National Bureau of Statistics // Gender statistics

Gender Statistics presents statistical data on women and men, reflecting their situation in all areas of community life. It is one of the important instruments that allows recording of characteristics of women and men, as specific social-demographic groups, in the development of optimal social-demographic policies, achievement of equality principle of rights and opportunities for women and men.

This Webpage presents a part of NBS information in this field and comprises statistical data that reflect the current situation of women and men in the Republic of Moldova.

Population

According the situation as of 01.01.2012, women represented 51,0% that is more that a half of population of the Republic of Moldova;
In average, women live 8,1 years more that men (life expectancy at birth is 74,92 years for women and 66,82 years for men);
Annually, less girls than boys are born. In 2011, 48,5% girls were born, out of the total number of live births;
The average age for marriage is 24 years for women and 26 years for men;
The most frequent divorces were registered for the age group of 30-34 years, approximately 20,3%;
Maternal mortality represents 15 deaths per 100,000 live births;
Life expectancy at birth is increasing both for women and for men;
Total fertility rate is still at a low level, representing 1,3 in 2011.

Labour market

The unemployment rate is lower for women as compared to men (4,8% compared with 7,1%), however, the share of women is higher among inactive population (53,5%);
Women work more in Agriculture (24,1%), Public Administration, Education, Health and Social Assistance (29,9%), also in Trade, and Hotels and Restaurants (22,2%);
By groups of occupations, there are more unskilled specialists (26,2%), employees in Trade and Services (21,7%) and specialists with high level of qualification (18,4%);
As status in employment, the majority are employees (75,0%, compared with 0,5% which run the own business and 20% which are self-employed).

The types of “feminised” economic activities are the following:

Health and Social Assistance (80,7% of employees);
Education (75,4% of employees);
Hotels and Restaurants (71,1% of employees);
Financial Activities (67% of employees);
Leisure, Culture and Sport (59,4% of employees).

In average, women earn less than men with 12,2% (in 2011, the average women salary represented 87,8% of the average salary of men).

Health

Women represent more than a half of total doctors/physicians – 61,3%, and 412,1 women doctors and 309,6 men doctors are per 100 thousand inhabitants;
The assisting medical staff has a share of 94,0% feminisation;
Men, still, are the most affected by tuberculosis; 130,7 men compared to 50,9 women per 100 thousand inhabitants. The most vulnerable categories are those among the age groups of 35-54 years (41,3%) and 25-34 years (23,8%);
Although insignificantly, the incidence of malignant tumours prevails for men, in average – 234,7 cases per 100 thousand men, compared to 219,9 cases per 100 thousand women;
The alcoholism is a disease specific mostly for men, where the incidence is 6 times higher compared to women. 84,8% are men and 15,2% women out of the total number of persons registered with the alcoholism and alcoholic psychosis diagnosis;
The infections by sexually transmitted diseases are registered with a higher incidence among women, 840,7 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, compared with men – 385,5 registered cases per 100 thousand inhabitants;
The primary incidence of disability is higher among men, 439,6 persons per 100 thousand men, compared to 279,5 persons per 100 thousand women.

Education

Women

Represent more than a half of the total of pupils/students enrolled in the national system of education (50,6%);
In the upper secondary education, they have a share of 57%, whereas in the post-secondary and higher education institutions – 55,3% and 56,3% accordingly, from the total number of students;
The girls from post-secondary, non-tertiary institutions prefer the following profiles: Pedagogy (92,4%), Administrative Science (84,9%), Services (84,0%), Medicine and Pharmacy (83,2%), and Social Assistance (81,2%);
From the higher education institutions, the following areas are the most popular among girls: Social Assistance (81,6%), Educational Sciences (81,3%), Social Sciences (78,4%), Communication Sciences (77,9%), and Medicine and Pharmacy (74,2%);
Only 721 PhD women performed Research activities as compared with 1031 men;
The highest share of women – teachers is attested in the primary and general secondary education (84,3%).

Men

Men are predominant only in the secondary vocational education – 68,7%; the most popular professions are: mechanic, welder, carpenter, specialist in the repair and maintenance of electric equipment;
In the post-secondary, non-tertiary education institutions, the following areas are the most popular: Electronics and Energetics (96,6%), Mechanics (95,4%), Transports (91,4%), Constructions (86,3%);
In the higher education institutions, men are predominant in the following areas: Military (100%), Transport Services (94,7%), Engineering and related activities (86,5%), Physical culture and sports (71,4%);
The most men-teachers work in the higher education institutions (47,0%).

Living conditions/Welfare

Characteristics of households headed by women (the head of the household is woman):

the households lead by women are most frequent in the urban area (47,3% compared to 36,8% in the rural area);
most of them are formed of a single person (44,9% compared to 12,5% in the case of those headed by men);
represent the most cases of single parents with children (4,6% compared to 0,2% in the case of households headed by men);
the average monthly disposable income is a little higher in the case of households headed by men (1 485,1 MDL compared with 1 423,6 MDL in case of women).

Characteristics of households headed by men (the head of the household is man):

there are more households headed by men in the rural area (63,2% compared to 52,7% in the urban area);
most of them are created by family couples without children (29,8% compared to 5,8% headed by women) or have one dependent child (20,8% compared 18,0% headed by women);
paid employment activity is an important income source for the households headed by men (47,2% of total incomes, compared with 40,0% in the case of households headed by women);
the social payments and remittances are a characteristic of households headed by women.

Criminality

In the republic, the criminality phenomenon is mostly predominant among men; women represent a relatively low share among the persons that committed crimes (9,7%);
1004,8 criminals-men are per 100 thousand men, and 103,3 women – per 100 thousand women. According the types of committed crimes, women are mostly involved in thefts and drug related crimes, whereas men are most often involved in severe crimes, such as: murders, rapes and serious intentional injuries. In 2011, 63 men and 22 women committed murders, 269 men and 22 women – serious intentional injuries, 210 men - rapes.