Civil society’s space to act has been severely restricted in recent times, and society is characterised by party polarisation and occasional tensions between ethnic groups. But women’s activism has also yielded results, including in the form of an electoral law that requires at least 40 percent of members of parliament to be women. The women’s movement has long worked across ethnic lines and continues to do so today. One of its main goals is to increase women’s political participation, since men continued to dominate the leadership of political parties.

Many women do not vote, and at the municipal level of government, only 2 out of 81 mayors are women, which accounts for only 2.5% of mayoral positions in the country. This places North Macedonia among the countries with the lowest levels of female representation on the level of local governments in Europe. Yet there are some successes: today, quota reserve 40% of parliamentary seats for the least-represented gender, and since 2024, the number of women MPs within the National Assembly has increased from 43 (out of 120) to 47 in 2024. The number of female ministers decreased from five (5) in 2023 to three (3) in 2024, which now accounts for only 12.5% of ministerial positions. Despite an increase in the number of ministries from 21 to 24 in 2024, gender representation within the government has declined. This regression indicates a lack of progress toward gender-balanced leadership at the national executive level.

Women civil society organisations bridging the gap in the legal framework

In March of 2019, the Parliament adopted an anti-discrimination law, which includes protection against discrimination on the grounds of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation. This law had been strongly advocated by civil society, including Kvinna till Kvinna’s partner organisations.

While North Macedonia does not have a comprehensive gender equality law, several existing laws include provisions that partially address gender equality but allocates almost no resources to their implementation. Civil society is often expected to shoulder that burden. Gender-based violence is widespread. Despite a law on prevention and protection from violence against women and domestic violence, few measures are taken to protect women. One in three women experience sexual harassment in their lifetime starting from the age of fifteen and on, but public support for victims/survivors is low, and rates of reporting the violence are even lower. As in most countries in the Balkans, it is primarily local women’s organisations that provide support and services to women exposed to violence.

High poverty and unemployment rates

Up to a third of citizens live in poverty and unemployment is high. Current labour laws protect discrimination on the grounds of gender, but the evidence of a significant gender wage gap implies that these provisions are not being implemented correctly. Homophobia is also widespread in North Macedonia. It happens that homosexuality is described in textbooks right up to university level, as a “disease” or “sexual deviation”. According to a 2018 World Bank study, North Macedonia is also one of the least accepting countries towards gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex (LBTQI+) people in the Western Balkans, who continue to be among the most discriminated groups in the country.

Women of minority groups suffer most

Health care is another concern. Traditional values affect how sexual and reproductive health and rights are dealt with. Roma women are often at-risk of being denied care because, according to Minority Rights Group International, they face the most physical and financial barriers to accessing gynaecological healthcare.