Eastern Europe: Women Already Leading, Ready for More

Fitting with the U.N.'s theme for International Women's Day this year -- women in leadership -- Gallup looks at the never-before-released results on a series of questions that we asked on this topic in 2019 and early 2020.

Gallup asked women and men in 74 countries and territories questions in four areas that are key to starting conversations in an action-driven way: women's leadership in politics and in the workplace, their opportunities for education, and whether movements such as #MeToo help to reduce harassment and sexual abuse of women.

In Eastern Europe, Women Are in Power; Many See More in the Future

With female leaders becoming the new political norm across Eastern Europe, it is not surprising that residents in all Eastern European countries and territories surveyed in 2019 are more likely than not to think a woman will lead their country in the next 10 years.

In most of the 13 countries and territories, a woman has served as a president or prime minister or was currently leading her country at the time of the survey. A median of 63% of residents say it is possible for a woman to lead their country in the next 10 years, while 22% say it is not possible.

	Possible	Not possible	Woman already leads my country*
	%	%	%
Kosovo**	87	7	--
North Macedonia**	78	14	2
Bulgaria**	75	11	--
Albania	72	22	--
Greece**	71	22	1
Romania**	67	22	--
Serbia**	63	22	9
Bosnia and Herzegovina	61	20	9
Poland**	56	29	1
Hungary	51	33	1
Montenegro	48	38	--
Slovakia**	45	7	44
Croatia**	34	9	51
** Woman has served as prime minister or president. * Volunteered response.
Gallup World Poll, 2019

In Croatia and Slovakia, less than a majority of the population said it was possible for a female to lead their nations. However, this was because so many in these two countries said it was currently the case with two female presidents in office. In Montenegro, where a woman has yet to occupy the top office, less than a majority see a female leader as a possibility, but nearly half (48%) of Montenegrins still do.

Although several of the countries in the region are members of the European Union, E.U. membership does not necessarily tie in with people's gender attitudes. For example, Balkan countries and territories (Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, Serbia) that are not in the E.U. rank the possibility of a woman leading them very high. In E.U. member states Poland and Hungary, slimmer majorities do.

No Preference Is the Largest Preference for Managers

While most people in Eastern Europe are open to the idea of a woman being in charge of their country, a median of 40% say they have no preference of whether a man or woman is in charge of them as their manager. But if they do have a preference, they are slightly more likely to favor a man (30%) than a woman (24%) as a boss.

	Woman	Man	No preference
	%	%	%
Kosovo	52	29	17
Albania	44	25	28
North Macedonia	30	26	41
Montenegro	29	38	27
Romania	27	30	39
Bosnia and Herzegovina	26	29	40
Serbia	24	34	38
Slovakia	23	47	26
Croatia	21	25	51
Poland	20	29	42
Greece	19	31	48
Hungary	15	35	46
Bulgaria	13	31	50
Gallup World Poll, 2019

The preference for a male manager becomes far more defined among men in the region, while women remain largely mixed. Large shares of both still express no preference; a median of 42% of men and 37% of women say it does not matter, but nearly as many men (40%) would prefer a male manager and less than half as many (17%) would prefer a female manager.

Most Countries Fairly Egalitarian on Access to Higher Education

The gender balance in tertiary education varies across Eastern Europe, but in many countries, particularly in the E.U. and E.U. candidates for accession, it tips well in women's favor.

Across all 13 countries and territories surveyed, when people were asked whether a man or woman should get a university scholarship, the odds tipped in neither gender's favor or in favor of women. The latter was true across many of the Balkan States. But overall, a median of 46% say the scholarship could go to either a woman or a man, while a median of 29% say a woman and 15% say a man.

	The woman	The man	No preference
	%	%	%
Kosovo	73	14	12
Albania	63	15	17
Montenegro	55	10	31
North Macedonia	40	22	31
Serbia	36	15	45
Bosnia and Herzegovina	35	10	50
Romania	29	15	49
Slovakia	27	22	46
Poland	23	20	40
Greece	21	16	60
Bulgaria	19	12	53
Hungary	15	8	70
Croatia	14	9	72
Gallup World Poll, 2019

Men and women throughout the region share similar views -- with most feeling that the scholarship could go to either. However, women who had a preference generally were more likely to tip in favor of their sisters -- a median of 35% say the scholarship should go to a woman, while 10% say a man.

#MeToo Movement Largely an Unknown

Women in Eastern Europe are no strangers to gender-based harassment and domestic violence. An OSCE survey conducted the same year as Gallup's found 70% of women in the region had faced at least some form of gender-based harassment, and 74% didn't know where to go in these situations.

However, the #MeToo movement, which originated in the United States, failed to gain much traction in the region, which is evident in the median of 45% who volunteered that they had never heard of such movements. Women were no more likely than men to have heard of it.

Among people who had heard of it, people are more likely to say that it has been helpful (26%) rather than not (18%). This story was similar for men and women across the region.

	Yes	No	Never heard of it
	%	%	%
Kosovo	62	14	21
Albania	39	18	32
Greece	39	13	43
Hungary	36	20	38
Romania	32	23	33
Serbia	28	25	39
Bosnia and Herzegovina	26	8	59
Slovakia	26	23	45
Poland	25	16	50
North Macedonia	24	18	50
Montenegro	22	17	47
Croatia	18	16	59
Bulgaria	17	20	49
Gallup World Poll, 2019

Bottom Line

Two to three decades after their countries' democratic transitions, female leaders in East-Central Europe and the Balkans are gaining acceptance in public life and in public attitudes. Large majorities also view access to education through an egalitarian prism, and that is manifested in the high educational attainment of women in the region.

Outside the sphere of education, however, some significant challenges for women in the region do remain. Domestic violence and sexual harassment are serious problems in many countries, and Western movements such as #MeToo have not gained significant traction. Additionally, while workforce participation has been an accepted norm for women for decades by now, attitudes toward female managers are mixed and less egalitarian than when it comes to education.

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