Higher Participation Of Women Research Articles

On the cost of wearing white shorts in women's sport

The menstrual cycle and associated issues are still considered taboo in many societies, causing a lack of understanding and sub-optimal decision making. Sport can effectively promote awareness of social issues in general, including those concerning the menstrual cycle. One such issue is the anxiety arising from wearing white shorts. Despite increased awareness, still over half the teams participating in the recent 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup played in white shorts. In this study, I investigated women's and men's football games from the World Cups and the European Championships between 2002 and 2023. Using regression analysis, and after controlling for teams’ abilities and other factors, I found that women's teams wearing white shorts achieved between 0.32 and 0.37 fewer points per game. No such effect was observed among men. This result illustrates that a lack of understanding of period anxiety has an immediate cost that is very easy to avoid by simply not playing in white shorts. Most importantly, given that sport is an important vehicle of gender equality, increased awareness of period anxiety could result in higher participation of women in sports and, ultimately, in narrowing other gender gaps.

The individual- and community-level women's empowerment and utilization of maternity care services in Afghanistan: a multilevel cross-validation study.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between women's empowerment and utilization of maternity care for married Afghan women aged 15-49 y in Afghanistan, assessing the convergence validity of the Survey-based Women's Empowerment Index in Afghanistan (SWEI-A). The study used data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic Health Survey to examine the association of different domains of women's empowerment with the utilization of maternity care using multilevel Poisson regression at both individual and community levels. The utilization of maternity services was considerably higher among women with high scores compared with those with low scores in almost all domains of the SWEI-A, except for property owning, in which women with high scores appeared to have lower rates of utilization of such services compared with those with low scores. At the community level, those communities with high participation of women in the labor force were less likely to have adequate antenatal care (ANC), institutional delivery and postnatal care (PNC). Individual-level literacy was associated with higher utilization of ANC, institutional delivery and PNC, contrary to community-level literacy. Except for property owning, the high score in almost all other domains was associated with higher utilization of maternity care, which indicates an acceptable level of convergence validity for the developed index (i.e. the SWEI-A) in measuring women's empowerment among married Afghan women aged 15-49 y.

“What is your secret sauce to win?” – gender performance at entrepreneurial pitching

PurposeThis study aims to explore gender performance in entrepreneurial pitching. Understanding pitching as a social practice, the authors argue that pitch content and body gestures contain gender-based norms and practices. The authors focus on early-stage ventures and the hegemonic masculinities and femininities that are performed in entrepreneurial pitches. The main research question is as follows: How is gender performed in entrepreneurial pitching?Design/methodology/approachThe authors carried out the study with the post-structuralist feminist approach. The authors collected and analyzed nine online pitches with the reflexive thematic method to depict hegemonic masculinities and femininities performed at the pitch.FindingsThe authors found that heroic and breadwinner masculinities are dominant in pitching. Both male and female founders perform hegemonic masculinities. Entrepreneurs are expected to be assertive but empathetic people. Finally, there are connections between what entrepreneurs do and what investors ask, indicating the iteration of gender performance and expectations.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the online setting helps the authors to collect data during the pandemic, it limits the observation of the place, space and interactions between the judges/investors and the entrepreneurs. As a result, the linguistic and gesture communication of the investors in the pitch was not discussed in full-length in this paper. Also, as the authors observed, people would come to the pitch knowing what they should perform and how they should interact. Therefore, the preparation of the pitch as a study context could provide rich details on how gender norms and stereotypes influence people's interactions and their entrepreneurial identity. Lastly, the study has a methodological limitation. The authors did not include aspects of space in the analysis. It is mainly due to the variety of settings that the pitching sessions that the data set had.Practical implicationsFor social practices and policies, the results indicate barriers to finance for women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs are rewarded when they perform entrepreneurial hegemonic masculinities with a touch of emphasized femininities. Eventually, if women entrepreneurs do not perform correctly as investors expect them to, they will face barriers to acquiring finance. It is important to acknowledge how certain gendered biases might be (re)constructed and (re)produced through entrepreneurial activities, in which pitching is one of them.Social implicationsPractitioners could utilize research findings to understand how gender stereotypes exist not only on the pitch stage but also before and after the pitch, such as the choice of business idea and pitch training. In other words, it is necessary to create a more enabling environment for women entrepreneurs, such as customizing the accelerator program so that all business ideas receive relevant support from experts. On a macro level, the study has shown that seemingly gender-equal societies do not practically translate into higher participation of women in entrepreneurship.Originality/valueFor theoretical contributions, the study enhances the discussion that entrepreneurship is gendered; women and men entrepreneurs need to perform certain hegemonic traits to be legitimated as founders. The authors also address various pitching practices that shape pitch performance by including both textual and semiotic data in the study. This study provides social implications on the awareness of gendered norms and the design of entrepreneurial pitching.

Glass ceiling or glass cliff: an examination of the role of female board members on market performance in Poland

ABSTRACT We examine gender bias related to the effect of women in executive management leadership. Specifically, we examine when women are recruited to executive positions and follow companies’ market performance before and after their appointment. Our study is conceptually situated within the field of queuing theory, suggesting certain patterns of labour market queuing behaviour according to race, gender, and class. We formulate two hypotheses: (1) the presence of female executives is associated with lower firm value; and (2) companies with female-centric executive boards are valued lower by investors than companies with male-centric boards. We test these hypotheses employing panel data, using a unique sample of 159 companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the years 2006–2015, with hand-collected data on the number of female directors on executive boards. Our results suggest that market queuing behaviour is evident in the case of Poland. Men are more often hired in executive roles than women, whereas females are more likely to be appointed to executive boards in firms which are performing poorly. Moreover, higher participation of women in executive positions is associated with resulting lower value in the long run. According to our interpretation, isomorphism and gender bias diffuse through the reproduction and valuation of capitalist markets.

Missing Women in the Labour Force: Detrimental to India’s Growth

Since 2005, India has been witnessing a continuous downward trajectory in its already low female labour force participation rate (FLPR). In 2021, India’s FLPR declined even below the rates of our neighbouring countries - Pakistan and Bangladesh. Mechanization in agriculture, lack of job opportunities in semi-urban areas, regressive socio-cultural factors, lack of frequent transportation, and lack of affordable child care are some of the reasons for such a low and declining FLPR. Increasing FLPR has both social as well as economic benefits. Higher participation of women can improve the nation’s aggregate economic productivity by ensuring optimum utilization of human talent and ensuring diversity in the workplace. High FLPR can also help in improving development indicators like child nutrition, and women empowerment.

Determinants of Female Workforce Participation in Agriculture of Uttar Pradesh, India

Most of the rural female workforce is engaged in the agriculture sector and unequally distributed in various operations. The gender inequality in workforce participation in agriculture sector is easily visible. There is a high participation of women in some specific tasks and some others are recognized as male dominated work. According to NSSO 68th round data (2012) , the participation of women in various agricultural activities is only 17% in Uttar Pradesh, India. The diverse socio-economic status of rural Uttar Pradesh affects participation in different ways. The female participation as agricultural laborer is high in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and it is comparatively low in General and Other Backward Caste (OBC). Participation ratio is having an increasing trend from 15-29 to 30-44 years age groups, and later it is having a declining trend to older age groups. Female participation is increasing from small to medium-sized households, after which it has declined sharply here. Almost half (46%) of the women participation in agricultural is coming from households which derive at least half of their income from own farming. Education level and female participation are inversely associated. Female participation is found highest in families with marginal size of land holdings (74.61%), followed by small land holdings (12.66%) and medium land holdings. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been used to identify the key determinants of female participation in various operations. It is found that household type, education level and size of land are the most important among many other factors. This study is useful for offering suggestions to make the participation of women easier and more effective.

Does the Absence of Men from the Household Increase Girls’ Shares in EducationExpenditures? Evidence from Rural Pakistan

This article investigates the impact of men’s migration on expenditure by left-behind households on children’s education, focusing on the gendered distribution of this expenditure. Using longitudinal survey data of rural households in Pakistan, the effect of men’s migration on the share of households’ education expenditure spent on girls is estimated using the fixed-effects model (FEM). Results suggest that in households from which men migrate for periods longer than six months, the share of education expenditures spent on girls is up to 31 percent higher than that of the average household in the sample. There is no evidence of a significant impact on households’ total education expenditure due to this migration. Overall, in households where men are absent, the distribution of education expenditure tilts in favor of girls. A possible mechanism behind the increase in girls’ shares is the greater participation of women in household decisions in the absence of men. HIGHLIGHTS In Pakistan, rural households from which men have migrated have higher expenditure on girls’ schooling. Men’s outmigration plausibly expands women’s participation in household decisions. Women’s role in expenditure decisions may improve and increase investments in girls’ education. Higher participation of women in household decisions potentially reduces gender inequality.

Perspective in community forest management in Central Lombok Regency

The gender perspective in community forest management in Central Lombok Regency is focused on analyzing gender equality in domestic and productive activities, particularly access and control of forest resources. This research is conducted by using Framework Harvard Analysis through interviews with respondents, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with certain informants. The unit of this research’s analysis is women whose household has the right to manage community forest. This study shows that there is a gender equality bias which is indicated by the low participation of women in controlling forest resources (planning, regulation, evaluation) due to the stereotypical view of gender roles in decision making which is dominated by men. However, the high participation of women is more involved in terms of access to forest resources (implementation, crop productivity, utilization) to improve household food security. Forest farmer households with a high level of gender equality through the active involvement of women in controlling forest resources will improve social and economic adaptation strategies with a high level of diversity.

Suicide, gender and socio-economic factors: a panel study of 79 counties in the Slovak Republic

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between suicide rates broken down by gender and socio-economic factors in the Slovak Republic.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses panel data of 79 counties of the Slovak Republic for the period 1997–2019. Methodology used includes fixed effects regression and sensitivity analysis. Also, regressions with lagged variables are used.FindingsThe results show that per capita income and unemployment rate are associated with increased risk of suicide rates for both genders. Economic growth is negatively correlated and significant only for women. Women’s participation in the labor market does not have a significant impact. Social factors, such as divorce and fertility rate, have a significant effect on men but insignificant on women. Strong faith is associated with increasing men’s suicide rates. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the results. This paper also examined the possibility of cumulation of the effects by using lagged variables. Unemployment rate has a significant effect only in the simultaneous year and for men only. Per capita income and economic growth have insignificant impact for both the genders. Divorce rate has a significant positive relationship for men, if measured in the previous year. The fertility rate is negatively correlated with the suicide rate of women up to two years after the birth. Higher participation of women in the labor market has a positive relationship with men’s suicides in the simultaneous year.Research limitations/implicationsFew limitations of this paper need to be stated. First, the data are not balanced, as data for some districts and years are missing. Also, it is possible to collect data only for a maximum period of 29 years (as the Slovak Republic exists only from year 1993). Moreover, important variables in suicide research, like alcohol consumption or drug use, are not collected on the district level. Therefore, poor data availability is putting barriers to research of this area in the Slovak Republic. Second, there is a lack of previous studies in the Slovak Republic. According to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to deal with issue of suicides and socio-economic factors in the Slovak Republic; therefore, some important factors of the Slovak Republic influencing the results of this paper may be missed. Third, limitations in the methodological approach might influence the paper. The lagged-variables approach might require further methodological improvements and research like implementing a structural regression model.Originality/valueAccording to knowledge of the authors, this relationship has not yet been examined in Slovakia. This provided space for this paper. According to the information presented in this paper, it is important to take individual economic and social circumstances into account when developing suicide prevention programs. The results of this paper may lead to useful guidelines for health policymakers, but addressing this issue certainly requires further research.

Labour Force Projections in India Until 2060 and Implications for the Demographic Dividend

While India is entering the period of demographic dividend, female labour participation rates remain very low. This paper aims to provide the very first labour force projections for India and its regions up to the year 2060. Projections are achieved using a discrete-time microsimulation model in which changes in population size and composition come from the interaction between demographic characteristics, educational attainment, and secular tendencies. Labour force participation rates are estimated at the individual level using personal characteristics as predictors. Results show that under constant labour force participation rates, the labour force dependency ratio (non-workers/workers) is very unlikely to attain favourable levels, which compromises the potential demographic dividend that the country could gain from its favourable age-structure. At the subnational level, the forecast yields the most favourable dependency ratio in 2060 in the regions that combine both a low-age dependency ratio and a higher participation of women. Results moreover suggest that female labour force participation is a better driver of the labour force dependency ratio than the age composition.

Participation of women in science in the developed and developing worlds: inverted U of feminization of the scientific workforce, gender equity and retention

Abstract We consider various factors impacting the participation of women in science throughout the world, with a particular emphasis on developing countries. For the world as a whole, we find that when the percentage of women working in science in a country is plotted vs. the per capita GDP of the country (adjusted for purchasing power parity) the data fall on an inverted U-shaped ‘boomerang’ curve. Thus, as per capita wealth increases, the percentage of women in science first increases and then falls. This is in marked contrast to the (right-side-up) U-shaped curve that is well-established for the participation of women in the labor force as a whole, suggesting that there are factors in the culture of science that result in opposing trends to those observed in the general workforce. This also results in many developing countries having a much higher participation of women in the scientific workforce than is seen in economically developed countries. Contradicting previous reports to the contrary, we find a positive correlation between gender equality in science and the degree of overall gender equity in the country. Thus, we do not find evidence for the claim that greater gender equity results in the manifestation of innate gender differences in preferences for science. We find differing patterns of retention in science for women in developing and developed countries. We also briefly discuss other factors that make it difficult for women in developing countries to follow a scientific career, or to advance in their careers.

Gender and research publishing analyzed through the lenses of discipline, institution types, impact and international collaboration: a case study from India

Higher participation of women in higher education and research is a very important development goal in many countries across the world, with several countries creating special initiatives and schemes to increase participation of women in higher education and research. This article looks at a case study from India and aims to characterize the participation of women in research, by analysing the parameters of institution-type, discipline, citation impact and international collaboration. Research publication data from 50 most productive Indian institutions, along with data for 5 major institution systems, for a period of 10 years (2008–2017), as indexed in Web of Science, is obtained as sample data and analysed. Results obtained show that participation of women is found to vary in different disciplines, with biology (37%), agriculture science (32%), social science (31%) and medical science (32%) having relatively higher number of female 1st authored papers as compared to engineering (20%), information science (21%) and mathematics (22%). It is also observed that institutions specializing in medical sciences and social science have relatively better participation of women. In terms of location of institution in a big metropolitan city or an urban area, it was found that there do not exist any significant differentiation in levels of participation of women in research between institutions located in bigger cities or smaller towns. Further, analysis of citation and collaboration patterns show that though male authored papers have an edge in citation impact, women researchers get more internationally collaborated papers.

The Determinants of Women Workforce Participation among the Rabha women in Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council Area of Assam

Workforce participation of women is considered as a major factor in the progression of their economic independence and usually it has been considered as an indicator of their overall wellbeing status in the society. Higher participation of women in workforce is symbolised for their autonomy status and social and economic empowerment. But there are many determinants related to women entering into the workforce. The purpose of this study is to examine the main determinants of women workforce participation among the Rabha women in Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) area of Assam. The data from the socio-economic survey of Rabha women undertaken in four blocks of RHAC area during January to March 2019, are analysed by the logistic regression model. A number of potential variables are used in the model as independent variables. The results suggest that Marital status of Women, Education of Women, Age of Women, Number of earning members of the family and Number of existing children between the age group 0-6 affect significantly; and Occupation of Head of the household, Types of family, Age of Head of the household and Household income (in Rs. 1000) does not significantly affect the Rabha women entering into the workforce. It is suggested that in order to improve the working condition of female labor force, the economy will need to create more appealing working opportunities and government policies will have to create higher quality jobs which will encourage the women to enter into the job market.

INCOME IMPACT OF PASTORALIST WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN ALOE VERA SOAP PRODUCTION IN SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Commercial opportunity for indigenous Aloe Vera products appear to be increasing as there is a sustained demand from international as well as African market with high participation of women. However, its income impact on the livelihood of household is not yet addressed. Therefore, this study evaluated the income impact of pastoralist women participation in Aloe Vera soap production in Yabello district, Borana zone of Oromia, Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data were collected from 200 sample households using semi-structured questionnaire. To analyse the data both descriptive and inferential statistics and Propensity Score Matching model were applied. The Propensity Score Matching was applied the required matching processes, covariate balancing and sensitivity analysis tests. The result shows that participation of women in Aloe Vera soap production has insignificant result with impact on household income. However, the propensity score matching also indicates average treatment effect on treated income is 45.693 Birr. Result of sensitivity analysis further shows that the estimated effects are insensitive to unobserved selection bias within gamma level used. Thus, Aloe Vera soap production should be encouraged for the pastoralist social wellbeing.

Gender (In)equality: A Longitudinal Analysis of Women's Participation in Coaching and Referee Positions in the Brazilian Women’s Basketball League (2010-2017)

The aim of this study was to analyze the participation of women in coaching and referee positions in the Brazilian Women’s Basketball League, from the first edition of the championship (2010) to the present moment (2017). For this proposal, we analyzed the gender of the coaching staff and referee crews from all the matches played in this period. All data were collected from the official match reports, accessed at the League headquarters. The results showed that women represent 24% of the head coaches, and this proportion has remained stable over the past years. However, it was found that women’s participation as assistant coaches dropped from 88% (2010) to 34% (2017). Although, the participation actually increased for women in the positions of referee, umpire 1 and umpire 2, over the past seven years, these positions are still mostly occupied by men. A higher participation of women could be found in scorer and timekeeper positions, which also remained stable over the years. Although women's participation in sports, and specifically in elite Brazilian basketball, has been increasing in the last decades, the findings of this study showed that occupations for women, within basketball are still restricted to positions of less visibility. Men still mostly occupy the positions of leadership, as head coaches and referees. The results suggest the need for debate and proposals of policies, to promote female participation in different leadership positions in basketball. The aim of this study was to analyze the participation of women in coaching and referee positions in the Brazilian Women’s Basketball League, from the first edition of the championship (2010) to the present moment (2017). For this proposal, we analyzed the gender of the coaching staff and referee crews from all the matches played in this period. All data were collected from the official match reports, accessed at the League headquarters. The results showed that women represent 24% of the head coaches, and this proportion has remained stable over the past years. However, it was found that women’s participation as assistant coaches dropped from 88% (2010) to 34% (2017). Although, the participation actually increased for women in the positions of referee, umpire 1 and umpire 2, over the past seven years, these positions are still mostly occupied by men. A higher participation of women could be found in scorer and timekeeper positions, which also remained stable over the years. Although women's participation in sports, and specifically in elite Brazilian basketball, has been increasing in the last decades, the findings of this study showed that occupations for women, within basketball are still restricted to positions of less visibility. Men still mostly occupy the positions of leadership, as head coaches and referees. The results suggest the need for debate and proposals of policies, to promote female participation in different leadership positions in basketball.

Women Rectors and Leadership Narratives: The Same Male Norm?

This paper examines how two Portuguese women rectors constructed narratives on their path to leadership positions and their performance of leadership roles. The study is based on a qualitative empirical analysis based on life story interviews with two women rectors in Portugal. The results from this research suggest that women rectors tend to develop narratives about their professional route to the top as based on merit and hard work, and tend to classify their leadership experience as gender-neutral and grounded on the establishment of good relationships with their peers along their professional path. These narratives may contribute to reinforcing the male norm that leads other women to blame themselves for not being able to progress in their career, hindering the creation of an organisational environment that is open to the development of institutional policies to improve equal opportunities. Portugal is a very interesting case study, considering that despite the long history of its higher education system and the high participation of women in higher education, there were only two women rectors in the country until 2014.

Comparative Capability of Migrant and Non-Migrant Households: Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

This research aims to ascertain the level of capabilities attainment by the rural households of Bangladesh through temporary international migration. Multilevel Propensity Score Matching (PSM) based on logistic regression is used to construct the ‘treatment’ group of migrant households and ‘control’ group of non-migrant households. Various observed characteristics of 5219 households from the cross-sectional Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) 2011-12 (Ahmed, 2013) is used to perform the matching procedures, and it matched 490 households of which 178 households for the ‘treatment’ and other 312 households for the ‘control’ group with similar observed characteristics like the ‘treatment’ group. Between these two groups, various outcome variables are compared by mean difference in case of continuous variables and relative proportion for categorical variables. Evidence from the matched sample indicates that migrant households have a higher level of food & non-food consumptions, better housing, higher education expenditure for the children, higher health expenditure, better access to the communication & social acceptance and higher participation of women in household decision-making compare to non-migrant households. In summary, they do possess extended capabilities and functionings i.e. ‘well-being’ and ‘social relation’. However, migrant households are also exposed to higher level of total outstanding loan, one-third of which taken exclusively for migration.

A Study on Integrated Functional Adult Education Program in Pastoral Communities of Jarar Zone: Challenges and Opportunities

The main purpose of this study was to explore opportunities and challenges of integrated functional adult education program in pastoral community of Jarar zone. To achieve the purpose; qualitative research method was employed. For this study, out of nine woredas; three woredas were selected by purposive sampling. For functional adult education centers; four centers were taken by availability sampling. In the study, a total of 97 research respondents were involved. To collect data from each respondent group's; interviews, FGD and class room observation was employed. In addition, to support the findings, documentary analysis was done. Hence, for this study purpose, both primary and secondary data were used. Analysis and interpretation of data was made by using qualitative and narrative approach. Based on the analysis, the study confirmed that; low level of relevance and quality of adult education, unavailability of appropriate organization and structure, lack of qualified facilitators, insufficient financial and material support, poor capacity of implementers, lack of adequate training materials and poor integration of efforts were major challenges of the program. Beside to the challenges, the study also identified opportunities. These were conducive policy direction at country level, practicing of literacy skills by participants, presence of TEC and university, the signing of memorandum of understanding between ministry of education and other sectors, relatively high participation of women's, the establishment of government and NGO forums were the enabling environments. Finally, the study recommended that, greater attention should be paid to the preparation of facilitators guide, teaching materials, learning materials, the region and ministry of education should revise and include life skill contents of pastoral society in the program to make the program responsive to the needs of the community, there should be strong adult education management, coordination and organization structure, the region and woreda education bureaus should stress on the need for training of implementers, the region should develop the culture of consultation with involving partner agencies and there should be a need to integrate the other components of adult education together with literacy.

Demographic challenges for the future business leader: evidence from a Greek survey

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges posed to business leaders from major global demographic changes expected in the workforce composition, such as higher participation of women and more active involvement of elder and more experienced people in the future workforce.Design/methodology/approachThe authors ran a survey among 733 middle managers, focusing on their ideal leadership behavior. The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior project methodology was applied for data collection and analyses.FindingsSeveral significant differences were established in leadership ideals according to gender, age and managerial experience. The differences based on gender had higher practical significance than the ones based on age and experience of the respondents.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper adds up to the pertinent in the implicit leadership approach dialogue over the existence of stable, global and unchanging aspects of leadership.Practical implicationsLeader behaviors traditionally deemed as positive, such as the participative and charismatic/value-based leadership, are shown to be critical for the future business leader. Leadership development in organizations should focus on these two aspects.Social implicationsLeaders who can meet the expectations of diverse groups of people will be able to achieve inclusion of least privileged groups at the business level, leading to higher inclusion at the social, aggregate level.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to explore how documented demographic trends could affect the way that leadership will evolve in the near future.

Involvement of Gynaecologists in Colorectal Cancer Screening

Background and study aims: Primary care physicians play a principal role in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in many countries that are using a two-step program; faecal occult blood test (FOBT)+colonoscopy. In order to improve the screening uptake in the Czech Republic ambulatory gynaecologists in addition to GPs were involved in FOB testing in 2009. Our objective was to describe the contribution of gynaecologists to the provision of CRC screening. Methods: Data reported to health insurance companies and aggregated by the Czech National Reference Centre were used to monitor the screening process. We focused on the coverage by FOBT examination and positive FOBT rate. We describe time trends in the number and proportion of people tested, describe regional variations and show differences according to sex and age. Results: The target population for CRC screening above age 50 in the Czech Republic was 3,955,968 (37.7% of total population) in 2014. The number of all FOBT performed in primary care (by GPs and gynaecologists) increased from 357,893 in 2008 (417,364 - 2009) to 744,015 in 2014. In 2012, the total coverage of the target population was 25.5%; 23% of men and 27.5% of all women and in 2014 30.8%, 28.5% of men and 32.8% of women. In the years 2009, 2012, 2014 the total contribution of gynaecologists was 3.6%, 8% and 6.4% respectively, of all FOBT performed. Overall in the female target population it was 6.2% in 2009 (out of 236987) 13.6% in 2012 (out of 325,631 FOBT) and 11.2% in 2014 (out of 423660), while in the 50-54 age group 24.4% women were screened by gynaecologists in 2012 and 18.9% in 2014. The data showed significant variations between the 14 regions of the country. The overall positivity rate of FOBT has increased from 4.6% in 2009 to 7.2% in the year 2014. Conclusions: The participation of gynaecologists has contributed significantly to the higher participation of women in the real life Czech CRC screening program, particularly in the 50-54 years old age group, nevertheless the key responsibility stays with GPs. This measure is likely to be applicable in health care systems with a network of ambulatory gynaecologists, as is the case in the Czech Republic and in most Central and Eastern European countries.