"Representation of women in cultural and creative industries is important not only because of the low numbers of women involved in the field, not only because these are industries that reflect the realities of our world, but also because these are the industries that set tendencies. Meaning, the way we see women is hugely impacted by how the cultural and creative industries shape women's images. Therefore it is important to have more women involved in cultural and creative industries. And because I work in the photographic field, for me it is especially important that more women are involved in photography professionally to establish equal dialogue, create new narratives, and rethink masculinity, the role of men in women's lives, and the world in general, through the female gaze." Mayya Kelova

"COVID-19 affected women and men differently, worsening the existing inequalities for women and girls and reversing the progress in the area of gender equality.  It is important that even during the pandemic, women have the rights and opportunities to plan a healthy family and stay free from the increased risk of violence."  Ene Tuylieva

"I love being a freelancer and working on PR and brand management. But due to my age, I have faced multiple gender and socially imposed stereotypes. People used to say that I shall get married instead of have this much publicity, some clients tried to pay me less. But it did not stop me. I continued to work hard in order to become successful." Aylar Hojamuhammedova.

"I believe in equality, and I believe that anyone who loves their occupation can be successful. In business you have to work as hard as possible to succeed. Business with not take excuses or consider your family status and number of children." – Akbabek Taganova.

"I work as commercial illustrator. I didn’t see any issues regarding gender equality. What I see is systematic underdevelopment issues of the industry. I believe that we shall have more collaboration, share our knowledge together, and inspire young people to go into our field. We shall not be afraid of competition, but educate others about our industry and creative property rights." Shirin Begmuradova

​"​​We at the EU value diversity and believe that we shall work towards achieving gender equality together. The EU has adopted its third gender equality action plan and it deals with the rights of women in the EU and in the world. We should not forget that there are many women who are in less privileged positions than us. We shall look for role models and support each other. Let's​ ​leave no one behind​. ​ COVID-19 has definitely hindered our achievements and showed that there are still many issues to be solved. We shall look for more sustainable and long lasting solutions." Renata Wrobel.