With aim to promote the significance and role of women in society, as well as women’s contribution to culture, Commissioner for Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic opened the Nobel Women Salon as the permanent art exhibition at the Adligat Book Museum, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Improving the gender equality through changes in cultural patterns is a long and complex process, but there is no prosperity and development of society without recognizing and promoting the importance and role of women, Commissioner pointed out. Jankovic reminded that 110 years ago the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to a woman for the first time  and noted that the institution of Commissioner prepared this unique exhibition with the support and help of almost all embassies of the laureates countries. The opening was also attended by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Head of the EU Delegation Sam Fabrizi, as well as the ambassadors of the USA, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Great Britain, Israel, etc.

Speaking about the position of women in Serbia, Commissioner stressed that a lot has been done, on one hand, primarily in political participation, having in mind the legal changes according to which 40 percent of women will be in the National Assembly and local parliaments in the future. On the other hand, however, the Law on Gender Equality has not yet been adopted and the Law on Financial Support to Families with Children has not been amended, and women are discriminated against in the labor market, especially pregnant women and mothers. All this clearly indicates that we still need to work to improve the position of women, because only as equals can we continue the development of society as a whole, Commissioner concluded.