On March 3, 2025, the event titled “Sharing Responsibility for Development and Equality” was held at the House of Europe, organized by the Forum of the Alliance for Gender Equality, in celebration of International Women’s Day. The Ombudswoman, Tena Šimonović Einwalter, participated in the event. Alongside the Ombudswoman, addresses were delivered by Marko Vešligaj, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (via video message), Kristina Lindberg, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, as well as representatives from the business sector and the academic community.
As the head of the institution that also serves as the central body for combating discrimination in the Republic of Croatia, Ombudswoman Šimonović Einwalter highlighted that gender equality has, unfortunately, not yet been achieved in our country.
This is evidenced by Eurostat data, which place Croatia among the countries with the largest gender disparities in unemployment rates, while data from the Croatian Employment Service for 2023 indicate that women constitute the majority of the unemployed population (57%).
Vertical segregation remains prevalent in managerial positions, with women underrepresented on corporate boards. A gender pay gap persists, with women employed in legal entities earning nearly 7% less monthly, while the gender pension gap stands at 20%, and the poverty rate among older women reaches as high as 40%.
Ombudswoman Šimonović Einwalter pointed out that gender imbalance is also present in private life and the distribution of professional and domestic responsibilities. According to data from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) for Croatia in 2023, nearly four out of five women (78%) participate in daily household chores, compared to only one in three men (34%). Gender expectations related to caregiving and household responsibilities thus impact women’s daily personal and professional lives.
Speaking on behalf of the institution responsible for the rights of older persons, the Ombudswoman emphasized that beyond childcare and domestic tasks, greater attention must be paid to caring for older persons and dependent family members, as well as family members with disabilities—an issue that remains insufficiently addressed.
While national policies have to some extent recognized the need for support in childcare, the need for family solidarity and care for older persons and dependent parents has not been adequately acknowledged. Currently, effective public policies that would facilitate the reconciliation of private and professional life in this respect are lacking. Labor legislation and healthcare insurance regulations do not provide adult children with opportunities for long-term care of older persons and ill parents—a concern the Ombudswoman has raised for years.
The absence of adequate measures to reconcile professional and private life impedes fulfilling the obligation to care for older persons, seriously ill, and dependent family members, while simultaneously exacerbating workplace gender inequality, since caregiving is most often performed by women. This dynamic directs women toward leaving the labor market to care for older relatives, with prolonged absence from professional roles negatively impacting their career paths and potentially resulting in permanent withdrawal from the workforce—an issue that can also be viewed through the lens of gender-based discrimination. Consequently, Ombudswoman Šimonović Einwalter stressed that, as the central national equality body, the institution has long advocated for systematic solutions to problems related to the reconciliation of professional and personal life, which would, among other goals, ensure gender equality and prevent discrimination against women.
In conclusion, Ombudswoman Šimonović Einwalter noted that effectively addressing all aspects of this issue requires action at multiple levels—combating social stereotypes and prejudices, developing necessary public policies, and policies at the employer level targeted at various stakeholders, including national authorities, employers, social partners, and the general public. It is particularly important to involve young people and direct efforts toward men as well, aiming to dismantle stereotypes, prejudices, and restrictive gender roles and expectations, thereby promoting a fairer distribution of roles.