“Croatia’s economy grows strong through strengthening female enterprise”
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Vodice, 26th of October 2013 -"Female enterprise can have an important role in increasing the rate of economicgrowth. Croatia must use this opportunity, but also help everyone who wants, notonly to make an easier start, but also to stay in enterprise", said the president ofCPP's Female initiative and parliamentary representative Sonja König on a seminar"Women and enterprise" in Vodice.
One of the most important goals in achieving full equality of men and women is the improvement of women’s position on the job market. Even though women are a majority in the population, they are a minority in enterprise. Also, despite the fact that women are becoming more and more qualified, salary equality is still lagging.
"The difference in salaries between men and women is 8 percent for now and it is the smallest ever recorded, so things are changing in that respect", highlighted the assistant of the Minister for the economy Jelena Zrinski Berger in her presentation. Still, she valued that not enough is being Croatia on gender diversity and that the problems which female entrepreneurs face are numerous - from the fact that they must prove themselves more than men , to limited funding resources, unequal access to loans, education and information to a judgement from their community because "they are neglecting their family because of their business", so it is necessary, to work on the change of mentalities and points of view, in addition to legislative changes.
“Female enterprise has been recognized as one of the priorities of the EuropeanUnion which regularly subsidizes activities tied to this topic from its funds”,highlighted the assistant to the Minister.
Violeta Jelić, Head Secretary of Croatia's Chamber of crafts spoke about the role of women in craftsmanship in the continuation, from the aspect of the 2013 entrepreneurial impulse. She answered questions how to advance and develop female craftsmanship.
"Better access to funding must be ensured through special credit programs and develop special programs intended for beginner women. It si of the utmost importance to set a goal and direction of development of female entrepreneurship and craftsmanship, and all of it must be directed on the promotion of the link between female entrepreneurship and craftsmanship", highlighted Jelić.
CPP's entrepreneurs Božica Makar from Ludbreg, Zdenka Kolić Kocmur from Zagreb and Suzana Miljak on behalf of the Kalpić family which does agrotourism not far from Vodice spoke about good practical examples.
Silvijana Dražović, an artist from Zadar lectured about culture, creativity and entrepreneurship with women and exhibited a few of her art works to everyone present.
Small and medium enterprise is the key to economic growth in economies such as Croatia. Female enterprise is an enormous economic potential and its development should be the backbone for various initiatives through whose activities female unemployment will be decreased through self-employment and strengthen their employment in growing entrepreneurial female undertakings, it was concluded on the seminar. Strengthening women and their full participation in all social areas are a foundation of achieving equality and social development.
CPP's Female initiative is convinced that including talents, skills and abilities which women possess will contribute to the quality and development of society in every respect, also economical.
The seminar was organised in cooperation with CPP's Political Academy, sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, by CPP's Female initiative for more than one hundred participants.