construction, and transportation.
• Leadership roles: Only 14.8% of board positions in Bulgaria were held by women in 2022, compared to 32.2% in the EU. The share of women in executive positions was 22%, slightly above the EU average.
• Financial inclusion: Women in Bulgaria have high financial inclusion (84.3% of women aged 15+ have a financial account), similar to men. However, men are more likely to borrow from formal institutions.

Voice and Agency

• Gender-based violence: One-fourth of Bulgarian women have experienced violence in their lifetime, similar to other European countries. However, intimate partner violence is more prevalent than in some EU nations.
• Political representation: Only 24% of National Assembly seats were held by women in 2022, below the EU average of 33%. There is no gender quota system in place.
• Public perception: A significant share of the population (40%) believes men make better political leaders than women. Women are less likely to agree with this belief.
• Legal framework: Bulgaria has not ratified the Istanbul Convention, and the Constitutional Court ruled it incompatible with the national constitution.

Key Information

Legal and Institutional Framework

• Bulgaria has a National Strategy for Promoting Gender Equality (2021–2030), replacing the previous strategy (2016–20).
• The strategy includes a gender perspective in all policies and targets disadvantaged groups.
• The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy is responsible for executing the strategy.
• Annual reports on gender equality are published by the European Institute for Gender Equality.

Multidimensional Vulnerabilities

• Roma women face severe vulnerabilities, including low income, limited education, spatial segregation, and social exclusion.
• Roma women have higher NEET rates (79%) than Roma men (52%).
• There are reports of forced prostitution, trafficking, abuse, and violence against Roma women.
• Child and forced marriage of Roma women remain concerns.

Conclusion

Bulgaria has made notable progress in some aspects of gender equality, particularly in power and time, but significant challenges remain in money, health, and voice and agency. The country continues to lag behind the EU in several areas, including education, care work distribution, and political representation. Legal frameworks are in place, but their implementation and effectiveness are still under evaluation, and systematic assessments are needed. Additionally, Roma women face unique and severe multidimensional vulnerabilities that require targeted policies and support.