LocationsDaniela Gašparíková, UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro - As prepared for delivery
Regional conference “Women in STEM”
June 30, 2022
- It is a pleasure to host the second meeting of the regional Women in STEM network.
- Gratitude to Minister Scepanovic for recognizing the importance of the event and this initiative. It is quite encouraging to see for the second time woman from STEM in charge of the Ministry of Science. Gratitude to Mr. Ruzic, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia for his contribution.
- Since gender equality is central to UNDP’s mandate, it is always important for us to emphasize that there is no sustainable development without engagement of the whole society, and women make more than half of Montenegro’s population. In the region, women make at least half of the population.
- Less than quarter business entities in Montenegro are owned by women. If we extend this to the regional level, we have data that 40% of all employees in the Western Balkans are women, but that more than 23% of them do not have secure jobs, and that only 27.5% of companies in this region are owned by women.
- This, amongst other, is a clear sign that we need a systematic change in addressing gender inequalities and a joint initiative to empower women economically. Even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were aware that progress in the development of women's entrepreneurship was slow.
- RCC and UNDP have joined efforts and defined regional framework for the Women’s Economic Empowerment: Areas for joint actions in the Western Balkans. This initiative is addressing women’s participation in shaping societies and economies, labor market participation, including access to decent work, entrepreneurship, access to finance, gender gaps in the digital and green transformation and the gender pay gap. Initiative also links the dots across these sectors with the objective of bringing in systemic reforms for gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the Western Balkans.
- It is impossible to talk about development in the era of Fourth Industrial Revolution without addressing area the STEM.
- That is why as a part of solution, Women in STEM Network has been established in Western Balkans within the scope of RCC and UNDP’s joint efforts to boost economic opportunities of women and girls in STEM as they present greatest untapped potential for economic prosperity and development.
- Poor visibility of women in STEM, the best paid occupations of today, is expected, given the existing societal context in which girls are encouraged and directed towards traditional “female” occupations.
- The state itself does not have detailed statistics to monitor these trends, but those available indicate that girls and boys have equal interests in choosing education for their future occupation, even in the field of STEM.
- When we talk about results in education, 67% of the population with a degree in specialist studies and 61% with a master's degree are women. Thus, we do not see significant gender segregation in the education system. However, the fact that women are the more educated part of the population is not reflected in the labor market, as they make up only 44% of the employed and active population.
- We live in a world where technological progress is extremely rapid, so digitalization has completely changed our way of life, the entire labor market, and even decision-making processes.
- Having in mind all the above, Montenegro and cannot afford that the better educated half of the population does not realize its full potential because, the absence of women from the fast-growing professions of the future is a denial of the development chance of the whole society.
- These all applies to the WB region, since the challenges these countries are facing are somehow similar.
- Therefore, through the Regional Network of Women in STEM we want to encourage the creation of more responsible educational solutions that lead to increased competitiveness of women and faster adaptation to labor market needs.
- This is our joint mission, a long term goal we are all responsible for in order to create more equal, just and prosperous societies.