Serbia is one of only a handful of governments in Europe to have a woman. We asked Tatjana Matic, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, about the role of the Prime Minister, Ms. Brnabic representing the “ambassador” of women in Serbia.
“The election of women to high-level government positions demonstrates a society’s willingness to transcend traditional gender divisions and focus on quality and commitment rather than on the personal traits of individuals. In that sense, it is very important that we have the Prime Minister and it is important that women are represented in the Government of Serbia and in Parliament. The Prime Minister of Serbia certainly advocates gender equality policy, in accordance with the Constitution and laws, setting an example for everyone in how responsibly and professionally conducts a country’s policies”, Matic told BIZLife magazine.
Just over a third of women sit in the Serbian parliament. What does it look like in ministries? How many women, for example, do you have in your ministry, and is this balance important to you?
In the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, in the sectors for information society and electronic communications – women have important places in decision-making and regulation. However, their positions are not determined by gender, but by expertise. These are responsible, knowledgeable and capable persons, in the first place. I believe that gender cannot and should not limit the opportunities and development of any person and that we are on the path of overcoming patriarchal systems of thought.
Are you a quarterback when it comes to hiring?
In particular, I can talk about the technology sector, where women’s representation is only 20 percent, although there is huge potential for employment in this area. On the other hand, there is hardly any profession that can be successfully pursued without digital skills. This means that unless we encourage greater involvement of women in ICT, the sector itself will develop without them and jobs of the future will not be available to them. The Gender Equality Act regulates the creation of equal opportunities to exercise rights and obligations, take special measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination based on sex and gender.
How do you generally see the position of women in Serbia?
There is a tradition, which has its value, but there are also abuses of value systems in which women are denied certain competencies. At the policy level, that is, in the public sphere, efforts to bring gender equality into practice, for example, through the mechanism of gender budgeting or quotas in government institutions, are noticeable. I think it’s important that we also talk about things that are not good. Even more developed societies, such as the European Community, acknowledge that much remains to be done in this area. The European Strategy for Gender Equality for the period from 2020 to 2025 was recently presented, and on this occasion the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Lajen, announced that gender equality was not yet a reality. In the EU, more women graduate from universities, but they earn on average 16 percent less than men, while only eight percent of women are CEOs of the largest companies in the EU. In Serbia, too, we have more women graduates, who earn less than men and generally find it difficult to advance professionally.
How much and how can the state help to advance the position of women?
I believe that digitization is a chance for both overall social progress and for strengthening gender equality in society. Last year, at the proposal of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, the Government of Serbia adopted a Program for the Empowerment of Women in Information and Communication Technologies, which will contribute to greater inclusion of girls and women in the technology sector in the education sector as well as in the economic sector. The goal of the Women’s Empowerment Program in the field of information and communication technologies for the period 2019-2020. The creation of the conditions for equal participation of women in the ICT sector, ie the reduction of the gender gap existing in the digital sector, as well as the social and economic empowerment of women and the regional representation of women in this field. The program is aimed at different ages, encouraging girls from primary school age to pursue further education, and later professional, for work in the field of ICT, enabling women educated and employed in other fields to be retrained through non-formal education in the field ICT, as well as raising digital competences for women of all ages, to help narrow the economic digital divide.
In particular, I would like to point out programs that focus on greater involvement of girls in the IT sector, in the field of education, within the project of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), launched at the initiative of the Republic of Serbia in 2010. The project is aimed at promoting gender equality through the use of information and communication technologies, and is being implemented as part of the International Girls’ Day in Information and Communication Technologies – “Girls in ICT Day”. This day, internationally, is celebrated every fourth Thursday in April, with the aim of bringing girls closer to information and communication technologies, an area in which women are not sufficiently represented in a professional manner, and the jobs that exist within the sector.
Lately, we can see that more and more women business associations are being formed. How much can such organizations help with the position of women?
Citizens’ initiatives and, in general, the participation of the non-governmental sector in major societal issues, such as gender equality and overall social development, are necessary for real progress. In this respect, the actions of associations and alliances are certainly beneficial and have the full support of the institutions.
Many successful women have to strike the right balance between private and business life. How do you do it?
When it comes to the representation of women in public life, it should also be borne in mind that women often do not opt for political and public action, among other things, and because of the great effort they have to make on their personal agenda to reconcile different roles and challenges in their family and business environment and to protect their privacy. Personally, I find a great understanding of my family for the responsibilities that my job entails.
Do you think that if you were a man your career would go easier / faster / better? Is politics an area where men find it easier to “swim”?
One of the most common gender biases is that there are “female” and “male” professions. Certainly there has been male dominance in long political history, but the situation has changed. There are more and more women participating in political life – both in Serbian society, in European countries, and globally. Their results confirm that they do not lag far behind their male counterparts in political activity, visions and results.
Is talent or work more important for a good career?
For a successful career, as well as for successful individual development, work and responsibility are essential, says Matic, BizLife writes.
