EU4GenderEquality: Women’s Economic Empowerment

Busy open-plan office with workers at desks; digital network overlays and colorful orbs.

EU4GenderEquality: Women’s Economic Empowerment

Summary

In the Western Balkans, deeply rooted gender-based inequalities continue to undermine the quality of life for women and girls, hinder economic growth, and obstruct the realization of human rights. Despite advancements in legal frameworks and public commitments to the EU accession agenda, systemic obstacles - such as traditional norms, a lack of political will, and insufficient investments - persist, resulting in wide gender pay gaps, low female labour market participation, and underrepresentation in leadership and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

The overall objective of the project is that women and girls participate in society, fully enjoying and exercising equal economic, labour and social rights in a safe and secure environment.

It aims to contribute to this Outcome through two key outputs:

Capacity built and new and existing networks strengthened in the region, including the Gender Equality Leadership Academy, the Gender Equality Alliance in the Western Balkans;
Increased understanding of the main obstacles and challenges creating gender disparities in STEM and ICT education and employment in the Western Balkans and increased opportunities for digital upskilling of women and girls, including those from marginalised groups.

By leveraging regional cooperation and innovative approaches, the project seeks to unlock the potential of women and girls in the Western Balkans, fostering a more inclusive, equal, and prosperous society.

The project, is a part of the jointly implemented by UN Women and UNDP under the EU-funded Regional Joint Programme “EU4 Gender Equality: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence against Women.”

Background

Women and girls in the Western Balkans continue to face significant gender inequalities that limit their economic participation, leadership opportunities, and overall well-being. Despite progress in legal frameworks and commitments to gender equality under the EU accession process and the Sustainable Development Goals, a substantial gap persists between policies and their implementation. Structural barriers, including entrenched social norms, gender stereotypes, limited institutional capacity, and insufficient investment in gender equality initiatives, continue to constrain women’s economic empowerment across the region.

Women’s labour force participation in the Western Balkans remains significantly lower than men’s, with an average employment rate of around 45% compared to 55% for men. Women also carry a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work—performing nearly three times more unpaid labour than men—which limits their ability to engage fully in paid employment and entrepreneurship. Women are underrepresented in leadership roles and emerging sectors such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), where they account for only about 14% of the workforce.

Addressing these interconnected challenges requires integrated efforts to strengthen women’s economic empowerment.

Major Achievements

Regional coordination mechanisms operationalized: Functional partnerships and platforms established to advance gender equality across the Western Balkans, enabling joint actions and knowledge exchange.
Evidence generated for policy and programming: Analytical work on barriers to women’s economic participation and entrepreneurship ecosystems informed policy dialogue and programme prioritization.
Advocacy and visibility increased: Gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, and technology-facilitated violence gained greater visibility through regional campaigns and stakeholder engagement.

Project Outcome

Capacity built and new and existing networks strengthened in the region, including the Gender Equality Leadership Academy, the Gender Equality Alliance in the Western Balkans;
Increased understanding of the main obstacles and challenges creating gender disparities in STEM and ICT education and employment in the Western Balkans and increased opportunities for digital upskilling of women and girls, including those from marginalised groups.

Statistics

Across the Western Balkans, women’s representation in political decision-making has improved in recent years, largely due to the introduction of quotas, but significant disparities remain across governance levels. Women currently hold 39.2% of parliamentary seats in North Macedonia, 37.6% in Serbia, 37.5% in Kosovo* , 35% in Albania, 28.4% in Montenegro, and 23.8% in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, representation declines notably in executive roles: women account for 47% of executive branch in Albania and around 30% in Serbia, but only 20% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 25% in Kosovo*, 21.9% in Montenegro, and 12.5% in North Macedonia. The gap is most pronounced at the local executive level, where women hold only 19.6% mayoral positions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 13.3% in Serbia, 13.1% in Albania, 10.5% in Kosovo*, 2.5% in North Macedonia, and none in Montenegro.

Women’s employment rates remain significantly lower than men’s across all economies, ranging from 21.2% in Kosovo*, 37.3% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 37.9% in North Macedonia, to 45.1% in Serbia, 46.3% in Montenegro, and 69.3% in Albania. Women’s participation in entrepreneurship also remains limited, with women owning or co-owning approximately 18% of businesses in Kosovo*, around 20.6% in North Macedonia, 25% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 26.3% in Montenegro, around one-third of enterprises in Serbia, and around 32.6% of micro enterprises in Albania. At the same time, women remain underrepresented in corporate leadership and decision-making roles across the region, while gender pay gaps and occupational segregation continue to affect women’s earnings and career progression. These patterns highlight a persistent regional gap between formal gender equality commitments and women’s actual economic outcomes, particularly in access to leadership positions and opportunities in high-growth sectors such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and innovation.

*Kosovo in this document accordingly shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).

*For the European Union, this designation used is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244/99 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo* declaration of independence.

SDGs

The programme is fully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, contributing to SDG 5 by addressing structural gender inequalities in economic participation and leadership, SDG 8 by promoting inclusive labour markets and women’s entrepreneurship, and SDG 9 by advancing women’s participation in innovation, STEM, and emerging sectors linked to the green and digital transition.

Furthermore, the programme supports the European Union accession agenda across the Western Balkans by contributing to key reform areas under Chapter 19 (Social Policy and Employment) and Chapter 23 (Fundamental Rights). Its focus on gender-responsive governance, labour market inclusion, and innovation ecosystems directly supports alignment with EU standards and strengthens progress toward inclusive, competitive, and sustainable economies.