Support for Gender Equality Policies in Serbia: Findings from the European Social Survey

Jakšić, Ivana and Riznić, Jelena and Zafirović, Jovana (2025) Support for Gender Equality Policies in Serbia: Findings from the European Social Survey. In: Institutions As Battlegrounds: State Capture, Resistance And Academic Freedom Under Siege. Serbian Political Science Association, Belgrade, p. 46. ISBN 978-86-6425-141-9

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Abstract

The most recent round of the European Social Survey (ESS) introduced a rotating module on gender, covering gender roles, gender identity, experiences and perceptions of gender-based discrimination, various forms of sexism, support for gender equality, and attitudes toward gender-related policies. This study focuses on analyzing attitudes toward gender equality policies in Serbia, offering a descriptive comparison with other European countries. Additionally, it seeks to explain these attitudes using three sets of predictors: sociodemographic characteristics, political attitudes, and gender-related beliefs. Based on a nationally representative sample in Serbia (N = 1,563; 53.2% female), findings reveal strong support for all measures, particularly for penalizing businesses with the gender pay gap and firing employees who make insulting comments to women in the workplace, where Serbia ranks among the highest in Europe. As expected, women express greater support for all measures, both in Serbia and across Europe as a whole, particularly for parliamentary gender quotas, followed by sanctions for the gender pay gap. Hierarchical linear regression shows that political orientations are stronger predictors of support than sociodemographic factors. Political ideology predicts support across genders; authoritarianism and sexism further shape men’s attitudes, while perceptions of discrimination influence women’s. The most powerful predictor overall is the perceived societal importance of gender equality. While the descriptive findings offer intrinsic value by outlining patterns of support, the explanatory analysis underscores the limitations of the current model and the need to expand the scope of inquiry

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