What Are The Characteristics Of Cypriot Women?

For many people, family life is one of the biggest influences on the decision to move to another country. Fortunately, families in Cyprus often have incredibly strong bonds. And so, if you’ve been looking to move somewhere where close ties are held sacred, Cyprus might be an excellent destination to consider. Of course, we should point out that every family is different; nevertheless, the strong bonds between many Cypriot family members often make family life enjoyable and welcoming, even for new family members when you’ve just joined the household. Many Cypriot families share close bonds and ties that extend to extended and married family members. As such, so long as you get on well with your Cypriot family, you should find that you’ll be welcomed with open arms by your new partner’s relatives. Significantly, you’ll probably notice that she has incredibly close connections with her mother and grandmother since, often, Cypriot women fall into a traditional role of managing the household. However, she should also have a stable relationship with her father. He often also contributes to activities around the house as Cypriot culture shifts to a more modern view.

After meeting your Cypriot date’s family, one factor that will likely come through strongly early on is the importance of food and family meals. Indeed, with food holding such a significant role in Cypriot culture, it also forms the basis of many Cypriot families, bringing family members together around the table for a hearty and filling meal. Still, due to the patriarchal structure of Cyprus households, you will likely find that the household’s matriarch will be responsible for hosting family meals and events most of all, and older generations in the family will often host this. Cyprus women hold a lot of respect for their elders, and these strong family bonds may also play into why the number of people in married relationships is high in Cyprus at nearly 65% of all people. What’s more, we should point out here that Cyprus has the highest crude marriage rate anywhere within the European Union!

One point of interest regarding family in Cyprus is that the number of Cypriot women having children has fallen substantially over the years, despite the overall population in Cyprus rising sharply between 2011 and 2018. The fertility rate for women in Cyprus now falls at roughly 1.32 children per woman, slightly less than in other nations such as Greece. However, this trend is in line with the general EU trend for fewer children per woman. Each year, the fertility rate appears to fall by roughly 0.6%. In fact, this might be among the lowest of all fertility rates among European Union countries; In-Cyprus estimated this could be as low as the fourth-lowest European Union fertility rate! This could be due to the country’s high population density or the changing perceptions towards the previously Patriarchal system, with a growing number of Cypriot women looking for independence and equality rather than starting a family.

Education and early learning are free in Cyprus, which is worth considering if you have been considering starting a family in Cyprus. This feature is in line with the majority of European nations – however, one fact that differs significantly for education in Cyprus is how it compares in terms of governance. Indeed, the Cypriot education system is generally overseen by the Ministry of Education, Sports, Youth, and Culture; contrastingly, most other European educational systems are managed by a dedicated academic body. However, as part of the Ministry of Education, Sports, Youth, and Culture, a smaller Ministry of Education and Culture has been established to enforce and determine Cypriot educational laws. Moreover, education in Cyprus is also overseen by numerous local school boards, the Council of Ministers, and the Education Service Commission. These bodies work together to help set the goals for education in Cyprus and improve the quality of learning among Cypriot students.

As per Article 20 of the European Union constitution, every child in Cyprus has the right to complete education, and as such, compulsory education is in place in Cyprus for children from the ages of five years and continues until fifteen years of age at the end of lower secondary school level education. From this point, students can either continue their education or enter the world of work; notably, while education is only compulsory until roughly the age of fifteen, it is free and subsidized by the state. This free education continues until eighteen years of age, allowing students the chance to complete upper secondary education if they so wished. However, if they want to go further, students can also complete public pre-university and university-standard education at the tertiary level. The state again subsidizes higher undergraduate education for young Cypriot women and men. However, at the postgraduate level, learners must self-fund their education.

Outside of education, employment in Cyprus has also been steadily increasing, with 2021 reaching an all-time high at over 72% of Cyprus women and men working. Furthermore, data suggests that the number of people working in Cyprus will likely continue to increase until 2023, at least. However, there is a significant disparity between the number of men in work and the number of women. Indeed, the estimated number of women in work is just 69% compared to 79% of men, indicating a strong discrepancy between men and women workers, perhaps due to the patriarchal system that many Cypriot people still follow. Furthermore, it is estimated that women in Cyprus earn almost 14% less than men in comparable job roles, so if you’re planning on dating a Cypriot woman, you may still need to look for a higher-income job to support the family. Nevertheless, with average earnings of over €24,000 per year in Cyprus, it’s undoubtedly an excellent place to be if you have been seeking valuable employment opportunities. In addition, job roles in IT systems and software development are often among the higher-paying functions in Cyprus, with many earning over €40,000 annually or around €3,500 per month.

Generally speaking, most countries within the European Union are firmly Christian, at least historically, and this is very true to this day for Cypriot women and men. Indeed, religion plays a significant role in Cypriot life, with Christianity accounting for the vast majority of people. However, other religions may also be influential in Cyprus, and religious freedom is celebrated in the country. However, it’s often difficult to understand the level of faith in Cyprus since the religious status of Cypriot women and men tends to vary a lot; for example, in 2010, a study found that around 73% of the population in Cyprus followed Christianity. By contrast, in a 2011 government-controlled census of Cypriot residents, it was found that Christianity accounted for far more people in the population or as many as 94% of people. However, it seems that there is a significant difference in terms of religious inclination based on region; for example, including Northern Cyprus in the sample may skew the data significantly to include a far more substantial number of Islamic followers.

However, one significant difference among Christians in Cyprus is that the most predominant type of Christianity is Eastern Orthodoxy. Eastern Orthodoxy accounts for approximately 89.2% of Cypriot women and men and is overseen by the Church of Cyprus. The Church of Cyprus is one of the world’s oldest Eastern Orthodox churches and was built around the fifth century. Currently, the Church of Cyprus has around 840,000 members and 67 monasteries, making it one of the most significant contributors to the Eastern Orthodoxy belief overall. However, in addition to the Church of Cyprus, the Armenian Church has historically influenced religion in the country. Still, this is smaller in the modern-day, with only around 3500 people following Armenian Christianity. Moreover, Catholicism and Protestantism are also present within Cyprus, although in substantially lower numbers than other forms of Christianity. For example, the Anglican Church of Cyprus was established at the end of the 19th century. Since then, the number of protestant followers in the country has grown to around 20,000.

Other religions in Cyprus are also present in significantly smaller numbers, although Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy still dominate Cypriot religion. The most predominant of these ulterior religions is Islam, with a significant amount of the entire population – including Northern Cyprus – being Muslim. Muslims first began moving to Cyprus on masse in the 16th century, although nowadays, the most significant number of Muslims come from the Turkish Cypriot population. Following this, around 0.4% of the total population of Cyprus follows Hinduism, based on 2015 estimates. Meanwhile, Buddhism, Judaism, and Atheism are also present, although in much smaller numbers. Notably, this differs from many other European countries, where irreligion or Atheism is often one of the top-three beliefs by population. However, this may be due to discrimination against those with an Atheist belief. Indeed, the Cyprus Humanist Association has stood up for Atheists previously after the Ministry of Education promoted anti-atheist educational materials. 

Dating Cypriot women can be a hugely exciting experience. Still, before attempting so, it’s worth spending a little time to understand their mentality to help make the right first impression. And in terms of first impressions, one of the first things you will likely notice about women from Cyprus is their determination and loud, confident demeanor. Often, this seems to be the result of the turbulent history in Cyprus, which has demanded that Cypriot women and men alike are optimistic and determined. While things are typically much more laid-back and peaceful in Cyprus in the modern-day, this invariably still influences Cypriot culture, so women in Cyprus may take a little time to get used to it. Indeed, when you first meet them, Cypriot women can come across as somewhat over-confident and bold; however, if you spend some time getting to know them better, you’ll begin to uncover a more tender, caring, and compassionate personality beneath the brash exterior often.

While the position of women in Cypriot society changed substantially following the Second World War, it remains notable that many women in Cyprus were raised in a patriarchal system. As such, when meeting Cypriot women, you can likely expect that they will be maternal, caring, and kind, striving to fit into the traditional role of a Cypriot mother. This compassion and caring nature is often the result of the country’s strongly traditional, patriarchal views. With this in mind, the current Gender inequality index in Cyprus falls at 0.086, making Cyprus the 21st most gender-equal country internationally; moreover, based on the Global Gender Gap index, Cyprus only ranks 83rd out of 156 countries – just slightly below halfway. As such, women in Cyprus, though holding much more responsibility and equality in the present than before, are still often traditional in their mindset. This comes through strongly in their approach to life and looking after their partner but may begin to change as time passes and Cypriot women gain greater equality with men.

One trait and mentality of Cypriot women that is often highly embraced by people visiting the country for the first time is their immense passion and love for food! Due to their patriarchal upbringing, many Cypriot women put a great deal of emphasis on ensuring their families are well fed with nutritious, delicious food. As such, many Cypriot women are immensely passionate about cooking. You’ll often find that they put considerable effort into making delicious, mouth-watering dishes the whole family will enjoy. After all, food is of massive importance for many Cypriot women, and it’s a deeply ingrained aspect of culture in Cyprus. So, if you’re a food lover, moving to Cyprus and dating women from Cyprus might sound like your idea of heaven. However, meat consumption is widespread in Cyprus, so another country might be preferable if you’re looking for a vegetarian or vegan partner.