The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, has submitted to the Ministry of Economy an initiative to amend several laws that would introduce a mandatory quota for women as the underrepresented gender in the management bodies of public and private companies. The goal is to enable women greater participation in making key decisions and to increase their representation in positions where business and development policy are shaped.
Women in Serbia still encounter obstacles in career advancement and often remain excluded from decision-making processes. Introducing quotas is an important step toward a fairer and more inclusive society, as practice has shown that diverse boards of directors contribute to better oversight of management, strengthening transparency, and reducing the risk of discriminatory decisions. This is also confirmed by analyses of the OECD and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the Commissioner emphasized.
The initiative, which refers to amendments to the Law on Business Companies, the Law on Public Enterprises, and the Law on the Management of Business Companies Owned by the Republic of Serbia, cites data showing that women in Serbia make up more than half of the population but hold only a quarter of leadership positions. Specifically, women are owners of business companies in only 27.3% of cases, women account for 27% of legal representatives, and they hold approximately 26% of director positions in Serbia.
The initiative submitted to the Ministry of Economy envisages the gradual introduction of quotas, as well as the obligation for companies to regularly report on the gender composition of their management bodies, particularly in the public sector, which plays a key role in changing decision-making culture and creating models of good practice that can also serve as an example for the private sector. This initiative is also a step toward harmonization with Directive (EU) 2022/2381, which requires that by 30 June 2026 at least 40% of members of non-executive boards or 33% of the total number of members of management bodies must be from the underrepresented gender.
