The Democracy for Development (D4D) in Kosovo has recently shed light on the challenges and issues faced by women and their significance in society across five regions: Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
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Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, highlighted Kosovo's achievements, particularly in the increasing employment rate among women.
"We have seen a 40 percent increase in the participation of women in the labor market, with significant representation. Measures to combat gender-based violence have been eased, and employment opportunities for victims of sexual violence have improved. The results are remarkable, with female employment rising from 13 to 18 percent," stated Rizvanolli.
She further emphasized the increased participation of women in boards.
"We have increased women's participation in boards from 10 to 45 percent and aim to reach 50 percent. We have supported mothers who provide for themselves and their families by 50 percent, subsidizing 2,438 women. We aim to allocate 5 percent of properties as an additional affirmative action measure in free property registration. Ten million dollars have been allocated for women's involvement in the energy efficiency sector," Rizvanolli added.
Deputy Minister of Finance, Labor, and Transfers, Agon Dobruna, noted the implementation of measures benefiting women's employment, with 6,000 women benefiting.
"In the Super Job platform, gender equality has been preserved, with over 50 percent of beneficiaries being women. Two hundred and forty vouchers for information technology have been distributed, with over 300 hours of training received and 240 trained in the IT sector. Forty-four beneficiary businesses are largely women-led. By the end of 2023, there were 151,000 employed women, a trend that continues to rise," Dobruna remarked.
Executive Chief of the Gender Equality Agency, Edi Gusi, underscored the continuing and vital role of women in society, stating that women have often proven to be influential agents of change.
"Obligations and responsibilities still lie in family care, ensuring their well-being in society. Women are facing job losses, closely tied to women's responsibilities. The deeper the policy gap, the more worrying the condemnation of being a woman becomes, affirming the necessity of women's work. In fostering solidarity among women, they have often proven to be agents of change. We need new platforms. The Agency for Gender Equality remains open to regional cooperation to learn from experiences and, why not, failures," Gusi emphasized.
Judita Krasniqi Hajdari, from Democracy for Development (D4D), noted that women often lack confidence in seeking employment.
"As a civil society, we also rely on formulas applied in the region and learn from each other for good. As a start, we have begun with the position of women in Western Balkan countries, discussing unpaid work by women in the labor market. Often, women lack confidence in performing any job in the labor market. In Kosovo and the region, we focus on showcasing women's managerial experiences. Women have received much-needed support, empowering important aspects they need," she stated.
However, Kristjan Trajkovski from the Center for Research and Policy Making in North Macedonia emphasized that there is still much work to be done to strengthen women's position in society.
"The situation is worse than it seems. We have two large municipalities, and out of 301 candidates analyzed, only 20 percent were women. We hope such a model will influence newcomers," Trajkovski said.
Comparatively, Trajkovski noted that it was much more challenging for women to find employment years ago, but now there are more opportunities, although uncertainty still exists.
"We have researched women's positions; only five ministries are led by women, a small number. The situation is worse than it seems; we have two large municipalities, and out of 301 candidates analyzed, only 20 percent were women. Educational institutions in the country still struggle with various companies to offer opportunities for women to achieve as much as possible. Twenty years ago, finding a job was very difficult, but these days women have freedom in finding employment, yet there is uncertainty and fear," he added.
Meanwhile, Jelena Kojashi from the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) in Albania highlighted women's concerns about workplace discrimination and the lack of monitoring and networking plans.
"The nature of women's experiences is diverse; the lack of monitoring and networking plans is concerning. Participants emphasized the lack of work in general and cases of discrimination in the workplace. It is essential to include the Code of Ethics in the workplace. Women and girls in senior positions emphasized the importance of monitoring. We have conducted a survey, and many women do not have access to monitoring programs," she stated.
Andela Lucic from the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts (ISSP) in Montenegro noted that many citizens believe gender equality cannot be achieved and that employment rights exist on paper.
"The sustainability of citizens, 60 percent believe women should work at home. Women make up one-third concerning positions. In Montenegro, 50.6 percent of women are half of the unemployed, 86 percent are men, and 73 percent are women," she stated.
"In terms of legislation, the Montenegrin Parliament has 19 women, or 23 percent. Montenegro aims to have plans and international laws regarding equality," Lucic added.
Svetlana Stefanovic from the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE) in Serbia stressed the importance of women's participation in decision-making.
"We do not recognize the importance of the rights given to us; some women fight for them. We face discrimination at the local level. Women do not fight for their rights; we do not have good policies concerning gender equality. Three hundred and fifty participants from the survey said 37 percent of women still do not have equal opportunities with men. Thirty-two percent of them have a monitoring program at the beginning of their careers. We face challenges when we want to rise to a position; they have bad experiences," she concluded.