21 Successful Women in the Youth Retention Project in Croatia

The growing crisis in Croatia has contributed, among other things, to a significant brain drain from the country. It is not unknown that there is a Facebook group called ‘Young People, Let’s Leave Croatia’ with several hundred thousand members.

Several successful Croatian women through the project ’21 Paths to Success’, backed by Vedrana Likan, director of the consulting firm for investment and real estate services Colliers International and according to the selection of the magazine ‘Zaposlena’ and the Government Office for Gender Equality ‘Woman of the Year 2012’, will attempt to explain to young people, especially women, that there is a place for them in the Croatian business sky.
The project ’21 Paths to Success’ aims to convey key messages and ideas to young people based on the stories and experiences of 21 successful women who have built their careers in Croatia, all with the goal of highlighting the opportunities, potential, and perspective that young people can have, find, or create for themselves in Croatia. The project consists of 7 panel discussions featuring 3 successful women from different segments – economy, politics, culture and art, civil society, and academia. The panel discussions are primarily aimed at young people – students in later years of study, master’s and doctoral studies, and those at the very beginning of their careers.

To ensure that the panels are maximally interactive, each panel will gather a group of up to 50 people – young women and men are welcome. Twenty-one panelists are selected based on their experience and ability to inspire the audience and provide additional motivation to young people to systematically work on themselves, their personal and professional development, and to succeed in life in what makes them happy and fulfilled, all based on their willingness to share their personal stories with them and the public. The first panel will be held on Wednesday, November 28, and the conference itself will aim to address key themes and issues (as well as solutions) related to the positioning of women in contemporary society in Croatia.
Davor Bernardić, the president of the City Assembly of Zagreb, addressed the attendees, stating that in today’s society, people follow their idols.
– Today’s society and value system are such that values that are not necessarily positive are compared. The very comparison should be a personal goal for each individual. Great individuals of strong will have historically been vilified while recognition for their merits came only later, often after their death. Through stories of success, we need to encourage young people who must not give up on their goals – said Bernardić, urging young people to stay in Croatia because the future lies here.

The head of the department for working with employers, Ivana Šimek, referred to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics showing that in 2011, 12,000 people aged 20 to 35 left Croatia. For this reason, she called it a commendable project.
Zrinka Vrabec Mojzeš, the envoy of the President of the Republic of Croatia, also addressed the gathering, emphasizing that President Ivo Josipović supports this project. She added that in Croatia, although guaranteed by the Constitution, full equality for women does not exist.
– Women are discriminated against. We still have textbooks in elementary schools that portray women in stereotypes such as mothers and housewives with a ladle in hand, an apron, and their place at the stove in the kitchen. And although journalism has become a female profession, I regret that women do not have more influence on the editorial policy itself. Recent studies have shown that women are more successful than men in education. Among graduates, they make up 60 percent, among master’s students 55 percent, and among doctoral students 55 percent, while more than 50 percent are still among the total number of unemployed. Likewise, they are often paid less, and in Croatia, perhaps only two percent of women hold leading positions in companies. Political parties also do not treat women equivalently to men. Only 19 percent of women are in the Parliament, and 20 percent within the Government. Likewise, women themselves should show more solidarity towards their colleagues – she said.

Helena Štimac Radin, Director of the Office for Gender Equality, added that the Office supports initiatives of non-governmental organizations and women who decide to engage in entrepreneurship.
– We have agreed to be partners in this project and we will remain so until the end. Women’s potential is underutilized in Croatia both in politics and in the economy – she said.
She added that recently in the European Parliament, a proposal for a law on women’s quotas in company boards was accepted, specifically a proposal for a European law that women represent 40 percent of board members in companies by 2020. The proposal was accepted despite significant resistance in the Commission, and recently women themselves voted against this proposal. The proposal concerns about 5,000 European companies listed on the stock exchange. According to this proposal, a woman will have an advantage in selection for boards if her competition is a man with the same qualifications. The proposed law does not foresee any sanctions in case of its violation. Štimac Radin emphasized that she hopes that Croatia will also benefit from this law upon joining the European Union.