Subject: Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-08 From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" CONTENTS [01] PM Tsipras' message on International Women's Day [02] State arrears to private sector up in January [03] International Women's Day: Gender equality has been achieved typically and not essentially --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01] PM Tsipras' message on International Women's Day The struggle for equality, justice, dignity continues, noted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in his message for International Women's Day. In his post on facebook and twitter, Tsipras refers to the bloody strike of the seamstresses on March 8, 1857 and to other women with strong symbolism in the recent social and political period. "The face of the women accross the world that do not succumb," as he stated adding "this struggle for equality, justice and dignity has "the face of the women accross the world that struggle with passion." [02] State arrears to private sector up in January State arrears to the private sector grew by 292 million euros in January to 3.602 billion euros, from 3.310 billion in December 2016, official figures showed on Wednesday. Pending tax returns eased slightly to 1.206 billion euros in January, from 1.226 billion in December. Social insurance arrears totaled 2.238 billion euros, up from 2.024 billion in December 2016. [03] International Women's Day: Gender equality has been achieved typically and not essentially "In a democratic and humane society, the International Women's Day reminds us of what remains to be conquered, because the main challenge remains the gender equality," Dimitra Kogkidou, professor in the Faculty of Education and President of the Commission for Gender and Equality in Aristotle University said in an interview with the Athens Macedonian News Agency (ANA). "If career means hard work for a man, for a woman it means hard work and even harder struggle for acceptance," she underlined and added: "The course towards the gender equality is long and slow and it requires planning and implementation of gender policies. The professor accused the media for reproducing the gendered stereotypes, while "their role could be decisive in promoting gender equality and help overcome the sexist example of society organization." The children are trapped in gender stereotypes with the little girls "being more and more trapped in the dictatorship of femininity and of the mirror and the little boys to be excluded from games characterised as girlish. The full interview is available in Greek at ANA's website.