In Serbia, one in five people employed in the IT sector is a woman, placing the country above the European average. However, despite having a higher level of education, women in the Serbian IT industry earn, on average, 16 per cent less than their male colleagues, while they account for less than 10 per cent of leadership positions.
Speaking on Radio Belgrade, Ana Jovanović of the Serbian IT Association highlighted that several factors contribute to this situation, beginning with the choice of profession within the sector itself. According to her, young women most often choose positions that are, on average, lower-paid.
“These include human resources, marketing and project management. Within IT, these are professions that are not programming, such as design, architecture and similar fields. That may be one of the primary reasons why we are still not sufficiently open to career paths that generally offer higher salaries,” Jovanović explained.
Data show that women make up 70 per cent of employees in HR, 50 per cent in design, but only seven per cent in systems architecture. On the other hand, statistics from technical faculties, such as the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Mathematics, indicate that women perform well in entrance examinations and often complete their studies more quickly than men. Nevertheless, many later choose different professions within the industry.
Jovanović cites the lack of female role models as one reason for this trend, noting that the majority of professors in these fields are also men.
Lack of salary transparency and the role of informal male networks
Another key reason for the pay gap is the lack of transparency regarding salary ranges within companies in Serbia. According to Jovanović, women often accept lower salaries when taking up a position and are less likely to ask for pay rises.
“Women often accept even lower salaries than they deserve, or believe they deserve significantly less. This is particularly true when starting a new position. A woman may be more willing to accept an offer that is actually too low for her qualifications, whereas men are less likely to do so. Women also ask for pay rises less frequently and climb the career ladder more slowly,” she pointed out.
Informal male networks and mentoring relationships also play a significant role in career advancement. Women are often excluded from informal social gatherings after work, where professional connections are frequently strengthened. Data indicate that the presence of women on boards of directors and selection committees increases the likelihood of other women being hired into senior management or C-level executive positions.
The challenge of returning to work and the need for returnership programmes
According to the Serbian IT Association, as many as 56 per cent of women leave IT careers for personal reasons, mostly related to family responsibilities, compared with around 40 per cent of men. A major challenge arises when women attempt to return to the fast-paced IT environment after maternity leave.
“One of the biggest problems is that women returning from maternity leave or a period spent caring for children are often no longer fully up to date with new technologies, methodologies, systems and similar developments. They need much more time to readjust, and most companies in Serbia do not have well-developed returnership programmes,” Jovanović warned.
She explained that retraining programmes should include familiarisation with new systems, changes in team structures, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI agents) into daily work processes in order to reduce repetitive administrative tasks.
Is there hope for gender equality in Serbian IT?
Despite the current challenges, trends over the past decade show positive progress. The number of women in the IT sector has increased, and projections suggest that by 2030 their share could reach between 37 and 38 per cent.
The Serbian IT Association believes the solution lies in creating programmes for young women, university students and even girls in primary schools. Companies should do more to promote STEM careers, fields such as cyber security, and organise events such as open days and career pathway presentations.
“Although the IT sector will probably never achieve a perfect 50–50 balance between women and men, we always strive to bring the industry closer to women,” said Ana Jovanović, emphasising that salary transparency, support programmes for women returning to work, and early exposure of girls to the industry would play a crucial role in that process.
(RTS, 17.06.2026)
https://www.rts.rs/vesti/drustvo/5974748/zene-it-sektor-srbija.html