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.