Closing the Gender Gaps among Marginalized Roma in the Western Balkans

Abstract

Roma women are one of the most deprived groups in Europe, as they suffer a double layer of exclusion: as women, and as members of Europe´s largest ethnic minority. Although there are no reliable data on the Roma population in the Western Balkans, available estimates suggest that the share of national populations represented by Roma ranges between 1.7 percent in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 9.6 percent in North Macedonia. Over half of these are women. This report is intended to be a concise and timely summary that highlights the key aspects of gender equality among marginalized Roma communities in the Western Balkans. The goal of the report is to strengthen the knowledge base and evidence to understand the key determinants of gender gaps among the Roma population. For that the report offers a summary diagnostic of the most important barriers that female Roma face, in particular, accessing education and employment; further, it explores the ways in which Roma women’s employment and educational outcomes are constrained above and beyond the constraints faced by Roma males.