The development of women’s entrepreneurship is an important driving force of our society, and what is key in encouraging women’s entrepreneurship is the creation of policies that support women entrepreneurs and promote gender equality, said Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, on the occasion of the international Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.

The Commissioner reminded that several initiatives have been submitted to the Ministry of Family Care and Demography pertaining to the need for complete equalization of women entrepreneurs, i.e. women who are self-employed, with women employed by an employer, when it comes to exercising the right to maternity leave and childcare leave.

Also, in the mid-2022, a proposal was submitted for the evaluation of the constitutionality and legality of certain provisions of the Law on Financial Support for Families with Children, and the Commissioner plans to reiterate the initiative to the line ministry to fully equalize, as soon as possible, the position of women when it comes to childbirth and childcare, regardless of whether they work independently or for an employer.

Unequal treatment has no reasonable justification and favors only one form of employment – working for an employer. In this way, female entrepreneurship is demotivated, and mothers must choose between career and motherhood, the Commissioner stated.

The Commissioner concluded that there is still a prejudice in our society that women are not capable of becoming successful entrepreneurs, which is why improving the conditions for women entrepreneurs is something that the institution of the Commissioner is continuously working on, given that female entrepreneurship has a great potential for the development of society.