Traffic lights mark century of women’s vote

Lithuania’s capital Vilnius has installed new traffic lights featuring female symbols to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote in the Baltic state.The right for women to vote was written into the Lithuanian Constitution on November 2, 1918, putting it among the first countries to grant women suffrage, ahead of France or the US.President Dalia Grybauskaite, who chairs Council of Women World Leaders, hailed the date as “a win for democracy that put the country (Lithuania) among the leaders of modern states”.City officials said that the lights along a busy downtown street right next to Vilnius’ largest business centre also serve as a reminder that European countries need to keep pushing to close the gender gap.However, Vilnius University professor Dovile Jakniunaite said that the authorities must put in more effort into tackling the prevalent gender pay gap and domestic violence against women.“This joyful date could encourage authorities to show more initiative in these areas,” she said.In Lithuania, women’s gross hourly earnings are on average 14.4% below those of men, compared to the EU average of 16.2%, according to official statistics.“Modern society does not exist without fully empowered women, yet globally all of us are still halfway on this journey,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted.