Resource information
Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of
Macedonia has closed several gaps in gender inequalities,
particularly in education and health, but key disparities
persist in access to economic opportunities and agency,
particularly among certain ethnic groups. This report
provides an overview of gender disparities in several
outcomes related to human and physical endowments, access to
economic opportunities, and agency. In addition, it offers
potential explanations of these gaps and, in the process,
identifies knowledge gaps to be addressed in future
research. On average, FYR Macedonia has achieved gender
equality in health and in education; however, gender
disparities persist for certain population subgroups.
However, women are more likely than men to choose general
programs or social sciences as their primary field of
education. Both men and women are unlikely to undertake
additional training following their initial education, but
each for different reasons: women are more likely than men
to cite family obligations as a key factor in this decision
(19 percent of women compared to 1.5 percent of men) as
women devote a much larger percentage of their time to
domestic activities. In addition, only a limited number of
children enroll in pre-school. Female labor force
participation is low, particularly among women who have
received only a primary education or less. Although
female-managed businesses are as productive as male-managed
businesses, few women are entrepreneurs. Women's
participation in collective actions is limited, and gender
stereotypes remain pervasive. Looking forward, further
efforts to increase women's access to economic
opportunities in FYR Macedonia are needed. Policies aimed at
fostering the competitiveness of the private sector for job
creation is a key for addressing the high unemployment rates
faced by both men and women. In the case of FYR Macedonia,
policies can also increase female labor force participation
by affecting the potential wages or the reservation wages of
less skilled women.
