Introduction 

Diversity and value pluralism are natural parts of everyday life in the Roma and Traveller community. Therefore, there are also many different views on gender equality. A social change concerning education, occupational restructuring, and employment is currently affecting the entire community. 

In their daily life, many Roma and Travellers find themselves under pressure caused by the respect of traditions on the one hand, and new expectations regarding gender role attributions coming from modern society and legitimate aspirations of Roma and Traveller women themselves, on the other hand. Thus, they have to try reconciling the two amid their family, relatives and the wider community.

Both Roma and Traveller women and men increasingly work in occupations in which they have rarely been seen before or in which the Roma and Travellers have traditionally not engaged at all. However, the stereotypes and prejudice towards Roma and Traveller women and men break down very slowly in the eyes of the rest of the population and not all Roma and Traveller men encourage the empowerment of women and girls in the community.

For example, some Roma and Traveller women may face sexist, old-fashioned and set views or even restrictions in career guidance or working life both from the majority population and male community members. People from the majority society have sometimes an out-dated image of gender equality among the Roma and Traveller, or assume they know what it is like and generalise it to apply to all Roma and Traveller women or men. However, family situations vary a lot between very traditional and very modern ones.