BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 4. At the request of Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova, Member of Parliament and Vice President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) from Azerbaijan Sevil Mikayilova attended the IPU Global Conference of Women Parliamentarians in Belgrade, Serbia, Trend reports.
The conference was held under the theme on "Advancing parity: Breaking the barriers of gender stereotypes and negative social norms". Sevil Mikayilova chaired the session on "Working together against stereotypes and negative norms" held as part of the event.
Summarizing the session as chair, the Azerbaijani MP emphasized the importance of promoting the principle of equality in legislation.
“Unfortunately, discrimination remains a reality for many women and girls around the world. According to the United Nations, more than 2.5 billion women and girls continue to live under discriminatory legal systems. These laws do not simply restrict rights on paper. They reinforce harmful stereotypes by sending a message that women deserve fewer opportunities, less protection, or a smaller role in public life,” she said.
The MP noted that Azerbaijan has witnessed important progress in this direction.
“One of the most significant recent developments is a proposed amendment to the Labour Code that would require employers to provide equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, regardless of gender. This is an important step because pay inequality is often rooted in the stereotype that women's work is somehow less valuable than men's. By strengthening the principle of equal pay, Azerbaijan is sending a clear message that work should be valued according to its contribution, not according to the gender of the person performing it,” she said.
Mikayilova noted that women's participation in the economy is also expanding.
“According to preliminary data for 2025, women represent 48.1 percent of the employed population. They account for 30.3 percent of civil servants and 23.7 percent of individual entrepreneurs. These figures reflect increasing economic participation and demonstrate that women are contributing to growth, innovation, and public service across the country,” she added.
The Global Conference of Women Parliamentarians was organized by IPU, in cooperation with the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. This conference provided an exciting new platform to exchange experiences and define innovative strategies to advance gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment.
