The discussion was organised by the www.posao.hr portal and the Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship.
The state secretary for labour, Vera Babic, said that in the European Commission's opinion, Croatia should even "legally remove the excessive protection of women". She added, however, that unlike in the European Union, Croatia did not have the infrastructure to support women with children and family obligations to make them equal employment candidates.
Women account for 58 per cent of Croatia's 330,000 unemployed, and women aged 40-50 have the hardest time landing a job.
Moreover, women are paid 10-15 per cent than men for the same job.
The employment rate for women in Croatia is 45 per cent, whereas in Europe it is 55 per cent, with an aim to reach 60 per cent by 2010.
An aggravating circumstance for women in Croatia is motherhood, said Bozica Zilic of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions. She added it had transpired that the more children a woman had, the less she was part of the labour market, whereas with men the situation was the opposite.
According to research, employers find fault with young women because of the possibility of motherhood, while older women are viewed as being too old and having too much experience.
Speaking of the experience of women aged 25-45, Zilic said few employers attached significance to experience, motivation and willingness to learn, with most inquiring about marital status and the number of children.
Gender equality ombudsman Gordana Lukac Koritnik said discrimination against women could be detected also in job advertisements, with most asking for jobs in the male gender.