Ernera Dušica
In Kosovo, the separation of data by gender is not just a technical legal requirement, but it is a necessity for building a fair and equal society. Since 2004, the Law on Gender Equality obliges institutions to integrate the gender perspective in all phases of the policy-making process. However, these data remain unused, limiting the impact of public policies in addressing the needs of all citizens without distinction.
Gender-disaggregated data is essential for building policies that address the specific needs, interests and priorities of women and men of diverse backgrounds. When data do not reflect gender differences, policies are often based on a gender-neutral approach that does not take into account the different realities that men, women, girls and boys face.
Although the Law on Gender Equality foresees punishments for public institutions that do not collect, process and submit to the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK) the data separated, according to gender, to date no complaints or administrative lawsuits have been registered for this issue. This situation has serious consequences for governance and efforts to build a fairer and more equal society for all.
Without detailed data on gender experiences, it is difficult to identify and address inequalities in areas such as health and employment or even in terms of public representation. The lack of data on women's specific challenges in accessing reproductive health care and mental health, or on the high mortality rates from cardiovascular disease in men, means that these issues are not adequately addressed. Another example of the importance of this data is the gender gap in employment. In Kosovo, where about 75 percent of women in Kosovo are not part of the labor market (according to KAS data), not using gender-disaggregated data makes it difficult to measure the impact of economic policies. Moreover, the lack of data on the gender distribution of wages and working conditions makes it almost impossible to implement strategies to address inequalities.
The data published by gender serve as measuring indicators for the transparency of institutions in terms of efforts towards the advancement of gender equality. Kosovo continues to lack a gender equality index, a key mechanism for harmonizing national policies with European Union standards. Such an index would ensure the measurement of progress in priority areas, such as closing the gender gap in employment and wages, representation of women in decision-making, balancing professional and family life, as well as addressing violence and gender stereotypes.
The collection of gender-disaggregated data faces many obstacles as a result of the lack of institutional capacities and an institutional approach that does not have gender equality as a priority. The collection, processing, publication and use of gender-disaggregated data in policy-making often remains at the discretion of public officials. Meanwhile, data collected for official purposes are often not used to inform policy-making processes and remain a bureaucratic formality that does not effect real change. Often gender data is collected only to meet the formal requirements of donors or international organizations, without a clear intention to use it for real change.
But does everyone benefit equally from the allocation of public funds?
The lack of data broken down by gender is also evident in the budget documents of public institutions. The approved budget for 2025 does not include any information on measures and the impact of policies aimed at advancing gender equality or on the overview of the government's priorities for improving gender equality.
Usually, the only data disaggregated by gender and published on the websites of some budget organizations are the data sent with budget requests as part of the Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) annex. This appendix, which includes data on the gender distribution of employees, salary levels and the distribution of subsidies and transfers, according to the GAP Institute, has been published by only 32 percent of municipalities for the year 2024, while at the central level no institution has done so this public practice. These are not enough to institutionalize gender responsive budgeting which should be based on a gender analysis of needs and impact.
Kosovo urgently needs to address this issue. The collection, publication and use of gender-disaggregated data should not be seen as an administrative formality, but as a necessity for building policies that address the needs of all citizens equally. Kosovo has an opportunity to build a future where gender equality does not remain just a promise, but a tangible and comprehensive reality.
The author is a researcher at the GAP Institute
The project "More Choices through Family Friendly Policies" is implemented by the Riinvest Institute - Women's Economic Forum, supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).
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