As the „Women’s CEO Summit“ approaches us on March 14,2024, at Belgrade’s Madlena Art Palace, we sat down and talked with the Head of Office & Programme Management Specialist UN Women Serbia, Ms Milana Rikanović, about important issues regarding gender equality, challenges that women face in their respective careers and policies that could further improve the position of women on the labor market.
How do you see the attitude of society, but also of political actors in Serbia, towards the issue of gender equality?
Significant efforts have been made to adopt laws and policies in the field of gender equality, yet the progress is very slow and there is still a lot to work on. Despite the laws and policies promoting gender equality, women are under-represented in decision-making in all spheres of Serbia’s social, economic, and political life. Studies have found that half of women in Serbia have experienced domestic violence, and that women and Roma are most subject to discrimination. Discrimination and structural barriers lead to a gender pay gap and significantly lower labour force participation rates among women. In addition to this, women carry out at least two times more unpaid household and care work than men. As a result, they have less time to engage in paid labour, or work longer hours, combining paid and unpaid labour. Women’s unpaid work subsidizes the cost of care that sustains families, supports economies and often fills in for the lack of social services. Yet, it is rarely recognized as “work”.
What changes do you think are needed to improve gender equality and empower women to take on key roles in society?
Harmful gender stereotypes are deeply rooted in our society thus hindering women’s ability to fulfill their potential by limiting choices and opportunities. They are at the root of overt and covert, direct and indirect, and recurrent gender discrimination, which adversely affects the de jure and de facto substantive equality that should be guaranteed to women. They translate into practical policies, laws and practices that cause harm to women on the ground. Examples include gender pay gap, occupational segregation, denial of promotions to leadership, glass ceiling in different professions, violence against women in domestic spheres, work place and public spaces, and lower levels of equation and work opportunities.
Stereotypes justify gender discrimination more broadly and reinforce and perpetuate historical and structural patterns of discrimination. Therefore, the phenomenon of gender stereotypes needs to be countered and fought in multiple areas: in languages and vocabulary, laws and practices, mind-sets of people, justice systems, media and education, in different organizations and public authorities, in enterprises, and in individuals.
What are the biggest challenges faced by women in business in Serbia?
Many indicators reveal the disadvantaged position of women in the labor market, such as the concentration of women in low productivity sectors and in the care economy. Discrimination is also evident in the realm of recruitment, promotion, pay and benefits, the availability of training opportunities and in relation to maternity and parental leave. Additional effort is needed to encourage women to participate in occupational areas where they are traditionally under-represented, to facilitate reconciliation of professional and private life for women and men, to prevent and combat sexual harassment of women in the workplace, and to increase women’s access to employment and entrepreneurship.
In general, women and girls today have better educational opportunities, health outcomes, and political representation than ever before. But for many, those advances have not translated into a proportionate improvement in economic opportunity or agency over their lives. One reason for that lagging progress in women achieving equal status in society is that they are still expected to shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work responsibilities.
Are there any concrete initiatives or policies that you would recommend to be adopted in order to further improve the position of women on the labor market in Serbian society?
First of all, it is necessary to work on closing the gender pay gap. We can do this by increasing the representation of women in senior management positions and by providing safe workplaces for women, without violence and with respect for their physical and psychological integrity.
An important part of promoting gender equality at work is the provision of flexible working hours for both women and men, which would enable men to take more care of children.
Also, supporting women entrepreneurs greatly improves women’s economic security. Improving, or equalizing the position of women and men in the business sector, is not only about correcting long-standing inequalities, but about building a fairer, more sustainable and more resilient world. It is in the interest not only of women and girls, but also of boys and men.
You can register for the Women’s CEO Summit here.
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