Skopje, 21 September 2022 (MIA) – Analyses of national, regional and global conditions point to a concerning tendency – women’s efforts are not yet equally valorized despite progress in women’s education, work experience and expertise, according to Elizabeta Gjorgievska, wife to the President of North Macedonia, who spoke at a conference titled “Gender equality in the workplace”, held at the President’s Office. Gjorgievska says that the reasons behind the discrepancy between what’s spoken and what’s fact concerning income are numerous and structural, oftentimes gravitating around the gender-based discrimination that many women in Macedonian society face. “The principle of equal pay for equal work is one of the oldest principles of the EU. It follows that the problem with unequal pay is not only economic and political, it’s also a question of justice. Equal dignity among men and women implies equal valorization of their efforts. Women who are treated as equals are more motivated to invest in their personal and career development, with which they contribute to the collective progress of society. So, to bridge the gender gap and reduce inequality for women in the economy, we support economic strengthening measures for women, women’s entrepreneurship, and equal and dignified valuing of work, which will contribute to achieving true gender equality,” Gjorgievska notes. The main goal of the conference held under the auspices of the President’s wife, organized by the Center for Change Management and the Gender Equality Alliance, is to raise the issue of pay gap, analyze conditions and trends, and send an important message for the significance of overcoming gender pay gaps as part of the complex process of improving gender equality, said the press release. Nina Angelovska, President of GEA and Neda Maleska-Sachmaroska addressed the event as well. Two panel-discussions were held at the conference, titled “Gender equality in the workplace in North Macedonia” and “Building better workplaces through securing gender equality”. dk/ba/