Closing the Gender Gaps among Marginalized Roma in the Western Balkans : A Summary of Findings and Policy Recommendations

This note builds on the analysis presented in the recently published Roma report (Robayo-Abril and Millan 2019), exploring in more detail the gender dimensions of exclusion. It is intended to be a concise and timely summary that highlights the key aspects of gender equality among marginalized Roma communities in the Western Balkans. The goal of the note is to strengthen the knowledge base and evidence to understand the key determinants of gender gaps among the Roma population. For that the note offers a summary diagnostic of the most important barriers that female Roma face accessing education and employment; further, it explores the ways in which Roma women’s employment and educational outcomes are constrained above and beyond the constraints faced by Roma males. The note is organized as follows. Section two provides a brief synthesis of available studies on gender among Roma populations. Section three presents a gender profile and reviews gender inequality in its multiple dimensions, involving access to human capital, economic opportunities, and agency. Section four presents a summary of the current policy environment with regards to Roma gender equality, including the institutional and legal framework, as well as policies and interventions that may work to promote gender equality among marginalized communities.