On June 25, 2025, a significant public event entitled “Gender Equality: The Foundation for a Society Without Violence” was held in Skopje, which opened the space for a courageous and substantive discussion on the true meaning of gender equality. The event attracted speakers and participants from various fields – academia, media, politics, civil society – united in the view that the fight against gender discrimination must be strategic, systemic and vocal.
The first panel “Sex ≠ Gender Equality: Where did we go wrong in understanding?” focused on the essential difference between biological sex and social gender, emphasizing that their mixing in public and institutional discourse leads to confusion, wrong policies and marginalization – especially among trans and non-binary people. Speakers such as Zarko Trajanoski, Saška Cvetkovska, Nazim Rashidi and Sanela Shkrielj pointed out the need for the media and politicians to use the term “gender” responsibly – not declaratively, but as an essential concept for building just institutions.
The second panel, “Invisible Economy, Visible Injustice”, examined women’s economic dependence as an instrumentalized form of inequality. The panelists – Sneshka Ilic, Igor Jadrovski and Elena Dimushevska – spoke about how cultural norms and patriarchal policies legitimize limited access to resources, education and protection, and how this makes it difficult to escape violent situations and perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
The event was a space for vision and analysis, but above all – for strengthening resistance to systemic injustices. Thanks to all who participated and contributed to a public discourse that not only informs, but also transforms.
