Albania - Country Gender Assessment

Positioned as the linchpin in Albania’s journey towards a higher income economy and its aspirations for EU accession, the pivotal role of human capital cannot be overstated. However, the country faces challenges stemming from declining human capital due to factors such as migration, economic inactivity, including of women, and the underutilization of existing talent pools. Enabling women’s economic participation is critical for Albania’s trajectory to a high-income country. Actively engaging, nurturing, and optimizing the diverse talents and capabilities of the population, especially of inactive segments is paramount to underpinning this growth trajectory. Gender and social inclusion lie at the heart of Albania’s development path and thus demand high-level attention and commitment. This Country Gender Assessment provides empirical evidence and analyzes gender equality in Albania. Methodologically, the report adopts the Gender Assessment framework proposed by the World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development (WDR 2012). Through this lens, the report scrutinizes recent progress and lingering challenges across three critical dimensions: Endowments, Economic opportunities, and Voice and Agency. Extensive research was conducted drawing from various data sources to gauge indicators such as health, education, labor market dynamics, and gender-based violence, among others. The structure of the report is as follows. Section 2 delves into the legal and institutional framework. Section 3 assesses gender equality from the perspective of human endowments. Section 4 discusses progress and challenges in economic opportunities. Section 5 focuses on issues related to voice and agency.