Gender and Underrepresented Groups in Research, Innovation, Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports

Promoting gender equality is a core activity for the EU. The European Commission is committed to promoting gender equality in research and innovation. It is part of the European Commission Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025, which sets out the Commission’s broader commitment to equality across all EU policies. In addition, the EU has a well-established regulatory framework on gender equality, including binding directives, which apply widely across the labour market including the research sector.

Because of the peculiarities of the research sector, specific action is needed to overcome persisting gender gaps. Many structural barriers to gender equality in research and innovation persist.

The European Commission addresses these barriers through:

• the main funding instrument Horizon 2020, the first framework programme to set gender as a cross-cutting issue, with one of the underpinning objectives being to integrate the gender dimension into research and innovation  content.
• within the European Research Area in collaboration with member countries and research organisations. Already under the ERA Communication 2012 framework, the European Commission has set 3 objectives to work with EU countries and foster an institutional change (gender equality in scientific careers, gender balance in decision making, integration of the gender dimension into the content of research and innovation).

The Western Balkans are at a crossroads, where the need for inclusivity and diversity in key sectors has never been more evident. From research and innovation to education, culture, youth empowerment, and sports, the region is beginning to implement strategies that prioritize gender equality and the inclusion of underrepresented groups. However, there is still much work to be done to ensure that these initiatives reach their full potential.

By continuing to foster inclusive policies and collaborating with international partners, the Western Balkans can create a future where everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or background, has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the region’s development.

News:

• Uniting Millennial Women in European Industry
• 6 Practical Steps to Foster Inclusivity and Support Diversity in Your Organization
• Kosovo* Representatives Advocate for Gender Equality in the Berlin Process
• Peja Hosts 2024 Edition of Gender, Economics, and Politics Summer School
• Women Economic Forum in Kosovo* Urges Immediate Inclusion of Labor Law Draft in Government’s Legislative Program
• MEETING Gender equality after work gathering
• TRAINING on Gender, Gender Equality, and Introduction of Gender Perspective in Public Policies
• TRAINING for Overcoming Gender Stereotypes in the Labor Market
• CONFERENCE EqualXChange EMPOWERING IDEAS, INSPIRING JOURNEYS: The third annual GEA conference, titled “EqualXChange
• TRAINING in construction industry
• Interview with Emilija Andonova and Gabriela Kostovska Bogoeska: How POLICY ANSWERS Aims to Address Underrepresented Groups
• Women in Information and Communication Technologies and Science: The Case of the Mihajlo Pupin Institute

Documents:

• Proposals for Integrating Cyber Violence into the Penal Code of Kosovo*
• Gender Equality Index for North Macedonia
• Women and Men in North Macedonia – a statistical portrait of trends in gender equality
• In the Shadows: Gender Analysis of Informal Work in Kosovo*
• Gender Analysis of Digitalisation in Kosovo*
• Analysis of Gender Equality in North Macedonia and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Analysis of Gender Equality in Sports in North Macedonia
• Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Gender Report, A New Generation: 25 Years of Efforts for Gender Equality in Education

Institutions and Organisations:

• Gender Equality Alliance

Initiatives:

• STREAM IT | Streaming girls and women into STEM
• Gender Equality Platform
• AI Platform for Gender Studies
• Resource Center for Gender-Responsive Policy Making and Budgeting