GSCG Toolkit Annex Cyprus

Overview in Cyprus

Cyprus has made steady progress in mainstreaming gender equality across education, employment, and public policy, though gendered patterns in subject choice and occupational segregation persist—particularly in STEM, care-related fields, and technical trades. The external evaluation of the Gender-Sensitive Career Guidance (GSCG) Toolkit in Cyprus confirmed its strong relevance to this context, with practitioners rating the overall structure and usability highly (average 4.17/5; design & structure 4.33/5). These findings reflect a system increasingly focused on equitable education and career progression, but still contending with entrenched stereotypes in both schooling and the labour market. The Toolkit’s practical tools and real-life examples directly address this need by equipping practitioners with accessible resources to identify, discuss, and counteract bias in career decision-making. The external evaluation of WP5 in Cyprus shows that practitioners rated the Toolkit highly for structure and usability.

According to the Ministry of Justice and Public Order (2025), a decisive policy shift came with the 2024–2026 National Strategy for Gender Equality—the first comprehensive strategy of its kind—developed following extensive consultations.

Institutional mechanisms have also been upgraded. The National Machinery for Women’s Rights (NMWR) ensures gender mainstreaming in the use of EU Cohesion Policy Funds, while a 2023 Council of Ministers decision mandated that every ministry and deputy ministry appoint a gender focal point. The July 2024 Commissioner for Gender Equality and Related Matters Law further institutionalised this framework, upgrading the Commissioner’s role and embedding gender focal points across the public administration. Notably, Cyprus also adopted a National Action Plan (2021–2025) to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, underscoring recognition of the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and their vital role in peacebuilding.

Taken together, these developments indicate a strong institutional commitment to gender mainstreaming, but also highlight the importance of concrete, easy-to-use instruments like the GSCG Toolkit. The Toolkit complements Cyprus’s strategic priorities by translating high-level commitments into practical steps that counsellors can implement in schools, VET centres, and private guidance services, directly supporting the objectives of the 2024–2026 national strategy and contributing to the broader European and international agenda on gender equality.

Gender-Sensitive Career Guidance Current State in Cyprus

Insights from the counsellors consulted during the GUIDE interviews reveal that many adolescents approach guidance with broad sector interests (e.g., business, law, IT, engineering, health), often prioritising perceived earnings and prestige over fit, values, or working realities.

Career guidance in Cyprus is delivered primarily through the secondary education system, vocational institutions, and private counselling services. Over the past decade, there has been a gradual shift toward more personalised and inclusive approaches. School counsellors and private advisors emphasise that their role is to support students in identifying individual interests and strengths, rather than prescribing pathways that reflect traditional gender roles. For example, some counsellors describe introducing diagnostic tools, aptitude tests, and reflective exercises that help students explore a broad spectrum of careers without reference to gender. The GSCG Toolkit reinforces these practices: Cypriot practitioners praised its structured tools and real-life examples as “ready to use” in sessions, making it easier to incorporate gender-sensitive reflection without needing to design bespoke materials.

Another positive development is the timing of interventions. Guidance is no longer confined to the final years of upper secondary school. Instead, counsellors now begin earlier, in lower secondary, so that students can make informed subject choices that will later shape their higher education and vocational opportunities. This earlier involvement reflects recognition that stereotypes often crystallise well before adolescence. In addition, in private practice, counsellors described deliberately using “myth-busting” methods—such as contrasting the romanticised image of medicine or law with the demanding reality of those professions—to push students to think critically about their motivations. Such approaches are seen as essential for counteracting prestige-driven choices.

Despite these advances, the persistence of gendered assumptions in education and employment remains a significant barrier. The MIGS (2020) study documents study, teachers and counsellors themselves can reproduce stereotypes, sometimes unconsciously.

The labour market context reinforces these patterns. Employers often signal preferences for male or female applicants, shaping the advice counsellors give to students. Women are still more frequently channelled into lower-level or support positions, while men are perceived as more suitable for leadership and technical roles. Pay gaps and the enduring male breadwinner model exacerbate these dynamics. Work–life balance considerations are an especially strong factor for young women, who often make choices based on anticipated family responsibilities. These realities sustain vertical and horizontal segregation, despite a policy framework that enshrines equality.

Another challenge is the lack of comprehensive and accessible information about career options, particularly technical and vocational pathways (MIGS, 2020). Students and parents are often unaware of the range of opportunities in VET and STEM, while university education continues to be valorised as the “superior” route. As a result, technical schools remain underpopulated by girls, and many young people make choices based more on social perceptions than on labour market realities or personal fit.

The piloting of the GSCG Toolkit itself marks an important step forward. Practitioners in Cyprus rated it highly for clarity, practicality, and ease of use (4.17/5), with only minor requests for additional interactive content. This shows both readiness to engage with gender-sensitive guidance and appetite for concrete tools that can be applied immediately in practice.

The MIGS study adds a critical perspective: while policy commitments are strong, change requires long-term investment, systematic teacher training, and dedicated budget lines. Without these, efforts risk remaining symbolic rather than transformative. The GSCG Toolkit aligns well with these recommendations, offering a practical means of bridging policy ambition with day-to-day counselling practice.

Stakeholder Perspectives & Good Practices

As highlighted by the counsellors involved in the interviews done in the context of the project, students approach career guidance with broad but often prestige-driven aspirations. Law, medicine, business, and engineering are frequently cited as desirable fields, largely due to perceptions of high salaries, stability, and social prestige.

Parents remain highly influential in shaping decisions, but their role is evolving. Rather than imposing choices, parents increasingly act as co-decision-makers, helping their children weigh options and providing the financial support needed for studies. Grandparents also play a role, often transmitting traditional views about “appropriate” careers for boys and girls. At the same time, social media has emerged as a powerful force, shaping aspirations through influencers, online narratives, and lifestyle imagery. Practitioners noted that this influence can reinforce stereotypes—such as associating masculinity with engineering and femininity with aesthetics—but also occasionally broaden horizons by exposing youth to non-traditional role models.

From the labour market side, counsellors pointed to employers as another source of gendered influence. Some openly express preferences for male or female employees, while others subtly reinforce stereotypes through recruitment and promotion practices. As one focus group participant noted, women are often placed in support roles, while men are seen as natural leaders or technical specialists. Such dynamics complicate the work of counsellors, who must balance realistic advice with efforts to challenge inequality.

MIGS (2020) also points to several innovative practices that are emerging in Cyprus to counter these challenges.

Myth-busting prestige professions: Counsellors deliberately challenge students’ idealised views of medicine, law, or engineering by presenting the demands, risks, and long training periods required. This technique helps students think critically about whether these careers align with their values and lifestyle expectations.
Reframing non-traditional choices: A powerful local example is that of a young man who combined business management with the beauty industry, successfully running a spa. Counsellors use this case to dismantle the assumption that beauty is a “female” field, instead presenting it as a viable entrepreneurial opportunity.
Role-model storytelling: MIGS stresses the value of role models who defy stereotypes, such as women in technical professions and men in care sectors. Incorporating these examples into classroom discussions or guidance materials helps normalise counter-stereotypical paths.
Exposure visits: Teachers interviewed in the MIGS study recommended organising visits to technical schools and STEM workplaces to give students firsthand experience and combat preconceptions. This exposure is especially important for girls, who remain underrepresented in these fields.

Feedback from Cypriot practitioners who piloted the GSCG Toolkit was overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated the practicality of the tools and templates, noting that they could be used directly in sessions without additional adaptation. The clarity of the structure and examples was also praised, with most users finding the Toolkit intuitive and accessible. Suggestions for improvement centred on adding more interactive and experiential elements, such as role-playing exercises, scenarios, and gamified activities, to better engage students and bring concepts to life. This feedback aligns with broader recommendations from the MIGS study, which called for early, hands-on interventions that go beyond information provision to actively challenge stereotypes.

Overall, stakeholder perspectives highlight both the persistence of gendered norms and the promising practices emerging to counter them. Practitioners are not only aware of the challenges but also experimenting with creative approaches—many of which can be strengthened and scaled through the structured support of the GSCG Toolkit.

Conclusions & Recommendations

Cyprus shows both readiness and need for gender-sensitive career guidance. The Toolkit has been positively received, aligning well with the new National Strategy for Gender Equality and filling gaps in counsellors’ resources. However, stereotypes persist across education, labour market practices, and even within professional guidance itself. MIGS highlights that without long-term, funded commitments—particularly teacher training and systematic information campaigns—progress risks plateauing.

Recommendations for integration/adaptation

Localise with Cyprus-specific cases: embed examples from technical schools, local employers, and national equality strategies to make the Toolkit contextually relevant.
Enhance experiential learning: integrate short challenges, gamified quizzes, and role-play scenarios that expose unconscious gender steering and prestige myths.
Strengthen exposure to non-traditional paths: link guidance activities to visits, demonstrations, and success stories in underrepresented fields (as urged by MIGS and teachers).
Engage parents and employers: develop short awareness sessions and employer briefings to counteract family and workplace stereotyping that influences career decisions.

How this annex complements the GUIDE Toolkit

This annex bridges high-level policy with practice: it situates the Toolkit within Cyprus’s legislative and strategic framework, incorporates practitioner voices and employer realities, and provides locally grounded recommendations for adaptation. By doing so, it ensures the Toolkit does not remain an abstract resource but becomes an actionable instrument for tackling gender segregation in Cypriot education and employment.

Resources

Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies. (2020). Free to Choose: Gender segregation in education and employment in Cyprus. Nicosia: MIGS.
Ministry of Justice and Public Order. (2025). National mechanisms for gender equality. Nicosia: Government of the Republic of Cyprus.