E/C.12/EST/CO/2 cent of the population. The Committee is further concerned that the citizenship of persons who have acquired it by naturalization can be revoked under some circumstances. (art. 2, para. 2) The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its effort to facilitate the acquisition of Estonian citizenship by persons with the status of ‘non-citizens’ and to address obstacles encountered by applicants, including by softening the official language qualifications required for those who have long residence in the country and by granting Estonian citizenship to children born in the families of those persons. The Committee also urges the State party to amend its legislation on citizenship so as to ensure that all citizens are treated equally irrespective of the mode of acquisition of the citizenship, in conformity with the obligation of non-discrimination under article 2 of the Covenant. 10. The Committee expresses concern about the discrimination against the Russianspeaking population which continues to be disproportionally affected by unemployment and poverty. (art. 2, para. 2) The Committee calls on the State party to intensify its efforts to address the persistent disadvantages faced by the Russian-speaking population in the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, and to ensure that strategies and policies adopted in this regard address both formal and substantive discrimination, and include the implementation of special measures in the field of employment. Furthermore, the Committee calls on the State party to ensure that language requirements in relation to employment are based on reasonable and objective criteria, linked to the needs for the performance of each individual job, so as to avoid discrimination on the basis of language. 11. The Committee expresses concern at the entrenched gender role stereotypes in the society and their negative impact on the enjoyment by women of their economic, social and cultural rights, including in the exercise of their right to work. The Committee is further concerned at the gender disparity in the fields of education and employment. The Committee is also concerned at the inadequacy of human resources allocated to the promotion of gender equality, especially in the Office of the Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner, which consists of only the Commissioner and one advisor. (art. 3) The Committee calls on the State party to intensify its efforts aimed at eliminating the societal gender role stereotypes and prejudices, including through awareness-raising campaigns. The Committee also calls on the State party to take concrete measures to improve gender balance in education disciplines traditionally dominated by either sex. Moreover, the Committee urges the State party to allocate the necessary resources for the promotion of gender equality. 12. The Committee urges the State party to amend its legislation so as to ensure that work by prisoners is authorized only when freely chosen or accepted without duress. 13. The Committee is concerned that unemployment remains significant, in spite of the efforts of the State party. The Committee is also concerned about the vulnerability of the employment sector in the State party to economic shocks, as shown by the drastic surge in unemployment between 2008 and 2010. (arts. 6 and 7) The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts in reducing unemployment and that measures taken in this regard also seek to reduce the vulnerability of the employment sector to economic shocks. The Committee also recommends that the State party closely monitor the enforcement of the Employment Contracts Act so as to ensure that the application of the provisions aimed at 3