Post by Bozur on Oct 7, 2010 0:04:36 GMT -5
Foreign women complain of racism, sexism in Cyprus
By George Psyllides Published on October 6, 2010
WOMEN from Bulgaria and Romania who have been in Cyprus for a long time have complained that most Cypriot men view them as sex objects and they often face sexual overtures, a survey presented yesterday concluded.
“Often, when I walk home from work, men stop and ask to take me with them or sometimes they ask how much money I want,” one woman said.
Another said her driving licence examiner had asked for sex in exchange for passing the test, while another claimed she was sexually harassed by her boss and threatened with dismissal if she did not agree.
The survey, carried out on behalf of the Socialist Women’s Movement, was qualitative and involved eight focus groups with women from Britain, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Pontos.
The Bulgarian and Romanian women said it was not difficult for them to find work on the island.
Most are employed in bakeries and supermarkets while others work in clinics and homes for the elderly.
Despite the ease in finding work, the women complained about the disparities in pay compared with Cypriot women. One supermarket pays them €4 per hour while their Cypriot colleagues make €5, they said.
However, the women said they had a hard time finding a place to live because most landlords did not want to rent to them.
“I called a gentleman and when I told him I am from Bulgaria he told me the flat had been rented. I told a Cypriot colleague to call and she was told it was available and she could view it whenever she wanted,” one woman said.
Most feel they are the victims of racism but partly justify this by the relatively high number of Bulgarian and Romanian nationals implicated in crimes.
They did however censure the media, which cultivates a xenophobic climate.
Pontian women living in Cyprus also face adjustment problems as they are victims of racism at work, in their neighbourhood and their children’s schools.
“My kids are always to blame for anything that happens at school,” a Pontian woman said. “One day when they were ill and did not go to school they were accused of breaking a window and police came round to take statements.”
They too, like the Romanian and Bulgarian women, have difficulties finding places to live.
“After a lot of difficulties I found a house in Strovolos (Nicosia) and I bought it. I asked the woman who sold it to me what she had told the neighbours and she said she told them I was Greek because they did not want Pontians in the neighbourhood.”
Greek women who took part in the survey said they did not have any problems in Cyprus with some finding it better than Greece.
In contrast to Bulgarian, Romanian, and Pontian women, those from Britain appear unwilling to learn Greek since almost all Cypriots speak English well.
Most have settled on the island permanently after retirement or are here for work or have followed their spouse who works in Cyprus.
Their children adjust well in English-language private schools while usually they prefer to socialise with other families from Britain.
A lot of them, mainly older - possibly because Cyprus used to be a British colony -consider Cypriots to be beneath them and are often snobbish towards them, the survey said.
But at least some of the British women interviewed appeared to be content with Cypriot hospitality and security.
“Our neighbours in the village where I live with my husband many times bring us traditional sweets and foods they make… they are very friendly with us.”
Another one said: “Security is very important for me. Here I let my children play outside on the street or go to the convenience store on their own. In England you could never do that… in the neighbourhood I lived in England they shot three people outside my house.”
The survey was conducted in May by Insights Market Research in cooperation with the European University of Nicosia. It comprised of interviews that lasted between 90 minutes and two hours.
www.cyprus-mail.com/sexism/foreign-women-complain-racism-sexism-cyprus/20101006