Closing the circle: women in Serbia at the beginning and end of their working careers

Closing the circle: women in Serbia at the beginning and end of their working careers

The involvement of women in the labor market depends to a large extent on the reconciliation of family and business obligations, while their positioning in the sphere of paid market work and the network of the family life is presented as a source of well-being. As women face a number of barriers and difficulties in the labor market, they find it much harder to rank high on the social ladder.

The SeConS team, in collaboration with the women association „Žene na prekretnici“, has produced a publication addressing the disadvantages women face at the beginning and end of their careers. A key life transition, which for most women is a transition from education to employment, is usually time-aligned with the transition to marriage and/or parenting, which puts women at a disadvantage at the beginning of their working careers. At a later age, at the end of their working careers, women again face the problem of transitioning from active employment to retirement.

The findings presented in this study may be useful to anyone responsible for implementing gender equality policies, as well as, to those seeking to improve the living conditions of citizens.