Data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia show that wage differences between men and women in Serbia are clearly visible and that women earn around 14 per cent less.
The pay gap is also visible in countries of the European Union, and Eurostat data show that it averages around 11 per cent. As far as Serbia is concerned, the gap is more visible in Belgrade than in less developed parts of the country, writes Infostud.
According to the research of the Institute for Development and Innovation titled “Differences between genders in average net earnings”, the higher the level of earnings in a region, the more pronounced the gender pay gap is.
It is therefore largest in Belgrade, at as much as 19 per cent, while it is smallest in the region of Western Serbia and Šumadija, where it stands at nine per cent.
The reasons are simple.
A large number of managerial and highly paid positions are concentrated in Belgrade, and men still dominate these roles.
In addition, research conducted by Infostud during one of the Regional Employment Fairs revealed an additional problem.
Women not only earn less, even though they are more educated than men, but when applying for jobs they also expect lower salaries.
That gap, according to the mentioned research, is around 200 euros.
The study, conducted on more than 4,000 respondents, showed that women actually assume that they should have salaries lower by this amount compared with men applying for the same position with the same or similar qualifications.
Infostud conducted the research on the occasion of International Women’s Day in order to examine why this is the case.
What encourages women to have lower expectations regarding earnings, contrary to their qualifications and experience?
A problematic structure of the labour market
“The most problematic aspect is that the pay gap in Serbia is not only the result of differences in pay for the same job, but is primarily a consequence of the broader structure of the labour market. In other words, the difference in income arises much earlier, in the distribution of positions, opportunities for advancement and continuity of careers,” Milica Dolašević, project manager at the Institute for Development and Innovation, told Infostud.
She adds that women less frequently reach managerial and leadership positions, which carry the highest earnings and the greatest influence.
“At the same time, they are more often employed in sectors that are on average less well paid, and they experience interruptions in their careers related to parenthood and family care. All of this means that the pay gap is formed throughout the entire career path, and not only through individual decisions by employers regarding salary levels. That is why it is important to look at the issue of the pay gap more broadly – as a matter of equal access to opportunities, advancement and decision-making positions, and not only as a matter of differences in pay in the same workplace,” Dolašević warns.
Deeply rooted patriarchy
Former Commissioner for the Protection of Gender Equality Brankica Janković told Infostud that women’s expectation of lower earnings is actually the result of a deeply and long-standing patriarchal pattern.
Women, as she says, perceive themselves as less valuable, and because of that their expectations regarding pay are lower.
“Connected with this is also the level of responsibility they have towards children or another member of their family. That is why they more rarely decide to change jobs or take the risk of asking for higher pay. It is actually a vicious circle from which women themselves must begin to emerge, especially since official statistics show that they are often more educated and more qualified than men,” says the former commissioner.
Milica Dolašević also reminds us that already at the beginning of their professional careers women more often face slower advancement and greater uncertainty regarding career continuity.
“A particularly important factor is the period of motherhood, which in practice often means interruption or slowing of professional development. When such experiences are repeated at the level of the whole society, a perception gradually forms that the highest salaries and the most influential positions are reserved primarily for men,” says Janković.
Unpaid work and lack of self-confidence
An additional aspect is the distribution of unpaid work in the household. In Serbia, women still spend significantly more time on household duties and family care, which directly affects the time available for additional education, professional training, networking or the development of business ideas.
“All of this has long-term consequences, from slower career advancement to less self-confidence in salary negotiations or when starting one’s own business. For that reason, differences in expectations are not only a matter of individual ambitions, but also a reflection of a broader economic and social framework,” says Dolašević.
She warns that in Serbia the legislative and institutional framework that should support equal participation of women in the labour market is insufficiently developed and inconsistently implemented.
“Particular attention must be paid to the position of women after maternity leave. An insufficient systemic response to the challenges women face at that time can have long-term negative consequences, ranging from a more difficult return to the labour market and slower career advancement to broader social effects such as postponing or avoiding motherhood.”
Therefore, improvements to the legislative framework are necessary, as well as the development of policies that facilitate the reconciliation of work and parenthood, and continuous efforts to raise public awareness of the importance of equal participation of women in the economy.
“Only such an approach can contribute in the long term to reducing the pay gap and creating a fairer labour market,” says Dolašević.
Limited cases, not a general rule
Zorica Mršević, professor at the Faculty for European Legal and Political Studies, says that historically lower earnings for women compared with men appeared in the period after the First and Second World Wars.
However, she says she is not sure that there is solid research showing that women expect and accept lower pay, and that this certainly is not a general phenomenon.
“Perhaps in some individual cases, but I would not say that it exists as a general rule. Women who accept that mostly do so because they desperately need a job and are willing to accept lower income at the beginning. Otherwise, this question is similar to the one often asked: why do women remain in violent marriages for so long, why do they not immediately divorce or escape from the abuser. The answer is not that women accept violence, but that it is institutionally difficult for them to carry out a divorce. When institutions do not protect women and do not sanction discrimination against them, it is not that women like being discriminated against and paid less, but simply that they do not see the effectiveness of the institutions they could turn to for help,” Mršević points out.
She adds that expecting or accepting lower pay is not the result of upbringing, socialisation or patriarchal education.
“I believe that no parent is so irresponsible as to teach their daughters to accept lower earnings than men in the same jobs. Even the most patriarchal parents encourage and support their daughters to study and become as educated as possible in order to have better opportunities in the labour market,” Mršević concludes.
(Nova Ekonomija, 09.03.2026)