CVIJANOVIĆ: POLITICS REQUIRES EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND MEN

BELGRADE, SEPTEMBER 30 /SRNA/ - The Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović said at an international conference dedicated to improving the status of women and gender equality that the responsibilities of men and women should be shared, and that politics requires their equal participation.

"I view society as a community of women and men, and in that sense, I believe that responsibilities and rights should be shared and that certain tasks should be carried out through our collective effort," Cvijanović said in her address. She emphasized that there is no issue in society that does not concern both men and women, regardless of the work they do or whether they are solely dedicated to their family. "Politics defines the directions of action, and it requires equal participation of women and men," Cvijanović stressed. She noted that she has often been unaware of certain limitations because her development path as a female politician allowed her to hold very important positions over the past 16–17 years and to be nominated for those key roles by her political party. Cvijanović emphasized that her own career path was not difficult in that sense, but she recognizes the challenges related to women's participation in various spheres of society. She pointed out that the question arises whether it is more important for women to be in politics or for politics to have women's participation, emphasizing that the question is important in itself. "Women are needed in politics because of the way they approach certain problems, and politics is equally necessary for women, as they are deeply aware of the need to influence specific processes and, together with men, address issues in the community to achieve the right solutions," Cvijanović said. She said that the priorities and goals of men and women in politics should be, or are, the same, but the way of reaching solutions is always different, namely, the working methodology is always different. She emphasized that it is important that there is no competition, prejudice, or formal restrictions, while also noting that certain barriers still exist in society. Cvijanović noted that they discussed the importance of having appropriate legislation that would define how various issues related to women's participation are addressed, but that, in practical terms, there are two dimensions. Among other things, she pointed out the need to properly regulate and encourage, through legal solutions, equal participation of women and men.