This was confirmed by the ANTRIM-2025 Inbound Tourism Forum held in Chisinau, where special attention was paid to women in entrepreneurship.
But despite formal achievements, such as gender quotas in Parliament, initiatives on flexible working hours, paternity leave and even the integration of a gender perspective into budget planning, much of the progress remains only on paper.
As noted, about 34% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova are run by women. Women’s participation rate in the labor market is lower than men’s, as the lack of care services limits Moldovan women’s access to the labor market. The care of children, the elderly and people with disabilities most often falls on women’s shoulders, especially in rural areas. This has a direct impact on their participation in the economy. For the sake of domestic care, women are often forced to either give up their professional careers or choose flexible work, which limits their opportunities for career advancement.
Studies have shown that having one or more children reduces a woman’s labor force participation by 20% if she is between the ages of 29 and 45.
Thus, the issue of women’s economic habilitation is acute in Moldova. It implies the expansion of their rights, ensuring their full participation in the economic life of society, the possibility to develop business and make decisions on an equal footing with men.
The activities of non-governmental and professional organizations are aimed at this. Thanks to the “Prietenește pentru Femei” initiative, which started with a partnership with ODA and continued with support from ANTRIM, every year at least 5 women from the tourism industry receive grants.
“We noticed that the most serious, responsible, result-oriented and deadline-driven were the women. Themost beautiful, creative, touching projects were realized by women, so today we have a total of 37 women who have received grants, some even twice, and 21 of them work in the tourism business“, – said Ludmila Andronic, Director of Corporate Affairs of Efes Moldova.
Also, within the framework of cooperation with UN Women, a new form of support will be provided in 2025 – financial vouchers for women participating in similar programs.
During the event, the idea of financing small gastronomic enterprises on the basis of households as an alternative to formal business was expressed. According to Lyudmila Andronic, this would allow women who are not ready to open an SRL or SA, but are able to run their own small business, to earn money. “A small gastronomic outlet will bring a small income – and several women at once: one has a duck, another has a goose, the third knows how to bake bread. So I am very much looking forward to when this concept will appear and when we will be able to finance such projects,” she said.
