Gender equality in Montenegro is not uniform, but deeply depends on where one lives - a woman in a smaller municipality does not start from the same starting position as a woman in an urban center, nor does she have the same opportunities to change that position. This is a serious political issue, which results in 16 out of 25 municipalities having fewer women than men, even though they make up the majority of the population.
This was shown by the analysis of the Center for Women's Rights (CWR) and the publication "From Numbers to Politics: Gender Picture of Municipalities in Montenegro", which is aimed at identifying real opportunities for the improvement and effective use of official gender statistics in the country, and aims to make a strategic contribution to the dissemination of gender-disaggregated data, along with their interpretation in a broader sociological and demographic context.
Their methodological starting point was the collection of all available gender-disaggregated data, which was processed by the Statistical Office (Monstat) during 2023 and 2024, i.e. from the population census and the agricultural census, along with regular annual statistical reviews.
Due to the frequency of cross-cutting inequalities and statistically significant gender differences identified in the processed data, municipalities stand out in which, at all levels of governance, it is necessary to prioritize work on improving the socio-economic and social position of women, namely Andrijevica, Plav, Rožaje, Petnjica, Tuzi and Gusinje.
Anita Stjepčević from the Central European Centre, one of the authors of the publication, told "Vijesti" that the analysis already at the initial level showed that gender inequalities in Montenegro are not abstract, but very concrete and, more importantly, territorially visible, especially when the data is down to the municipal level.
It is precisely this micro-local approach that has enabled them to identify several recurring patterns. First of all, there are pronounced regional differences: in 16 out of 25 municipalities, there are fewer women than men, while in larger urban areas the concentration of the female population is increasing.
According to the data from the analysis, compared to the same indicators from the 2011 census, there were fewer women in 10 municipalities, a total of 21 since then. In the meantime, the number of women decreased in Ulcinj and Žabljak, and the authors noted that there were more women in nine municipalities that represent already urban areas, such as Podgorica, Kotor, Herceg Novi, Bar, Budva, Cetinje, Pljevlja, Nikšić and Tivat, which ultimately affect the national average in favor of a larger number of female population.
"This is directly related to migration, where we come to another important pattern - gender-differentiated migration and life strategies. The data showed that men predominantly migrate for economic reasons, while women more often leave for family reasons or education," said Stjepčević.
She assessed that this indicates a still strong division of gender roles, where men are expected to be the "breadwinners" and women to follow the family's course.
The third pattern is the economic inactivity and dependency of women, especially in less developed municipalities. According to Stjepčević, the analysis shows high rates of female inactivity, lower digital literacy, and their concentration in lower-paid sectors.
"This is also related to the pervasive property and housing insecurity of women, which is reflected in more frequent changes of residence and a dependent position in relation to property ownership. There is a visible connection between patrilineal inheritance patterns and women's limited access to property. We also notice that these situations are additionally expressed in environments with higher fertility, where motherhood is often the only or dominantly socially valued role," said the interviewee of "Vijesti".
He states that social vulnerabilities also stand out, such as the large share of single-parent families headed by women, who are also among those most at risk of poverty.
Development is not gender neutral
Stjepčević emphasizes that the research results show quite unequivocally that women living in smaller and underdeveloped municipalities are not high on the list of development priorities, regardless of declarative equality policies.
The question is whether women, she says, as an extremely heterogeneous group, are even on the list of political priorities, because when the data is viewed at the state level, one can get the impression of a certain balance.
"For example, the fact that in Montenegro there are more women than men. However, at the municipal level, this picture changes completely: in most municipalities there are fewer women, especially in the northern region, which is also the least developed. This clearly shows that development is not gender-neutral and that women from these areas are systematically 'disappearing', through migration and economic inactivity accompanied by a lack of infrastructure," she said.
It is particularly important, she believes, that even those indicators that at first glance appear to be "positive", such as higher birth rates in certain municipalities, can actually indicate the opposite: limited choices.
Ultimately, Stjepčević assessed, the analysis shows and proves a "formalized" approach to gender equality, while the real opportunities for a better quality of life for women, but also for men, remain deeply unequal, depending on where they live.
According to the publication, following migration statistics, it can be seen that the population is predominantly emigrating from the northern region, with women (54 percent) leaving more than men (46 percent). The emigration of the population from the municipalities of the northern region, especially young people between the ages of 20 and 29, directly contributes to the inactivity rate and unemployment rate in these municipalities.
Internal migration of men is directed towards coastal municipalities, while women are more likely to choose larger urban centers in the central region of the country. This population movement, according to the CZP analysis, may help to understand the reasons why, in the past ten years, there has been an increase in the population of some municipalities.
Women are significantly more likely to change their place of residence within municipalities, which may reflect structural gender inequalities that place them in a dependent position in relation to housing and property. According to the data, women's relocation after marriage often involves leaving their own home or household of origin, without simultaneously acquiring ownership or co-ownership rights over the property in which they continue to live.
How to break patterns?
Responding to this question, Stjepčević emphasizes that it is necessary to take into account official data from the population census and include them in local gender equality plans. To this end, they approached the Union of Municipalities with the idea of organizing a roundtable for representatives of local governments responsible for gender equality issues.
However, she reminds us that this is about issues of the quality of life of women and men, which concerns everyone, especially those holding local offices.
"This is a prerequisite for the development of all other policies that will recognize the specific challenges of the local population and provide clear means for their implementation. First, we need to strengthen mechanisms for gender equality at the local level that will implement measures for the development of infrastructure, investments in support services (kindergartens, elderly care centers ...), in local economies and the labor market...", she summarized in an interview with "Vijesti".
Asked why it is important for central authorities to turn towards women in all municipalities of Montenegro, the interviewee replied that it is important because the analysis very clearly shows that gender equality in Montenegro is not uniform, but deeply depends on the place of residence.
As she said, the position of women in Bar and, for example, in Andrijevica or Rožaje is not the same, not only in economic terms, but also when it comes to access to education, the labor market, property, public services, or the socially expected role of women.
"This is something we have known for a long time, but we have now received scientifically substantiated confirmation through official statistics and we have a responsibility towards it. The role of central authorities is important here, to ensure that policies are based on evidence, not on general assumptions," she said.
He further states that without an active role from the Government, the observed differences will not be reduced. On the contrary, they are deepening through migration, economic inequalities and other demographic trends.
"Currently, gender issues are largely left to a fragmented system: partly to local governments that often have neither the capacity nor the political priority to deal with these topics, partly to state-level institutions whose mechanisms are insufficient to effectively coordinate even state, let alone local, policies, and mostly to the civil sector that has been filling institutional gaps for years," she told "Vijesti".
Such an approach is not enough, says Stjepčević, and underlines that it produces a situation in which gender equality is selective, and support for women depends on where they live and whether there is an active initiative or project in that environment, instead of being guaranteed as public policy.
"Simply put, a woman in a smaller municipality does not start from the same starting position as a woman in an urban center, nor does she have the same opportunities to change that position. And that is a serious political issue," the newspaper's interlocutor concluded.
At the Center for Women's Rights, as stated in the publication, the development of gender statistics, as well as its clear and responsible communication to the public and all relevant stakeholders, should result in a stronger inclusion of gender-disaggregated data in the creation of national and local development policies.
Such an approach is the only one that enables the adoption of informed and gender-sensitive policies, capable of recognizing, addressing and reducing existing and multiple inequalities in society in the long term.
In addition to Stjepčević, the authors of the analysis are Maja Raičević, also an editor, and Zorica Konatar, while the associate Teodora Balšić.
Migration for education
Stjepčević emphasizes that the data potentially recognized a positive generational shift - young women (20-29 years old) are increasingly using migration for the purpose of continuing their education as a strategy to escape restrictive gender, economic, and family frameworks.
"The problem is that at the same time they remain exposed to the risk that their educational investments will not result in adequate economic status in their country of origin. This is confirmed by official data on the gender gap in income at the level of Montenegro, which exceeds 20 percent difference for work of the same value in favor of men, even though women have a higher level of education than men at the level of the general population," she said.
Ultimately, according to her, the data revealed a high degree of correlation between the active female workforce and the development of municipalities, so as a rule, the most developed are those municipalities in which women's activity in the labor market is highest. Conversely, municipalities in which over 70 or 80 percent of unemployed women or housewives are among the most underdeveloped in Montenegro.
They often take care of children themselves
Although single-family households and families with three to five members dominate at the state level, there is a significant number of single-parent families in which mothers take care of children alone, and whose representation in some municipalities exceeds 20 percent of the total number of families.
The largest number of single-parent families consisting of mothers with children live in Cetinje and Kolašin (over 20 percent of the total number of families), followed by Nikšić, Herceg Novi and Andrijevica.
"This is one of the most socially and economically vulnerable groups at the level of all municipalities, particularly exposed to the risk of poverty. This is confirmed by MONSTAT data, according to which households in which families consist of one adult with at least one dependent child are at twice the risk of poverty compared to other households," the CŽP analysis states.
In addition, considering women's economic activity and their dominant representation in lower-paid occupations in services and trade (in almost all municipalities), known for their precarious contracts and working conditions, it is necessary to recognize the economic and social risks to which this category of the population is exposed and to prioritize supporting appropriate measures at the local and national levels.
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