Over the last few years, Croatia has experienced steady economic growth at a rate above the EU average. However, during the same period the country’s gender wage gap has widened. The employment rate for Croatian women is the fifth lowest in the EU, and Croatia remains one of the lowest-ranked EU countries for gender parity overall. Several factors have led to the gender wage gap in Croatia, where nearly 22% of Croatian women are at risk of poverty and material deprivation compared to 17.7% of men.

Status of the Gender Wage Gap in Croatia

Croatian girls consistently outperform boys in school, both in test scores and average years of schooling. However, these achievements do not translate into similar success in the labor market. Men earn significantly more over their lifetimes, with women earning just 86.8% of what men earn monthly. Additionally, while Croatian men and women begin working at similar employment levels, women’s market participation drops with age. This gender earnings gap has serious long-term consequences, not only reinforcing women’s economic vulnerability but also contributing to higher rates of poverty among women.

Key Factors Leading to the Gender Wage Gap in Croatia

One reason for this is Croatia’s notably large gender gap regarding the allocation of time spent on care and domestic tasks. While the EU average score for this time disparity is 48.6 out of 100, Croatia’s score is 68.5. Similarly, 80% of Croatian women report they do housework every day as opposed to 40% of Croatian men—a disparity well above the EU average—with women performing almost 20 hours more of unpaid domestic work per week. As of 2017, 32% of Croatian women aged 25-64 did not seek employment due to having to perform unpaid labor looking after children or incapacitated adults. This pattern of unpaid labor limits women’s access to income and financial independence, which increases their risk of poverty, especially for single mothers and women in rural communities.

The widest gender gap in employment rates in Croatia is among the age group of 25-29, at a rate that increased between 2013 and 2022 from 5 percentage points to a whopping 20 points. The World Bank theorizes that this gap stems from expectations around child-rearing, stating that “women around this age could be at a disadvantage on the labor market, as an expectation that they might soon take maternity leave makes employers hesitant to hire or promote them.” The World Bank likewise theorizes that women in this age group are more likely to “seek flexible or part-time roles” over full-time employment in anticipation of family responsibilities. Croatia’s coverage of daycares and kindergartens is low, at 51% compared to the EU average of 86%. Childcare is even scarcer in rural areas, where as few as 13% of children have access to kindergarten.

Overall, Croatian social norms contribute greatly to the gender wage gap. The expectation and anticipation that women perform the brunt of domestic tasks leads to a greater share of women performing unpaid labor and facing limited access to professional opportunities, and likely influences a social structure that provides little support for women seeking childcare. These social norms also influence occupational segregation that contributes to the gender wage gap, with female-majority sectors such as education and health care offering more part-time roles and lower wages.

The Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic deepened gender inequality in Croatia. Women held a disproportionate number of jobs in sectors that lockdowns hit the hardest, such as tourism and personal services, and many, particularly those with lower education levels, lacked the option to work remotely. Women thus lost jobs or income more than men and at the same time had less protection from formal social safety nets. Unpaid care responsibilities surged during school closures, limiting women’s ability to seek or retain employment. Many women lacked access to health insurance or unemployment benefits, excluding them from government support. The pandemic also worsened mental health and coincided with a 31% rise in reported domestic violence, a crime in which women make up the vast majority of victims. 

Addressing the Gender Wage Gap in Croatia

Addressing the gender wage gap in Croatia and creating a more equitable labor market requires systemic cultural and policy-driven changes. Expanding access to affordable childcare and eldercare services is essential to ease the caregiving burden that disproportionately falls on women, allowing them increased time and energy for paid work. Promoting flexible work arrangements such as part-time roles with benefits, remote work options and adjustable hours could help women remain in the workforce, particularly during childbearing and childrearing years. Enhancing parental leave policies to encourage shared caregiving responsibilities between men and women could also reduce career interruptions for women. In addition, public awareness campaigns and educational efforts that challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes could shift societal expectations and foster more inclusive work environments.

Change Is Happening

Croatia has introduced several concrete measures to help close the gender wage gap. In 2022, Croatia enacted legislative changes to the Employment Relations act, including defining “equal work” and mandating more salary transparency. However, the impact of such changes on the gender wage gap in Croatia is not yet clear. Starting in 2023, lawmakers introduced amendments to the Gender Equality Act and the Labor Act mandate that employers implement internal procedures for addressing harassment, establish equal treatment plans and are subject to stricter penalties for non-compliance with anti-discrimination rules. While comprehensive national statistics are not yet available, recent EU-wide surveys indicate a slight increase in women’s reported satisfaction with workplace equity and growing awareness of legal protections.

The Croatian government is also enacting policies aimed at improving access to childcare and eldercare services. Under the EU-funded National Recovery and Resilience Plan (2021–2026), Croatia committed €190 million toward building and upgrading kindergartens, with a goal of enrolling 90% of children aged 3–6 by 2030. The plan also includes investments in eldercare such as day centers and in-home services for the aging population. These efforts help reduce the unpaid care burden on women and improve their ability to participate in the labor market. Again, exact statistics on the immediate effect of this plan are not yet available. However, by increasing access to paid employment, particularly for women in low-income or rural households, these changes contribute directly to poverty reduction.

Moving Forward

While Croatia continues to grow economically, the gender wage gap still limits opportunities for women and deepens poverty among those who shoulder the burden of unpaid care work. However, policymakers have introduced new laws, increased wage transparency, and expanded access to care to begin addressing these inequalities. 

– Kelsey Eisen

Kelsey is based in San Francisco, CA, USA and focuses on Business and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash