WOMEN’S STUDYTHE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA 2020/2021

Abstract

Gender equality is, undoubtedly, an essential factor in the development of a society. It improves productivity and economic growth, enhances the well-being of all societal groups and thus improves the development of a society and future generations, as well as the efficiency of institutions. In short, the more equal the conditions for the different genders are, the better the country is off. For these reasons, in 2020 the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in North Macedonia decided to develop and conduct a women’s study, in order to measure, describe and explain the status of the female population vis-a-vis society, family, values, education, employment, politics, security and healthcare. The study was developed based on our experiences of conducting comprehensive youth studies which in 2014 and 2019, that were well-received in the country and across the region and served as the basis for drafting and developing policies and projects in the past years. The data obtained in the research cannot not be presented in its entirety in this publication but will be available upon demand. However, this study, provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the most relevant data. The women’s study is an interdisciplinary study with the primary objective to lay the foundations of further interpretation and analysis. We also sincerely hope that in the coming years, data obtained from the research will be used for policy development and different purposes benefiting the enhancement of gender equality in Macedonian society, as well as for scientific use and drafting projects. According to existing research, women in the Republic of North Macedonia (at the cognitive level) do aspire towards gender equality. It is notable that all of them perceive the Macedonian society as patriarchal, where tradition is an important and commonly accepted value, but every woman (regardless of her demographic background) is trying in her own ways to fight for her rights and equality in her (newly established) family and the surrounding. Unfortunately, our results once again confirm that women largely accept the patriarchal gender division of roles in Macedonian society. They predominantly chose to spend most of their free time with the family, perform most of the household chores and consider such division fair and just. The financial status of women is linked to their position in the home, and a woman´s equality is linked to her husband/partner. The research revealed that the unfavourable position, compared to men, as well as the gender-based discrimination on the labour market are not recognized by women. Most women earn less than their partners and the men in the same positions. Often the professional competence of women is measured lower merely because of their gender, not their performance. As a result, women are often less supported by managers unlike their male colleagues discharging the same duties, which manifests and perpetuates the “glass ceiling” phenomenon, discouraging women to assert themselves. Although women largely exercise their right to vote, their political participation is at a low level and they are generally disinterested, not informed and not familiar with politics and “women’s issues and equality”. The study targets a series of challenges that all stakeholders need to confront, in order to improve the individual and societal well-being: policymakers, decision makers, as well as all citizens, men and women, in our society. Lastly, our gratitude goes to the research team that, even under the conditions of a pandemic, carried out the research professionally, diligently and in great detail. The team successfully faced the challenge of conducting a field research of a nationally representative sample of 1066 respondents during the pandemic, with a large questionnaire, which required time, much focus and perseverance from the respondents. Friedrich Ebert Foundation will promote the results of this study also in further activities and looks to conduct similar studies across the region of Southeast Europe. This pilot project from FES Skopje provides crucial best practices.