This article was written by Arbenita Krasniqi, Project Manager at the Jahjaga Foundation, the local partner organization in the CREATResili initiative, to provide grounded insights into the current situation of women in Kosovo.
Kosovo has made encouraging progress in promoting gender equality, yet challenges persist in translating legal rights into everyday realities. Women have gained significant ground in politics and public life, especially at the national level.
Thanks to a gender quota, women now hold about a third of the seats in parliament, and the country is among the few in the region led by a female president. However, representation at the local level remains limited, with only two women serving as mayors across all 38 municipalities. Although Kosovo has passed strong laws protecting women’s rights, including equal rights to property and inheritance, the gap between the law and its implementation remains wide. For instance, only 19% of properties are registered to women, despite equal rights on paper. Awareness campaigns and policy reforms have increased joint property registration among spouses, but social norms and enforcement gaps continue to limit progress.
Economic participation remains one of the most stubborn barriers to gender equality. As of 2023, just 24.2% of women were participating in the labor force, compared to 55% of men. Unemployment among women is more than double that of men, and nearly three-quarters of women are not actively working or seeking work. These disparities are especially stark in rural areas, where access to jobs, childcare, and transportation is limited. Nonetheless, government efforts such as raising the minimum wage, offering child allowances, and expanding employment platforms have had an impact. Thousands of women have opened bank accounts to receive financial benefits, and new employment strategies offer targeted support, like tax breaks for businesses that hire women and vocational training in rural regions.
While economic empowerment slowly gains ground, domestic violence continues to be a pressing issue. Reports of domestic violence have increased in recent years, with nearly 2,900 cases recorded between mid-2023 and mid-2024. The majority of victims are women, and many more cases go unreported due to stigma, fear, and lack of institutional trust. A troubling number of convicted perpetrators receive only suspended sentences or fines, undermining the justice system's credibility. Some high-profile cases have highlighted institutional failures so severe that Kosovo’s Constitutional Court ruled they violated the victims’ right to life. To address this, the government has taken steps like establishing a centralized database for tracking cases and adopting new laws to strengthen penalties. However, victim support services remain inconsistent, and shelter funding is inadequate, underscoring the need for stronger institutional coordination and survivor-focused reforms.
In contrast to these structural challenges, education has emerged as a space of empowerment for women. Female students now make up 56% of university enrollments, and girls frequently outperform boys in academic achievement. Yet, gender divides remain in career paths—women dominate in humanities and health, while men are more prevalent in science and technology. To change this, the government has introduced programs to support women in STEM, including nearly 1,900 scholarships in the last academic year. Beyond education, women in Kosovo are influencing cultural and social change through activism, the arts, and media. Events like the FemArt Festival have become key platforms for feminist expression, while the film Hive gained international recognition for spotlighting women’s entrepreneurship and resilience. Organizations such as the Jahjaga Foundation have led public campaigns against gender-based violence and in 2024, the country opened its first Museum for Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence—an initiative that not only honors survivors but also challenges the silence that has long surrounded these issues. This is where international support and cooperation become essential, and the CREATResili project steps in. Supported by the European Union and Hungary Helps, CREATResili aims to strengthen community resilience and advance gender equality in post-conflict environments like Kosovo. By promoting inclusive education, economic empowerment, and trauma-informed care, the project addresses the root causes of gender-based inequalities and supports survivors of violence. CREATResili also amplifies local civil society voices—especially women’s organizations—and fosters dialogue on justice, reconciliation, and sustainable development. Through cultural programs, educational resources, and targeted funding, it seeks to create safe, equitable spaces where women can thrive socially, economically, and politically. Kosovo is at a critical juncture. The foundations for gender equality have been laid through legal reforms, institutional mechanisms, and the passionate work of civil society. Women are more educated, more visible, and more active than ever. But true equality requires more than progress on paper. It demands persistent effort to dismantle the deep-rooted inequalities still shaping everyday life—especially in areas like employment, political leadership at the local level, and safety from violence. With the combined efforts of local actors and international projects like CREATResili, Kosovo has the potential to build a more inclusive future where all women can fully participate in shaping the country’s next chapter.
