In positions of power, the division of roles and men’s advantage is still very visible – this is especially expressed in the management structure of big business and among sole traders.
Women in Serbia withdrew noticeably from the public sphere after the 1990s, and that is why today we are noticing a certain improvement in gender balance in business and politics. Progress is noticeable precisely because we are starting from such a low starting position, so the margin for progress is large. However, these “positions of power” in which we find women still apply mostly to certain sectors, such as civil society and non-governmental/non-profit organisations, and generally in sectors where there is less money and power, and which are therefore less interesting to men. There are many fewer women at the head of large companies, and even fewer as sole traders.
The reason for this is that such a role requires great commitment, and that in our society many still believe that only a woman should take care of the household, the family, everything that is part of the private sphere, while men are still completely free of such duties. That is why the task of taking care of the family and the household is a deep political and gender issue. Every kind of division of tasks and duties in the family affects the roles of women and men in the public sphere.
The task of taking care of the family and the household is a deep political and gender issue, because it is this burden on women that hinders their careers
Gender parity in decision-making positions, in politics, and violence against women are some of the topics on which our society must work and find solutions. Nor must we forget educational policies, to increase the presence of women in fields and positions that are still considered ‘male’.
Feminism and women’s networking, the principle of solidarity and the global association of women are the key to improving our society. Very few women are present, for example, in peace processes and if women participated equally in local and global political life, this world would surely be a much better place.