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Women's working conditions in Bulgaria are among the worst in the EU

Bulgaria lags behind in the Women's Equality Index for 2024

In Bulgaria, women live on average nearly 5 years less than the average life expectancy of women in EU countries

Photo: iStock

Women's working conditions in Bulgaria are among the worst in the EU, with the country ranking 17th with a score of 7.25 out of 10 possible. The result is due to the small number of women in management positions, according to an analysis by the Reboot Online agency for 2025. For the fifth consecutive year, ahead of International Women's Day - March 8, the agency is analyzing gender equality.

Bulgaria has 64.5 out of 100 points on the Gender Equality Index for 2024. Its score is 6.5 points lower than that of the EU as a whole. On this indicator, the country ranks 17th in the EU, dropping one place.

Bulgaria ranks third in the EU in terms of the risk of poverty for women - 25%, which has increased by 3 percent since 2010 and by 1% since 2021. since. The risk of poverty for women is 6% higher than for men.

The European Institute for Gender Equality Index reports that since 2023, the share of women ministers in Bulgaria has decreased from 37% to 33% in 2024. As for the representation of women in parliament, in 2024 women accounted for 24% of the members. In municipal councils, the representation of women is slightly higher - 27%. It is reported that there are no legally established quotas for candidates in Bulgaria

The share of women on the boards of the largest companies listed on the stock exchange has also decreased from 19% in 2023 to 18% in 2024.

Bulgaria is among the EU countries with the highest share of women scientists and engineers, according to Eurostat. Among EU countries, the share of women scientists and engineers varies widely, with the highest share being registered in Denmark (50.8%), Spain (50.0%) and Bulgaria (49.1%).

In Bulgaria, women live on average nearly 5 years less than the average life expectancy of women in EU countries. Reasons for this can be found in healthcare, the food we eat, as well as in lifestyle and a more stressful everyday life compared to the situation in other EU countries.

In Bulgaria, women receive an average of 5.18 euros for one hour of work, while in Germany they earn 19.93 euros, according to the latest Eurostat data. At the same time, the prices of a number of foods in stores in Germany are lower than those in Bulgaria.

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