GENDER EQUALITY IN REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

The position of women in the Macedonian society

Dragana Drndarevska

Equal opportunity means equal participation of women

and men in all spheres of public and private sectors,

equal status and equal treatment in the exercise of all

rights and in developing individual potential through

which people contribute to social development

and equal benefits from the results of that development

(Law on Equal Opportunities for women and men

- Article 4)

The electoral law sets a minimum threshold of 30 % for

women participation at all levels in politics.

There is no law on sanctions - no punishment for

violation of art. 64 and Art. 21 of the Election Code;

The level of female representation on key functions is

very low.

34 women in the parliament out of 120 MPs;

3 women ministers in the government out of 22

ministries ;

Few women play decisive roles as top managers in line

ministries;

26,8% women in the local councils/ In 7 municipalities

there is only one or not a single woman on the local

council;

84 municipalities and the city of Skopje- no women major;

Commission on Equal Opportunities for women and men on

national level and Equal Opportunities Commissions at

local level do not perform their function, they are not aware

of their responsibilities and don’t have appropriate work

programs - so far no concrete action and tangible results in

the field of gender equality

SEC: out of 7 members only 1 is women (14%). Violation of

article 21 of the Electoral Law which require 30%.

In the Security Council in Republic of Macedonia out of 9

members, in the last two mandates only 1 women per

mandate

2/3 of the illiterate people are women;

4% of the employed women are owner of a businesses;

11% of the employed women receive higher sale then the

average;

Women earn 1/3 of the finances;

The rate of working capacity among women is 42.9%,

and markedly higher among men and 67.3%;

Women have no opportunity to use state subsidies (Law

for subsidies): only 2% of them in rural areas

are land owners, 4% owners of financial savings,5% have

ownership of houses/apartments;

Limited access of rural women for their right

to free gynecological examinations and immunization,

guaranteed by the Law on Health Care

Every 4th woman is a victim of domestic violence/ no

state women’s shelters, only one NGO shelter

Legal decision to allocate 2% of assets, from games of

chance, to protect victims of domestic violence are

not applied transparently, it is not known how much

money are collected and what are they used for;

Law for the third child is contrary to the freedom of

women and its limiting women’s competitiveness in the

labor market

Campaign to ban abortion is discriminatory to

women and its limiting the right of decision and choice;

Law for antidiscrimination;