0

INVESTING IN

OPPORTUNITIES

FOR ALL:

CROATIA COUNTRY

GENDER ASSESSMENT

1

OUTLINE

01 The purpose of a CGA

02 The methodology and sources

03 What is new about the CGA?

Main Findings 04

Recommendations05

Bank Actions06

2

The Purpose

of a

CGA

3

COUNTRY GENDER ASSESSMENT (CGA)

It recognizes that stronger and better-resourced efforts

are needed to address critical gender gaps in:

1) improving human endowments;

2) removing constraints for more and better

employment;

3) removing barriers to women’s ownership and control

of assets;

4) enhancing women's voice and agency.

In 2015 the World Bank approved its

Strategy for Gender Equality, Poverty

Reduction, and Inclusive Growth

▪ emerging patterns of gender gaps in the key domains

of endowments, economic opportunities, women’s

ownership of assets, and voice and agency.

▪ aspects of inclusion and exclusion and the inter-

sectionality of gender and factors, such as age,

ethnicity, sexual orientation and spatial disadvantages.

The CGA identifies and highlights:

4

COUNTRY GENDER ASSESSMENT (CGA)

The report is intended for external

use, as well for and internal World

Bank audience

It helped inform the World Bank’s

Country Partnership Framework

2019-2024 (CPF) for Croatia and

puts in place an actionable

Gender Roadmap that will guide

Bank’s interventions during this

CPF period

5

The

Methodology

and Sources

6

METHODOLOGY

From Croatian and English language scholarly

sources, government reports and other grey literature.

LITERATURE REVIEW

From a wide range of international databases and

national household data.

ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE DATA

Discussions with youth, working-age women, elderly

women, rural women, female entrepreneurs, ethnic

minorities, LGBTI

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS, KEY

INFORMANT INTERVIEWS IN

ZAGREB and SLAVONIA

At inception: to provide guidance on the scope of the

assessment and key research questions in May 2018

A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

7

DATA SOURCES

World Development Indicators

World Bank Genderstats

Eurostat

EU SILC

EU Household Budget Survey (HBS)

UN Population Prospects

UNECE database

European Institute for Gender

Equality

European Quality of Life Survey

(EQLS)

Life in Transition Survey

European Union Minorities and

Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS)

EU Labor Force Survey

Eurostat ICT Survey

European Quality of Life

Survey (EQLS)

Eurobarometer

WHO health surveys

European Union Agency for

Fundamental Rights Database

EU PISA

8

What is new

about this

CGA?

9

OVERLAPPING DISADVANTAGES AND MARGINALIZED VOICES

Qualitative methods complemented

quantitative tools

It looks at how endowments, economic

opportunities and agency change over the

lifecycle

It examines overlapping disadvantages and

the inter-sectionality between social and

spatial exclusion

It brings in voices of excluded groups -

older women, youth and minorities from

Slavonia and the city of Zagreb.

10

Main

Findings

11

KEY TAKEWAYS

Women struggle with translating

endowments into economic

opportunities

There is unequal access to economic

opportunities for women, youth and

retireesAge is a key determinant of poverty

with a distinct gender dimensionYouth with less skills and education remain at the fringes of the labor market

Women face constraints including an

absence of affordable business

development services, lack of financial and

social capital, and an absence of

institutions and networks that give them a

collective voice in the marketplace

Excluded groups often resort to self-

employment out of necessity, but there is a

lack of inclusive entrepreneurship

opportunities

12

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Women are also reluctant to enter, or

reenter, the labor market because of

unaffordable or inaccessible childcare

services and care work.

Location plays an important role in

determining welfare with the worst

outcomes for rural women

A clear ethnic dimension with

the Roma population the most

excluded minority

Croatian LGBTI report a strong sense of

discrimination and harassment

13

Girls and young women are

on par or surpass their

male peers in acquiring

endowments throughout

the first decades of their

lives, but struggle with

translating endowments

into economic

opportunities, especially

once they are faced with

care responsibilities

Diminishing

Advantages

for Girls

and Women

14

GIRLS AGED 7-18: CROATIA HAS ACHIEVED GENDER PARITY AND HIGH

LEVELS OF SCHOOL ENROLLMENT IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

15

GIRLS AND WOMEN AGED 10-25 PERFORM WELL IN PRIMARY AND

SECONDARY EDUCATION AND OUTNUMBER MEN IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

Higher tertiary education for women both in rural and urban areas

(structure by gender and degree of urbanization, 2017)

7.3 9.2 12.4 15.7 20.6 26.4

60.6 53.9

72.3 62.068.0 57.2

32.1 36.9

15.322.2

11.4 16.4

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Males Females Males Females Males Females

Cities Towns and suburbs Rural areas

Low Middle High

16

BUT WOMEN LAG SIGNIFICANTLY BEHIND MEN WHEN IT COMES TO

GRADUATION FROM MOST SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING,

MATHEMATICS (STEM) FIELDS

17

56 56

52 52 5251

5050

48 48

45

40

45

50

55

60

Estonia Lithuania SlovakRepublic

CzechRepublic

Slovenia EuropeanUnion

Euro area ECA (IDA &IBRD)

Hungary Bulgaria Croatia

Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate), 2017

HOWEVER HIGH LEVELS OF TERTIARY EDUCATION DO NOT TRANSLATE INTO

HIGH LEVELS OF FEMALE LABOR MARKET PARTICIPATION

18

For women, young

people, and retirees

Unequal

Access to

Economic

Opportunities

19

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

9025-2

9

30-3

4

35-3

9

40-4

4

45-4

9

50-5

4

55-5

9

60-6

4

Perc

ent

Age

EU-28, males

EU-28, females

Croatia, males

Croatia, females

Employment rate by gender and

age, 2017

WHILE WOMEN START OUT AT COMPARABLE LEVELS WITH MEN, LABOR

MARKET PARTICIPATION DROPS WITH AGE

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

25-2

9

30-3

4

35-3

9

40-4

4

45-4

9

50-5

4

55-5

9

60-6

4

Fem

ale

em

plo

ym

ent

rate

(male

= 1

00)

Age

EU-28

Croatia

20

WOMEN AGED 25-40 ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY

UNEMPLOYMENT

21

20.4

16.6

12

21.5

17.3

16.71

9.1

17.6

21.9

21.7

16.8

29.5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Less than 18 18-64 65 or more

Perc

ent

Age

EU-28, males EU-28, females Croatia, males Croatia, females

At Risk of Poverty Rate - by gender and age, 2016

AND WOMEN 65+ ARE AT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RISK OF

POVERTY THAN MEN

22

Statement EU-28 Croatia

Work and household responsibilities

The most important role of a man is to earn money (% agree) 43 55

The most important role of a woman is to take care of her home

and family (% agree)44 60

A man taking parental leave to take care of his children (%

approve)84 66

A man doing an equal share of household activities (% approve) 84 70

Women have less freedom because of their family responsibilities

(% agree)67 82

Political participation

Women are less interested than men in positions of responsibility

in politics (% agree)34 44

Politics is dominated by men who do not have sufficient

confidence in women (% agree)61 66

Women do not have the necessary qualities and skills to fill

positions of responsibility in politics (% agree)17 24

SOCIAL AND GENDER NORMS ARE AN IMPORTANT DRIVER

OF THE GENDER GAPS OBSERVED (EUROBAROMETER 2017)

23

Limited

Opportunities

for

Entrepreneurship

Excluded groups often resort to self-

employment out of necessity, but there

is a lack of inclusive entrepreneurship

opportunities.

Women face constraints including an

absence of affordable business

development services, lack of financial

and social capital, and an absence of

institutions and networks to give them a

collective voice in the marketplace and

in the community.

Only 3% of women aged 25-29 years

and only 11% of women aged 50-54 are

entrepreneurs in Croatia.

24

WOMEN AGES 55+: WITH LESS RESOURCES ACQUIRED OVER THE

WORKING LIFE, INACTIVE WOMEN ARE LESS LIKELY TO TAKE ON THE

RISK OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP (EUROSTAT 2017)

25

PORTION OF RESPONDENTS REPORTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

OUT OF NECESSITY 2012-2016

Source: OECD, based on Total Early Stage Entrepreneurship (TEA) rate

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Overall Average Men Women Youth (18-30) years old Senior (50-60) years old

%

Croatia EU

26

Gender Gap in ICT use by older persons aged 55-74 at least once a week (including everyday)

WOMEN 55+ DO NOT EQUALLY BENEFIT FROM TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

AND LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES (EUROSTAT 2016)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Luxem

bourg

Neth

erl

ands

Sw

eden

Denm

ark

Unit

ed K

ingdom

Fin

land

Belg

ium

Germ

any

Aust

ria

Fra

nce

Est

onia

Czech R

epublic

Spain

Slo

vakia

Irela

nd

Latv

ia

Hungary

Malt

a

Italy

Slo

venia

Cypru

s

Cro

ati

a

Port

ugal

Pola

nd

Lit

huania

Gre

ece

Rom

ania

Bulg

ari

a

Men Women

78

92

74

88

76

92

61

81

46

67

20

46

34

60

11

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2010 2017 2010 2017

EU Croatia

25 to 54 years old Men 25 to 54 years old Women

55 to 74 years old Men 55 to 74 years old Women

Internet Use in the Past 3 Months

27

Barrier Posed

by Lack of

Care Options

Unpaid care work is highly

prevalent among Croatian

women, and the lack of

childcare options presents a

barrier for women

re-entering the workforce.

28

Childcare available for children aged 3 to minimum compulsory school age is the lowest in the EU

THE LACK OF CHILDCARE OPTIONS PREVENTS WOMEN (AGED 25-45) FROM

RE-ENTERING THE WORKFORCE

86.3

51.3

50

60

70

80

90

100

EU

-28

Cro

ati

a

Gre

ece

Rom

ania

Pola

nd

Unit

ed K

ingdom

Bulg

ari

a

Slo

vakia

Lit

huania

Cypru

s

Czech R

epublic

Latv

ia

Fin

land

Hungary

Luxem

bourg

Malt

a

Aust

ria

Slo

venia

Germ

any

Port

ugal

Italy

Est

onia

Irela

nd

Neth

erl

ands

Fra

nce

Spain

Denm

ark

Sw

eden

Belg

ium

Perc

ent

Children in formal childcare, by age, 2017

29

91.9

74.4 72.8

63 60.7 60.7 5854.1

47.8 47.241.4 41 38.3 36.4 34.9 32.2 31.8 29.8

24.9 24.917.4

13.238.6

25.720.5 19.8

11.716.1 19.1 21.5

14.610.5 11.1 14 13.4 15.7 15.2 11.6

7.411.9 8.6 7.8 4.7 5.8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Kindergartens Daycares (below age 3)

RURAL CHILDCARE COVERAGE IS DRASTICALLY LOWER THAN IN THE

CAPITAL

Coverage of kindergartens and daycares by counties (2011), showing large rural vs. urban disparity

30

32 % of women aged between 25 and 64 were inactive and not seeking employment due to looking after

children or incapacitated adults instead of paid work as compared to only 6.7% of men

Inactive population aged 26-64 not seeking employment due to caring responsibilities, by gender, 2017

CARE WORK IS PREVALENT FOR WOMEN DURING PRODUCTIVE YEARS,

LEAVING A LOT OF THEM “INACTIVE”

5.2 6.7

33.8 32.0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70EU

-28

Denm

ark

Sw

eden

Neth

erl

ands

Slo

venia

Fra

nce

Fin

land

Port

ugal

Lit

huania

Gre

ece

Belg

ium

Luxem

bourg

Aust

ria

Germ

any

Cro

ati

a

Hungary

Italy

Latv

ia

Rom

ania

Bulg

ari

a

Czech R

epublic

Unit

ed K

ingdom

Slo

vakia

Pola

nd

Est

onia

Malt

a

Spain

Irela

nd

Cypru

s

Perc

ent

Males

Females

31

Intersectional

Gender

Disadvantages

Spotlight 1: Youth

A high percentage of young

Croatian men and women are not

in employment, education or

training (NEET).

Young NEETs share some

fundamental characteristics:

they are more likely to have a

low educational level, difficult

family environment, or

immigrant background.

32

COMPARED TO OTHER EU COUNTRIES,

CROATIA HAS THE 3RD HIGHEST NEET RATE FOR MALES (YOUTH AGES 15-29 BY GENDER, EUROSTAT, 2017)

11.5

16.715.4

19.1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

EU

-28

Czech

Republic

Neth

erl

an

ds

Sw

eden

Luxem

bo

urg

Germ

any

Malt

a

Est

onia

Aust

ria

Hungary

Slo

venia

Denm

ark

Pola

nd

Unit

ed

Kin

gdom

Lit

huania

Fin

land

Port

ugal

Slo

vak

Republic

Latv

ia

Irela

nd

Belg

ium

Fra

nce

Rom

ania

Bulg

ari

a

Cypru

s

Spain

Cro

ati

a

Gre

ece

Italy

Perc

ent

Males Females

33

RATES OF YOUNG ROMA NEITHER IN EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION OR

TRAINING IN CROATIA ARE STRIKINGLY HIGH (EU-MIDIS II, 2016)

55

7272

82

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Tota

l (9

countr

ies)

Spain

Cro

ati

a

Slo

vakia

Bulg

ari

a

Rom

ania

Czech R

epublic

Gre

ece

Hungary

Port

ugal

Perc

ent

Men Women

NEET Rate for Roma Youth Ages 15–29, by Gender, 2016

34

Intersectional

Gender

Disadvantages

Spotlight 2:

Roma women

Disadvantages for Croatian

Roma girls start early and

intensify over the lifecycle

35

ROMA GIRLS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY EXCLUDED FROM EARLY

CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES - BOTH IN COMPARISON TO

THEIR MALE PEERS AND IN COMPARISON TO ROMA GIRLS IN SE EUROPE

Gender inequality in Croatia has an ethnic dimension, with the Roma

population the most excluded minority group

Inequalities for Croatian Roma girls start early and intensify over the lifecycle

78 % of Roma girls leave school early, in comparison to 60 % of Roma boys

Upper secondary completion and above is extremely low, especially for

women: a mere 6 % of Roma women population complete this level of

education, compared to 24 % of Roma men

36

CROATIAN ROMA WOMEN HAVE THE LOWEST PAID WORK RATE

ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE (EU-MIDIS II, 2016)

3532

22

1612

36

21

27

3229

64

55

82

31 31

62

55

64

5456

67

75

55

62 61

49

6966

68

43

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Bulgaria CzechRepublic

Greece Spain Croatia Hungary Portugal Romania SlovakRepublic

Total

Roma women Roma men General population

37

Intersectional

Gender

Disadvantages

Spotlight 3: LGBTI

Croatian LGBTI report a

strong sense of

discrimination and

harassment – and the

majority is not sufficiently

aware of relevant anti-

discrimination legislation

and services

38

47

60

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

EU

-28 a

vera

ge

Neth

erl

ands

Denm

ark

Luxem

bourg

Sw

eden

Belg

ium

Cze

ch R

epublic

Fin

land

Spain

Fra

nce

Unit

ed K

ingdom

Est

onia

Hungary

Germ

any

Irela

nd

Aust

ria

Latv

ia

Gre

ece

Malt

a

Port

ugal

Slo

vakia

Slo

venia

Bulg

ari

a

Rom

ania

Italy

Cypru

s

Pola

nd

Cro

ati

a

Lit

huania

CROATIAN HAS THE SECOND-HIGHEST SHARE OF LGBTI WHO FEEL

DISCRIMINATED AGAINST/HARASSED ON THE GROUNDS OF SEXUAL

ORIENTATION IN THE EU-28, (WORLD BANK, 2018)

Respondents who felt discriminated against or harassed in the last 12 months on the

grounds of sexual orientation, by country and by LGBTI subgroup (percent)

39

Recommendations

40

Invest in lifelong learning opportunities that

are relevant and improve livelihoods and

income opportunities for older citizens,

particularly for rural women. Allow

opportunities for retraining and reemployment

after retirement, given depopulation and an

aging society

IMPROVING INCOME AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Promote customized economic empowerment

programs for youth and underprivileged groups

like rural women and Roma.

Encourage entrepreneurial activities for women

and young people and provide business support

services along with ongoing capacity building.

Focus on low-skilled, long-term unemployed

women above 45 years of age in value chains

where they are competitive such as care (child

and elder care) and hospitality sectors (food and

community-based tourism)

Explore flexible hours/part-time arrangements.

Provide affordable and quality care options

41

IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR THE VULNERABLE

Improve poor health-related habits and access to preventive health

for women, especially older women and Roma women.

Target to improve the health equity of the most vulnerable population

groups.

42

Invest in services for the elderly, with a focus on

long-term care including non-institutional at-home

care services to enable aging in place.

Improve the regulation and standards for elder

care service providers, including lowering entry

barriers for non-institutional at home care

providers.

FACILITATE HEALTHY AND ACTIVE AGING

Retrain retirees to play a more productive role

(including second careers and mentoring of

younger generation to pass on skills

Improve digital literacy of the older population

Provide publicly funded, good quality childcare so

that grandparents have options beyond providing

unpaid care for grandchildren.

Support the involvement of the elderly in the

community

43

Launch awareness campaigns about gender

equality. Include gender equality modules in school

curriculum to change cultural norms that limit

access of women to the labor market and their

ownership of assets.

Review GBV reporting and monitoring, increase

GBV prevention programs, train public service

servants in GBV response. Strengthen counseling

services and intensify outreach to vulnerable

women that are susceptible to exploitation, and to

SOGI minorities.

FOSTER CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND AGENCY FOR ALL

Invest in civic engagement among women, to

support their involvement in national politics,

and their voice and agency through community

participation.

Increase awareness of and facilitate access to

anti-discrimination legislation and services.

Study the experience with enforcement of anti-

discrimination law, and campaigns in the region

and beyond.

44

Bank Actions

45

The CGA serves as an important tool to identify entry points in the Bank’s portfolio under the CPF

A focus will be on the economic opportunities for women and youth

The Slavonia RAS will seek the inclusion of low skilled less educated rural women through business

collectives that provide collective voice and agency and access to finance and markets

Local youth will be trained to provide on-site business development services for enterprises owned and

managed by women

Market opportunities will be sought among others in agri-business, community-based tourism and the

provision of care services.

The STARS RAS will include a gender focus in the National Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy

and Action Plan and will support pilots focused on producer groups that will link vulnerable groups

including women farmers to value chains.

A gender lens will be used in the NDS RAS and gender disaggregated and gender sensitive performance

indicators will be included in the Performance Monitoring Framework.

BANK AND THE CROATIA COUNTRY PARTNERSHIP FRAMEWORK (CPF)

46

CPF GENDER ROADMAP M

AIN

STREAM

ING

GEN

DER E

QU

ALIT

Y A

CRO

SS C

OU

NTRY P

ORTFO

LIO

Support

and inte

nsi

fy G

ender

Equality

in r

ele

vant

secto

r re

form

s, IPFs

& A

SAs

2 STRATEGIC GOALS

Croatia Gender Roadmap FY 19-24

1. CPF FOCUS AREAS WITH HIGH IMPACT FOR GENDER EQUALITY

Boosting participation and contribution of

individuals to economic and social development

NDS RAS

Enabling the emergence of a dynamic

enterprise sector

RAS Slavonia

STARS RAS

RAS Slavonia

STARS RAS

▪ Strengthen capacity to respond to violations of human

rights including GBV and other forms of discrimination

▪ Develop a gender filter for the NDS and apply a gender

lens to related policy notes

▪ Support greater economic inclusion of the excluded

rural women, youth and retirees including in growth

sectors

▪ Enhance the role of women in the agriculture sector

▪ Support enabling environment for women owned and

led enterprises

▪ Support incentives for enterprises of women small

farmers and youth

Transforming Justice ServicesEnhancing Sustainability and Performance of

the Public Sector

CONCRETE ACTIONS

2. MAINSTREAMING GENDER EQUALITY IN THE PORTFOLIO INCLUDING PIPELINE

Develop a gender dimension in all WB activities including the

pipeline

Advocate for gender equality with government using all

opportunities to engage

Develop a network of support for greater social and economic

inclusion of excluded groups

▪ Systematic application of a gender equality filter to the whole portfolio and pipeline

▪ Use the Roadmap to improve efficiency and effectiveness of gender equality mainstreaming in the

country portfolio

▪ Track progress on gender equality across the country portfolio and address it in annual portfolio

reviews and PLR by reporting on gender equality result indicators in relevant operations and the CPF

▪ Promote the gender equality filter as good practice with government and other development

partners including the EC

▪ Develop effective communication activities on gender equality, including capacity building of

selected PIUs

▪ Support the greater economic inclusion of women, youth and marginalized groups

▪

▪ Engage a broad network of supporters including government agencies, private sector & civil

society to exchange information & best practices on gender equality

▪ Organize a media campaign for greater inclusion of groups experiencing economic and social

inclusion

▪