EMPOWERED WOMEN
INTERVIEW
ZORANA MIHAJLOVIĆ, SERBIAN MINISTER OF MINING AND ENERGY
I'll Continue Fighting For
GENDER EQUALITY The main task of the Ministry, together with all enterprises operating in the energy sector, is to ensure Serbia is a country with energy stability and that these two sectors contribute as much as possible to GDP growth and the development of Serbia. At the same time, I will continue to fight for women who have proven themselves with their skills, knowledge and innovation to have the opportunity to prove their leadership potential.
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’ve had to prove myself throughout my entire career, and I found it much harder going at work than my male colleagues. And almost every woman will understand that, because we know how much effort, work and energy is behind every woman, and that it’s necessary for us to prove ourselves much more in order to succeed. However, for me, tripping up and attempting to humiliate me just because I’m a woman in a “man’s business” provided motivation for me to work even harder and to achieve results that are visible and that no one can dispute - says Zorana Mihajlović, Minister of Mining and Energy, for whom this second area is a “typically male” department. Prejudices and gender stereotypes are deeply rooted, not only in our society but worldwide, says our interlocutor, because we are taught from an early age which games are for girls and
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which are for boys, which is further carried to so-called “men’s and women’s” jobs. “We often hear boys being told not to cry like a girl or girls being told not to fight for themselves like some tomboy, while men who do housework are under the thumb. Well, let’s be honest by saying that we also contribute ourselves to such concepts,” adds Mihajlović To what extent are women present in management positions in the industries under your jurisdiction, and how much are those functions reserved for men? - Studies conducted at the global level show that women are insufficiently represented in the top management positions in the energy sector, which represents a loss for these companies and a lack of talent, ideas and innovation.
