<< Return to Program Overview

Croatia

*Information on the status of women in Croatia is substantially lacking, as compared to its EU counterparts.

1. Historical and cultural context for women and their participation

WWII & the People’s Liberation Struggle of 1941

The women of Yugoslavia played a key role in fighting fascism and the Nazis during both WWII and The People’s Liberation Struggle in 1941. Their roles were as soldiers, officers, bombers, political commissaries, spies, and medics. Over 100,000 Yugoslav women served in the People’s Liberation Army. 1 in 4 died in combat and 300,000 received merit awards after the war. 620,000 Yugoslav women were killed during WWI, “making up more than one third of all [Yugoslavia] human losses.” “During the war, women played a key role in antimilitarist and humanitarian efforts, including establishing anti-war groups, operating hotlines for victims of the war, and setting up women’s shelters.”

Additionally, Yugoslav women held down the home front and provided war provisions, medical assistance, and sanitation services. According to professor Ankica Čakaric, “the historical fact that women were not only active in combat alongside their male comrades, but at the same time organized the whole social reproduction of everyday life, has been ignored.”

Yugoslav War, 1991-2001 & the Croatian War of Independence, 1991-1995

By the end of the Croatian War, 22,000 people had been killed, 43% of them civilians.  While Croatia did succeed in remaining independent and keeping its borders, its economy was destroyed, displacement was severe, and there was over $37 billion in damages. There were over 2 million refugees and 2 million IDPs as a result of the Yugoslav Wars, and Croatia hosted so many that they made up 16% of their total population on top of their 265,000 IDPs.

Today, 2024

Women make up almost 52% of the total population, but their status today is complicated. The lingering effects of the social conflict in the 1990s still affect every part of society: from legislation, employment, access to equal resources, leadership positions, and empowerment of Croatian women. They are expected to maintain the household and not work. Further, the women that do work are in lower positions and face a wage gap between 12 and 16%. Women earn almost 30% less than men.

For more information on Croatia’s history and the status of women:

2. UNSCR1325, National Action Plans and legislation

UNSCR1325
Croatia is a signatory of 1325 and has focused on improving cooperation between government departments rather than focusing fully on implementing WPS.

NAPs
Croatia has had two NAPs on WPS. The first was for the period 2011-2014 and was focused on “strengthening the gender perspective.” The second NAP (2017) just expired in 2023 with no information on future plans to update and release a new one.

Legislation
Croatia has systematic corruption within its government that creates annual losses and reinforces social stigmatization of women. “In 2001 a further measure to enhance women’s participation in politics was introduced, which allows parties to claim a 10% higher state subsidy for each representative of the under­represented sex – i.e. each woman – elected.” The fight for equal pay is ongoing. There is currently a massive wage gap of 12% in the public sector and 16% in the private. “The gap in salaries is wider in the private sector than in the public sector [than] in all the EU member-states.” Croatia is ranked 20th but scores 10 points below the EU average on the Global Gender Equality Index. It scores lowest in health. The Office of Gender Equality leads national efforts of implementing legislation on gender. The Croatian government has passed 4 ‘National Strategy for Protection against Domestic Violence’ with the last one for the period of 2017-2022.  In May 2017, Croatia passed the Gender Equality Act, which enforced a 2008 gender quota of 40% for all Parliamentary elections “but [women report]  this quota is widely ignored“.

For more information on Croatia’s NAPs and legislation:

3. Political context and women in leadership roles

As of February 2021, “31.1% of seats in parliament were held by women.” “Women are usually given lower positions” in the government and “the political will to truly implement gender quotas is also lacking.” “Croatia had one female president, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, from 2015 to 2020 and one female prime minister, Jadranka Kosor, from 2009 to 2011.” According to Freedom House, “Women are represented across political parties, and women have held Croatia’s presidency between 2015 and 2019 and the prime minister’s office between 2009 and 2011. However, the number of women in the parliament decreased in 2016 after the Constitutional Court struck down a law requiring 40 percent of a party’s candidates be women. In the 2020 parliamentary election, 35 women won seats in the parliament.” As of May 2023, 20% of Croatian peacekeepers were women. Yet, Croatian women hold the largest share of doctoral degrees, at 51% and “account for 41% of total employment in science and engineering”

For more information on women’s leadership and participation:

4. Women’s rights and civil society

Croatian women’s civil society organizations are widespread and diverse. The first women’s CSO, the Tresnjevka Women’s Group and Support Center, originated in response to the Yugoslav War to help victims of gender-based violence, especially rape, while the conflict was ongoing.

These organizations, in relation with informal and grassroots networks and initiatives, have led a vigorous women’s movement in Croatia that aims to “tackle different issues affecting women and their health, such as sexual and reproductive health rights, their right to abortion, their right to be protected from violence and to enjoy equality and safety in the workplace.”

CSOs lead almost all efforts for public awareness campaigns on gender discrimination in the government and its legislation, which has impacted the overall visibility, knowledge, and participation in fighting for reform on these issues.

Since “2007, the Stup srama campaign, run by the feminist organization CESI, has been naming and shaming those political parties” and “operates a website that publishes the worst examples of sexist or discriminatory speech by public figures, and every month gives the public the chance to vote for the most outrageous among them.”

Women’s Civil Society Organizations:

For more information on Croatian women’s civil society:

5. Gender-based violence (GBV) and security

“41% of women have experienced sexual harassment” in their lifetime.35,000 women and children, mostly Bosniak, were held in Serb-run “rape camps” and were subjected to systematic torture, sexual violence, trafficking, and murder during the Yugoslav War. The Yugoslav War in 1990 killed an estimated 140,000 people and indicated one of the first widely documented uses of sexual violence as a war tactic. The systematic use of sexual violence and rape by primarily military men affected between 20-50,000 women and between 300-600 men. Croat forces were also responsible for sexual abuse of between 100 and 200 Serbs during two military operations and to Serb prisoners in Croat camps  Rape became a tactic to not only dominate women, but to ethnically cleanse Bosniaks through Serb impregnation. Human Rights Watch claims that a majority of rapes were done by two or more perpetrators usually with witnesses. Due to issues of displacement and lack of reproductive health care, sexual violence critically endangered women victims. Additionally, it left them with severe lasting trauma after the war with no real resources to address their mental health and healing.

“The Law on the Rights of Victims of Sexual Violence During the Armed Aggression against Croatia in the Homeland War was passed in 2015. By acquiring the status of victims, survivors get the right to financial compensation, as well as psychosocial, legal and medical assistance, medical rehabilitation and accommodation in an institution that provides support, if required.”

GBV is further complicated by trauma. Both war veterans and their wives report existing trauma and suffering that affects their daily lives and ability to work. Additionally, “the effects are still present and can manifest themselves in chemical addictions, depression and spousal abuse.”

Current Ombudsman for Gender Equality Visnja Ljubicic, the [current GBV reporting] system actually discourages women from reporting domestic violence until it escalates into a criminal offense.”

For more information on GBV in Croatia:

6. Key takeaways

Previous
WPS Overview
Next