Gender equality

Equality between women and men combines legal and formal equality as well as the equality that refers to actual everyday situations.

In Slovenia, legislation and other measures are used to ensure the equal treatment of genders, which means that discrimination on the basis of gender is prohibited in all areas of public and private life: in the political, economic, social, educational spheres, and others. Because gender equality has not yet been achieved in practice, it is our main goal to increase measures in the areas in which the differences are the most evident. These mainly include violence against women, and eliminating inequality in employment, science, and politics.

Discrimination

Gender equality is by far not the only area which defines equal opportunities for individuals in society. This also includes protecting people from discrimination or unequal treatment depending on race, ethnic background, religion, age, disability, and other factors. Discrimination can occur in various forms, such as direct or indirect discrimination, (sexual) harassment, multiple, long-lasting, or mass discrimination, or even calls to discrimination.

In Slovenia, individuals are protected by the Protection Against Discrimination Act (ZVarD), which requires that all persons be treated equally, particularly with regard to employment, education, labour conditions, social protection and social benefits, education, and access to goods and services that are available to the public.

Equal role of women in science

In the past, there has been a high level of gender inequality in science. For this reason, we have been making considerable efforts in Slovenia in recent decades to improve the position of women and their influence on decision-making in science. It is our goal to encourage the intellectual potential of women in science and to ensure equal opportunities for women and men following a career path in science.