Socio-economic impact of gender wage gap on sustainable development

Gasmi, Gordana and Zirojević, Mina (2020) Socio-economic impact of gender wage gap on sustainable development. In: Socioeconomic and Environmental Aspects of Sustainable development during the Fourth Industrial revolution : International Thematic Compendium. International Scientific Forum "Danube - River of Cooperation", Belgrade, pp. 99-119. ISBN 978-86-82825-21-0

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Abstract

The aim of the study is to briefly present gender wage gap and its socio-economic impact on sustainable development with the particular emphasis on the Western Balkan countries. Those countries are in the stage of economic transition striving to become members of the European Union (EU). Reduction of gender wage gap and improvement of equal economic opportunities of women in the labour market is an important determinant of economic and social progress of each country. The presence of earnings discrimination towards women for the work of same complexity and in identical circumstances has been confirmed in many researches related to the Western Balkan states and in the EU. According to a report by the Council of Europe Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men on Discrimination against Women in the Labour Market and at the Workplace in 2005, two of the three dominant forms of discrimination against women in the labour market are lower wages than wages of men for work of equal values (the so-called wage gap) and the obstacles to career move, which is facing women with the problem of the so-called glass ceiling. Therefore, the most important trends and measures of gender discrimination prevention in this area are presented, focusing on the EU and the Western Balkan countries. Concluding remarks point to the phenomenon of intertwining impact of negative gender stereotypes on persistence of gender wage gap in society. Furthermore, the relatively low gender wage gap in Western Balkan countries is important, but is not the only indicator of women’s equal status in the labour market, since there are many obstacles for women in relation to an access to employment, vocational training, promotion and working conditions as well. Bearing in mind growing global awareness of the role of women in social and economic development, as well as strategic aspirations of Western Balkan states to become the EU members, which is committed to the principle of gender equality, those countries will increase national competitiveness and sustainable growth significantly through empowerment of women to realize their full potential in political, economic and social participation in sustainable development of each country of the region.

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