Domna Michailidou: You must prove that “you are not an elephant” and you will not say silly

The school and student years, Piraeus, the politics and role of the woman in it were some of what was discussed on Friday morning (08.03.2024) by the Minister of Labour, and the . The two women met on the set of the show MEGA Good morning on the day of the Women’s Day. Domna Michailidou and Eleonora Study talked about everything, with the Minister of Labour saying that gender equality at a practical level does not apply. “Piraios is our neighborhood, it’s all close. We have a port that is now much nicer than the years we’ve grown up. We have a community that is proud of Piraeus and we have greater extroversion. I still live in Piraeus and I’m a civilist there. Because I’m an only child, I’ve been missing company in the house, so since I was a kid, I’ve been social. I wasn’t first in class but I was very good at classes. When you’re a child, you do politics without realizing it. I wasn’t politicized, I was at 15-member, then Cambridge University where I studied, I was president of my college, president of university graduate. Although there is no party sign there, unconsciously I did things for my student community,” he said initially. “I had no intention of dealing with politics. I was an academic and taught economics. This had nothing to do with the work I did as Undersecretary of Welfare I was dealing with institutions, with children, nothing to do with banking and financial models. Now that I’m dealing with unemployment, pension, the labour market that still has nothing to do with what I studied. It’s important because it’s not that we’re in a everyday life that forces you to do what you studied. He has taught you many more things, for example, to work on a team and others,” he continued. For employers and unemployment indicators, the Minister of Labour said: “The unemployment rate is now at 9%. Not a decade ago we were 19%. We have not been able to combat black work much.” On the occasion of today, Domna Michailidou referred to the position of woman in modern society and her conquests at work. “There is this paradox: on the one hand constitutionally we have guaranteed full equality between man and woman but on a practical level it is not the case that you find your place at a table but you do not have the same “voice” and you often need to prove that “you are not an elephant” and that what you will say is not silly. I’ve lived them every day and in politics. You are in a debate and 9 out of 10 are men,” he stressed. And Mrs Michailidou continued talking about the Ministry’s initiatives and the legislative framework: “it is a huge issue of motherhood and work. Many women want to go back to work and I think “I will leave my child”. It is important for us what services we do, for example, in kindergartens, we give full support to women, maternity leave in branches such as freelance professionals or rural women. This month the platform for unemployed women opens. If that woman wants to go back to work she has the right to transfer her husband the maternity allowance. Also if you are selfemployed and your allowance is received by your husband who is employed, then the man receives the maternity allowance and the gifts of the employee.” Finally, Domna Michailidou explained that she herself has been faced with racist comments: “I often experience questioning. Yet there are people who have the experience of the past and are older in age. But young people are more open to perceptions, we are not so afraid,” he concluded.