Gender equality: Perspectives of rural women entrepreneurship in Vojvodina

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the situation of women in rural areas of the Republic of Serbia and Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Surveys and studies by various authors and donors were carried out on several occasions from 2007 to 2013 and, unfortunately, gave basically the same results: the status of women in rural areas of Serbia is in very poor condition. Farms are mostly located on the territory of Vojvodina, so the emphasis is placed on women in these areas. The position of women in society is the same as the position of women in the countryside. Women who become entrepreneurs are rare. This partly depends on the level of education and on the possession of fonds for the realization of entrepreneurial ideas. Women living in rural areas lack awareness and the will to start an independent business. Although Serbia has signed various international conventions that commit to gender equality strategies adopted on the level of Serbia and Vojvodina, there has been insufficient implementation of these strategies in practice. This certainly affects the reluctance of women to engage in entrepreneurial attempt, and the number of women entrepreneurs is decreasing. To improve this situation it is necessary to resort to various forms of education for women, depending on preferences, age, level of education etc. Methods used in this research are characteristic of social science: desk research, analysis of the surveys that were previously done on a representative sample of entrepreneurs and managers, historical and comparative analysis and qualitative research.