Violeta Hyseni Kelmendi & Vlera Zymeri
The data from the Citizen Satisfaction Survey carried out by the DEMOS project at the end of 2023 show significant gender disparities regarding the services that municipalities provide to citizens. In the context of the DEMOS project, the Citizen Satisfaction Survey is a key component that helps evaluate the effectiveness of local government and improve municipal services, resulting in the level of satisfaction of citizens with local government and the services provided by municipalities. Through face-to-face interviews with 6,700 respondents from all ethnicities in 38 municipalities, the survey provides important data for decision-makers and local institutions, enabling them to better address the needs and expectations of citizens.
While analysing the level of women’s information regarding municipal decisions, significant differences are observed between men and women. A significant number of women (1,325 women) have said that they feel “not at all informed”, raising questions about transparency and communication channels within local government. Meanwhile, a smaller number of women (361 women) have said that they are informed. Statistics show the need for better distribution of information related to municipal decisions to ensure inclusiveness of citizens. Compared to women, 594 men stated that they feel informed about the decisions taken by their municipality.
There is a significant gender gap even in terms of active engagement during public meetings. While men are more likely to raise issues and voice concerns, women’s participation lags behind. Only 59 women have indicated that they raised specific issues or problems during public meetings with the municipality. Women also have different perceptions of the municipality’s efforts to include them in public meetings and they are usually informed about past events. Only 127 women said that the municipality offers different opportunities for citizens’ involvement and asks for comments or opinions from those present.
Bekim Dobra, chairperson of the Collegium for Public Communication, says that many municipalities have, with the support of DEMOS, already created a database to communicate with interest groups about local public policies, especially during public consultations or budget hearings. According to him, municipalities use different communication channels to ensure the distribution of information to all groups of society, including social media, the website of the municipality, local media and email notices to interest groups. Despite this, he says there are challenges in engaging them.
He considers the training of women and their empowerment for participation in public life as very important. “Trainings should be organized to prepare them also for submitting requests in public meetings and in projects that can be implemented by the municipality, based on the requests they have“, the chairperson of the Collegium for Public Communication, Bekim Dobra, further added.
Challenges for gender equality in leadership positions
Although some women perceive their municipality as encouraging inclusion, most of them believe that there is still room for improvement. When asked about their municipality’s efforts in promoting inclusion and acceptance for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity or (dis)abilities, women gave different responses. Among them, 549 agreed that their municipality does indeed promote an inclusive and accepting environment. However, a greater part of the respondents, namely 1,934, admitted that there is room for improvement in creating a more inclusive atmosphere, despite the efforts that the municipalities have made so far. The opposite was claimed by the 571 women who were surveyed, indicating that they perceive their municipality as failing to create a truly inclusive environment.
The survey also received the respondents’ opinions regarding the provision of equal opportunities for marginalized groups in leadership positions (education, health, cultural institutions and political positions in the municipality). In this regard, 499 women responded negatively, convinced that such opportunities are not offered at all, while 762 women expressed their belief that their municipality offers equal opportunities to a significant extent.
Leonora Morina Bunjaku, Deputy Mayor of Gjilan, affirms the need to create more opportunities for women to take leadership positions.
“Of course, in order to reach the position I am holding now, I have had to overcome challenges, but I have never given up, on the contrary, the challenges only made me stronger. Today I am in this position not because of the gender quota of 30% that must be met, but because of my dedication to take the place I deserve, based on my professional, political and moral potential”, she further added.
DEMOS’s commitment to increasing women’s participation in local decision-making
We at DEMOS are committed to addressing the gender inequalities highlighted by the Citizen Satisfaction Survey which shows that women have significantly less access to municipal services and information and are underrepresented in decision-making processes. To fill this gap, DEMOS works actively to increase women’s participation in public consultations and budget hearings. Activities focus on creating inclusive spaces where women’s voices are heard and valued, ensuring they have an essential role in shaping municipal policies and decisions.
“We do this by providing support for budget planning at the municipal level, where the aim is to increase the participation of women and girls in order to address their requests for inclusion in municipal budgets, to build the capacities of municipal officials to raise awareness and responsibility for the gender responsive budgeting, with special emphasis on mobilization for budgeting of policies such as Local Action Plans for Gender Equality, where the drafting, implementation and reporting are measured by specific indicators within the municipalities’ performance report”, Dhurata Prokshi, Intervention Manager at the DEMOS Project, said.
This year, the project has started a series of trainings for municipal officials in 15 municipalities to engage citizens in the municipal budget planning process, with a focus on underrepresented groups. By empowering women and promoting gender equality, DEMOS aims to build a more inclusive and representative local government that reflects the needs of all its citizens.
