The development of female entrepreneurship represents an important driving force but also an underutilized potential for economic growth, which is why it is necessary to provide support and a stimulating environment for the economic empowerment of women, in which experience from the Republic of Slovenia can help us, said Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, at the opening of the meeting “Women’s entrepreneurship – challenges and perspectives”. The meeting was organized as part of the project “Strategic dialogues on gender equality at the local level”, in cooperation with the institution of the Advocate of the Principle of Equality of the Republic of Slovenia and with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Belgrade, to review the challenges and perspectives for the development of female entrepreneurship, as well as exchange experiences from Slovenia and Serbia.

The Commissioner stated that women make up a third of registered entrepreneurs in Serbia, which shows that the trend of female entrepreneurship is slightly increasing compared to previous years, as well as that women today mostly decide to become entrepreneurs out of desire and not out of necessity, as was the case before. She points out that despite the progress made, we should not forget that our society is still patriarchal when it comes to gender roles and the choice of profession, as well as that there are prejudices against women’s ability to be entrepreneurs. Janković stated that in addition to advocating for the implementation of legal solutions and strategies, we can contribute to the elimination of gender stereotypes through joint work and partnership and pointed out that this is the first in a series of regional meetings that will be dedicated to the advancement of equality and female entrepreneurship.

At the conference’s opening, Damjan Bergant, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia, and Dr. Matevž Kokol, Advisor of the Advocate of the Principle of Equality of the Republic of Slovenia, also spoke. The Ambassador pointed out that empowering women in all areas is important for the further progress of the entire society. Research shows that economic empowerment and the promotion of gender equality are among the key factors in addressing the basic causes of gender-based violence, which unfortunately remains an entrenched problem worldwide. With the involvement of the Embassy, ​​we want to show respect for the work of relevant institutions and non-governmental organizations in the field and encourage their further mutual synergy, cooperation, and coordination to strengthen the strategic approach in this area. We would certainly like to spread the success stories, which we are sure exist, in an inspiring spirit, said Ambassador Bergant.

Female entrepreneurs from Serbia and Slovenia took part in a panel discussion and talked about the obstacles and challenges they face at work, as well as ways to overcome them, whether and how they are exposed to discrimination or unequal treatment compared to men, and how the position of female entrepreneurs can be improved. Assistant to the Commissioner, Tatjana Prijić, moderated the discussion.