Croatia ranks second in Europe for females in research and innovation

ZAGREB, 12 February 2025 (Hina) – Croatia is among the leading countries in Europe in terms of the number of self-employed women and ranks second in the EU for the representation of women in research and innovation, according to the She Figures 2024 report on gender equality.

Croatia has made significant progress and now holds an impressive second place overall in the EU in the field of research and development, with a gender equality index of 79.6 (out of 100), the Government Office for Gender Equality has reported.

In terms of career advancement for women, Croatia ranks third, while it is fourth for female participation in research and fifth for the representation of women across all research sectors. The country is in first place for the number of scientific publications authored by women.

However, there is still considerable room for improvement regarding women in decision-making positions, as Croatia ranks 26th in this area.

Further efforts are needed to increase the proportion of female scientists and engineers in the overall workforce.

The She Figures report, published every three years by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, was released to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The data was collected from 44 countries, including EU member states, the United Kingdom, Horizon Europe-associated countries, and, where available, G20 member states.

Key findings indicate that while women outnumber men in higher education, they remain significantly underrepresented in STEM employment and leadership roles.

Moreover, an increasing gender gap has been identified in critical sectors such as ICT (information and communication technology), where women make up only 22% of PhD candidates, highlighting a concerning trend away from gender equality.

“This not only exacerbates the existing skills shortage in the EU but also threatens long-term competitiveness. Gender disparities persist at the highest levels of research and innovation, with only 9% of inventors being women, and 98% of EU research failing to incorporate a gender perspective,” the Office stated in its report.

On a more positive note, the report highlights significant progress in promoting gender equality in research and innovation across the EU. Measures include introducing the Gender Equality Plan eligibility criteria for Horizon Europe, which requires the integration of gender perspectives in research and innovation content for most projects.

Additionally, one of the key goals is to achieve 50% female representation in boards, expert groups, and evaluation committees linked to the Horizon Europe programme.