"Unfortunately the share of women in management structures is still stagnating or growing very slowly and in Croatia we are recording a declining trend. The latest survey results of the share of women in company management listed in the CROBEX index on the stock market indicate that that share dropped significantly to just 14.5% in 2019 compared to 19.7% at the end of 2018," president of the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) Gordana Deranja said.
She added that according to the global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum for 2018, Croatia ranked in 58th place with regard to reducing gender inequality, while Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked 62nd, Serbia 38th and Slovenia in 11th place.
"That places us in the group of countries that will need 124 years to achieve equality between the sexes," Deranja said.
A special guest at today's event was Tanya Golesic, the chairwoman of the management board and executive director at the Jimmy CHOO fashion house for the USA, Canada and South America who said that it was essential for companies to maintain a gender balance in order to achieve better business results.
Croatia in my opinion is very advanced. You have a female president and women in so many important positions. Look at the USA - we don't have a female president and perhaps we never will. When you look at a country of this size it is interesting to see just how much it has achieved and advanced. However, I am certain that there is still a lot of work here," Golesic said and added even though recently there is a lot of talk in the USA about how to treat women, society nevertheless changes slowly.
The "30% Initiative" was founded in 2018 by the Embassy of Canada, the HUP and leaders of 14 companies in Croatia.