She warned that disputes on gender quality and sexism were often perceived as "something unimportant".
An analysis of 12,000 newspaper articles over recent years shows the under-representation of women in comparison to men, said Croatian Gender Equality Ombudswoman Gordana Lukac Koritnik.
For instance, women appeared in 23 per cent of front-page photos of the two highest circulation dailies last year and were mentioned in 24 percent of headlines, the ombudswoman said.
In addition, women are seldom mentioned in the context of the economy and politics, and they are most frequently put in the context of scandals and entertainment.
Participants in the debate warned that stereotypes and sexism were the main obstacles to gender equality.