AmCham Slovakia

 Women in the Public and Business Sphere –  

Politics and Healthcare as Pillars for Better Society 

March 8^th  (Jurkovičova tepláreň) 

International Women’s Day  

30 years of Independent Slovakia 

8:30 – 9:00 Registration, Coffee & Breakfast, Networking

9:00 – 9:05 Opening & Introductory remarks (Gabriel Galgóci – President, AmCham Slovakia)

9:05 – 9:10 Introductory remarks (Oľga Gyárfášová – Social Issues and Public Opinion, Advisor to Zuzana Čaputová, President of Slovakia)

9:15 - 10:20:

1) Advancing Women’s Participation in Leading Positions and Political Culture in Slovakia (panel) 

According to the UN Women, women's political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. It facilitates women's direct engagement in public decision-making. Women’s participation in politics affects both the range of policy issues that get considered and the types of solutions that are proposed. Studies show that whether a legislator is male or female has a distinct impact on their policy priorities.  

At the same time, in Slovakia, only 21% of parliament members are women, whereas the European average is 33%. Women in public and political functions face significantly more harassment and hateful comments on social media, than their male counterparts. In this panel, we will discuss the importance of female political representation, the obstacles that women in politics face, and how to encourage more women to strive for leading positions in the private and public spheres. 

Speakers:

• Karolína Koščová - Political Advisor, European Parliament
• Brigita Schmögnerová – Economist
• Miroslav Beblavý - Economist, CEO CB ESPRI
• Zuzana Želinská - EU Corporate Finance Head, Associate Vice President - Finance and Operations, Ness

Moderator:

Zuzana Kovačič Hanzelová

10:20 - 10:25 Break

10:25 - 10:50:

2) Fireside chat: Protecting LGBTQ+ people and their rights, best practices, and tips from the private sector on how to ensure their safety and wellbeing  

Instead of support and protection of LGBTQ+ community after the recent tragic events, they have been used as a tool for political gain. How can we create a supportive and safe environment?  

Speakers:

• Martin Macko - Executive Director, Inakosť
• Matej Ftáčnik - CEO, Vacuumlabs

Moderator:

Zuzana Kovačič Hanzelová

10:50 - 11:10 Coffee break 

11:10 - 12:20: 

3) Healthy Women and Women in Healthcare: Ensuring Access to Quality Healthcare for All (panel) 

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of healthcare workers to resilient health systems and global health security. According to the WHO, women hold 70% of health worker jobs globally, and are 90% of nurses. The pandemic has exposed deep inequalities that undermine health systems, including gender inequality within the health workforce.   

Despite women making up 50 percent of the population, women have been underrepresented in clinical trials and research, with not enough information about female-specific issues, furthermore, women tend to be misdiagnosed more often. Even though women live longer than men, they spend a more significant proportion of their lives in ill health and disability, with growing geographic inequalities in women’s life expectancy. 

In this panel, we will discuss the lack of gender-specific data about the state of women’s health and access to healthcare in Slovakia and the absence of a comprehensive strategy for women’s health.  

Speakers:

• Miriam Lapuníková - Executive Director, Roosevelt hospital
• Miroslava Fövényes - Civic Association Lymphoma Slovakia
• Martina Antošová - Senior Project Manager, University Hospital Martin
• Alena Kendrick - Director of Nursing Department in a medical development team commissioning NNG Bratislava Bory

Moderator: Tomáš Szalay - Analyst, Health Policy Institute

12:20 - 13:30 Lunch