The participation rate of women in the labor market in Kosovo is around 25 percent. This statistic must be addressed urgently, requiring immediate and coordinated action by institutions, the private sector, and individuals themselves, it was stated during a discussion organized by the Riinvest Institute under the theme\u00a0\u201cUnlocking Potential: The Economic Cost of Unused Female Potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the presentation of the report, it was noted that the main obstacles preventing women from entering the labor market include gender norms and stereotypes, caregiving responsibilities, gender gaps in labor legislation, and the low representation of women in decision-making positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Executive Director of the Riinvest Institute, Alban Hashani, said that gender gaps in labor market participation and employment constitute one of the country\u2019s most significant structural challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe, women\u2019s labor market participation remains low, Hashani noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe gender gap in employment and workforce participation is one of Kosovo\u2019s most important structural problems, despite women representing half of the population. They are underrepresented in the labor market, with the lowest participation rate in Europe, and they also have a disproportionate role in the economy overall\u2026 While we are aware of systemic problems keeping women out of the labor market, it was important for us to quantify the cost associated with this unbalanced participation. Our results suggest that if the gap were closed in Kosovo, the value of GDP per capita could increase by between 19 and 21 percent\u2026 Narrowing the participation gap is one key element highlighted in this report,\u201d Hashani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the UN Development Coordinator, Stephen O\u2019Malley, noted that women excel in higher education and other areas of life, yet only one in four participates in the labor market, the lowest rate in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding the Riinvest report, O\u2019Malley said it clearly shows how structural exclusion is holding back the entire economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd I think this is, in fact, an issue that this report highlights so well \u2013 the paradox where we see women excelling in higher education and other fields, yet only one in four participates in the labor market, the lowest rate in Europe. What the report does is clearly show how structural exclusion is holding back the economy. It\u2019s not only about women not participating; it\u2019s about the entire economy. Positively, we should consider the energy that could be unleashed through their inclusion. One real strength of this report, as the Director mentioned, is that we have quantified the effect on GDP. Therefore, it is very clear that we need coordinated action through policies, social norms, and business practices to fully benefit from Kosovo\u2019s demographic dividend and to bring youth and women fully into the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Head of the UN Population Fund Office, Visare Mujku, said the current rate of women\u2019s participation in Kosovo\u2019s workforce is only 25 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She emphasized that this statistic requires urgent attention and immediate, coordinated action by institutions, the private sector, and individuals themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mujku added that the main obstacles to this low level of female labor force participation are social, cultural, and structural factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKosovo ranks first in Europe and fifth in the world for low female labor market participation. Despite women making up half of the population, only 25 percent, or one in four women in Kosovo, participate in the labor market\u2026 The gender gap in Kosovo is 34.7 percent compared to 11.4 percent for the European Union average and 13.95 percent for the Western Balkans average. There are many barriers preventing women from entering the labor market\u2026 Gender norms are the main obstacle, as women have primary caregiving responsibilities for children and the elderly, while men have taken on the primary financial role in the family,\u201d Kallaba-Krasniqi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also noted that the main barriers influencing women\u2019s participation in the labor market include gender norms and stereotypes, caregiving responsibilities, gaps in labor legislation, low representation in decision-making positions, and a mismatch between skills and education choices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The participation rate of women in the labor market in Kosovo is around 25 percent. This statistic must be addressed urgently, requiring immediate and coordinated action by institutions, the private sector, and individuals themselves, it was stated during a discussion organized by the Riinvest Institute under the theme\u00a0\u201cUnlocking Potential: The Economic Cost of Unused Female […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":77017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,296],"tags":[6718,6717,6719,6720],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77016"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77018,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77016\/revisions\/77018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}