When the former finance minister recently warned that reaching EU living standards would require us to “transition from walking barefoot on stones to taking flight,” his blunt metaphor drew sharp rebukes from officials but resonated deeply with business leaders. Suddenly, everyone grew alarmed by his prophetic calculation: at our current pace, we’d need nearly two centuries to catch up.
The message was clear—this race demands both marathon endurance and sprint speed, leaving no serious professional untouched.
The laws of physics apply equally to all bodies moving through fluids (gases and liquids), but not equitably. Air offers negligible resistance compared to water, which is 800 times denser—every movement through it requires twelve times more effort. Yet for generations, whenever our society faced important progress, we’ve essentially told half the population: “You there—swim! The rest of us will run.” This, in crude terms, reflects women’s current position in our business world and broader society.
Do women face twelve times more resistance than men? Quantifying it is difficult. Legally, we appear exemplary—the World Bank’s recent “Women, Business and the Law” report ranks Serbia among the top 20 global jurisdictions, nestled between Peru and Iceland. On paper, we’re world-class.
But reality diverges sharply. Additional World Bank data incorporating live interviews and financial indicators reveals a grimmer picture: the Western Balkans loses about 18% of GDP annually due to gender gaps in labor participation. Two-thirds stems from unequal workforce engagement, while the remainder reflects occupational segregation. Only two in five Serbian women are employed or seeking work, and those with jobs often find themselves in low-skill, underpaid sectors.
The most damning statistic? Thirty-seven percent of regional employers openly admit preferring male hires—a figure likely underreported given respondents’ candor during face-to-face surveys. So while we fight for every decimal of GDP growth, we’re effectively sidelining half our population from the race.
Over recent months, I’ve spent countless hours absorbing insights from Branka Rajičić, the first Serbian to attain partner status at PwC across Central and Eastern Europe. With quiet determination, she consistently validates her leadership—through financial results, team growth, and societal impact. Though she operates across multiple business fronts, Branka thinks deeply about legacy, with positive social influence being our recurring dialogue theme.
She’s not alone. This entire publication showcases formidable female leaders, entrepreneurs, and mentors reshaping environments through personal example. These are women confronting dismal statistics head-on, transforming lamentations into victory narratives. They guide hundreds—sometimes thousands—of colleagues and clients, unwittingly becoming beacons for others, especially younger women.
As they power forward, do fluid dynamics’ constraints still apply? Absolutely. Yet their calibrated approaches create expansive pathways for those following similar trajectories. Solidarity, while never their central focus, becomes the golden thread weaving through their companies’ successes and their communities’ progress.
These women shoulder disproportionate responsibility for change, generating an entirely new dynamic around them. Because true progress demands more than excellence—it requires the strength to alter the immutable.