In Serbia, gender inequality is prevalent in the workforce. Disproportionate responsibilities for household tasks, the lack of flexible work arrangements, the continued practice of traditional gender roles and low demand for female employees lend to inequalities among business and governmental roles.

According to research by the World Bank, the employment rate of women is 26 percent lower than it is for men, resulting in higher unemployment and inactivity rates for women. When addressing self-employment and company owners, men constitute 72 percent of those who are self-employed and 71 percent of business owners. Men also make up 80 percent of ministerial positions in government, leaving a disproportionally small percentage of women in positions of authority. The largest discrepancies in employment are evident when discussing uneducated women and girls.

Women in Serbia are disadvantaged due to an educational system that does not promote a balance between work, school and domestic duties. Many lose opportunities to pursue education or attain work experience because of the expected duties of women, such as unpaid household work. Women who are in need of work, due to their economic situation or cost of living, are often forced into lower-paying jobs.

Employment rates rose 4.7 percent for women between 2012 and 2014, but many of these jobs proved to be temporary positions, leaving many uneducated women and girls living in rural locations at a disadvantage. However, various entities are looking at education and work-related gender equality reforms to enhance women’s empowerment in Serbia.

Multiple NGOs and gender advocates are working to influence the government for women’s empowerment in Serbia. The areas of concern relating to gender inequality include the electoral quota, violence against women, women’s entrepreneurship and gender-responsive budgeting. Several laws have been passed to address these issues, some being the Gender Equality Law of 2009, National Strategy for the Improvement of the Status of Women and Promotions of Gender Equality and the Action Plan for 2010-2015. These laws center on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also promotes its goal of equal participation in economic activities and decision making. UNDP’s initiative focuses on building lives free of violence against women, in order to enhance women’s empowerment in Serbia. UNDP’s focus on violence against women addresses the fact that 54 percent of women are exposed to some sort of violence. This program supports state institutions and actors that aid in gender equality and benefitting women and girls against discrimination and violence.

U.N. Women and U.N. Global Impact also worked with twelve companies to sign the Women’s Empowerment Principles. These twelve companies committed to transforming current business methods to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment as core business objectives. The principles addressed flexible working arrangements, such as maternal leave, promotion of enterprise development, marketing empowering women and advocacy on behalf of women. These principles, laws and organizations are actively working to improve the lives of women in Serbia.

– Bronti DeRoche

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