Romanians less aware of gender discrimination and closer to "traditional" values than the EU average

Romanians have limited perceptions of gender inequalities and continue to hold traditional views on the roles of women and men, according to Eurostat data from a survey on perceptions of gender stereotypes.

Traditional gender roles continue to be more accepted in Romania and other countries in the region: 74% of Bulgarians believe that the most important role of a man is to earn money, as do 69% of Poles and 60% of Romanians, while the EU average is 42%. In Germany, only 38% of respondents believe that this is the main role of men, and in Sweden only 11% agree. Regarding the role of women, 62% of Romanians believe that their main responsibility is to take care of the home and family, as do 71% of respondents in Poland and 74% in Bulgaria, compared to only 23% in Spain and 11% in Sweden – the EU average being 38% in agreement with this statement.

An interesting aspect is that of money, where Romanians disagree most with the idea that it is equally important for women and men to be financially independent. Only 76% of Romanians consider it important for women to have financial independence, the lowest percentage in the European Union, compared to the EU average of 90% or 88% of Bulgarians, 91% of Spaniards, or 95% of Swedes. This highlights Romanians' conservative perceptions of women's financial dependence on men.

When it comes to gender discrimination in the workplace, only 28% of Romanian respondents believe that men are treated better than women, compared to the EU average of 51% or 66% of French people, while 54% of Romanians believe that women and men are treated equally, compared to only 40% of the EU average or 27% of French people. Similarly, when it comes to treatment in politics, only half of Romanians (48%) believe that female politicians are disadvantaged and that men are treated better, compared to the EU average of 54% or 70% of Swedes. Eleven percent of Romanians even believe that women in politics are treated better than men, compared to 6% of the EU average or 4% of Poles. These figures show that Romanians are less aware of gender discrimination against women in the workplace or in politics.

On other issues, Romanians are more balanced than respondents in neighboring countries. For example, Romanians are evenly divided (49% agree, 49% disagree, 2% don't know) on the question "Is having children more fulfilling for a woman than for a man?" compared to 79% of respondents in Hungary and 70% of respondents in Poland who believe that having children is more fulfilling for a woman than for a man. The EU average is 43% agree versus 53% disagree, with the most significant contrast being in Sweden, where only 19% agree versus 78% disagree.

Another area where Romanians are the most conservative is paternity leave: only 53% of Romanians believe that taking parental leave is an enriching experience for a father, compared to 95% of Swedes, 87% of French, and 75% of Poles. Only Bulgaria comes close to Romania in this regard, where 64% agree with this statement. The discrepancies can also be explained by the lack of access to parental leave for men, which is much more pronounced in Romania than in other countries.

Another aspect of the survey relates to the idea of gender equality, where Romanians are again the least informed on the subject: only 66% of Romanians agree with the statement "Men would also benefit from equality between women and men", the lowest percentage of all countries, with the EU average being 75%. Neighboring countries are in line with the EU average, as are countries such as France, Germany, and Spain, with only Sweden having an overwhelming majority of 96% agreeing with this statement. This actually highlights a lack of knowledge about the benefits of gender equality for men and an outdated perception of gender roles.

A final interesting aspect is that of feminism, where Romanians are fairly aligned with the EU average: 42% of Romanians agree that "feminism goes too far," compared to 45% of the EU average or 53% of Spaniards. On the other hand, 50% of Romanians disagree with this statement, in other words, respondents are aware that there is still much to be done in terms of gender equality in society.

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Data source: Special Eurobarometer 545/2024 "Gender Stereotypes" https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2974

Data processing and text design: Maria-Luiza Apostolescu

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL

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