New association of leading Croatian women in leadership positions presented

The aim of the association is to share experiences, empower each other, utilise the strength of female leadership and change society, she said. "We want a world where women in business are not singled out as exceptions. We want leadership without labels and prejudices."

Female leaders want policymakers to provide a framework to create a society that values talent, expertise and passion, regardless of whether it comes from a woman or a man, she said. There needs to be an open dialogue about why women, despite being better educated, often struggle to make the final step to the top, she added.

"There is progress, but the pace of change needs to be faster," she said, noting that Lead.You is there to encourage those changes.

Plenkovic: Women are paid less than men, but the gap is narrowing

The work of the association was supported by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who said at the presentation that he believes that such gatherings are essential in recognising how important women are to the successes of Croatian society at political, state, economic and social levels.

Women's participation in social life is increasing, but there is still a lot of room for improvement, he said.

In Croatia, women make up 23% of the boards of large companies, which shows that progress is still possible, and the number of female members of parliament could also be higher, he added.

Women are paid less than men, but the gap is narrowing, Plenkovic said, adding that eight years ago it was 100 euros and now it is around 50 euros.

The government is paying special attention to active employment measures, he said, adding that eight years ago there were 118,000 unemployed women, while today there are 44,000.