The government revealed: Parents have an additional internship for each child

The government presented this information in its opinion on the report on the work of the ombudsman for gender equality for 2025, in which ombudsman Višnja Ljubičić determined the existence of the gender gap in pensions and indicated the further need for its reduction.

The gap in pensions in 2024 amounted to 19.3 percent

Added staž of six months per child was introduced by amendments to the Pension Insurance Act from 2019, and the Government emphasized that the institute of the added salary during the period of application had a positive effect on the reduction of the gender gap in pensions.

Thus, she stated that the gap has decreased significantly in the last few years, by 11 percentage points compared to 2020, when it amounted to 30.4 percent, which, she pointed out, represents the largest reduction in the gap between countries in the European Union.

The government then pointed out that, according to Eurostat data, the gap in pensions in 2024 in Croatia was 19.3 percent, which is significantly lower than the European Union average, which was 24.5 percent in 2024.

Also, with the aim of reducing the risk of pensioners’ poverty and reducing the gender gap in pensions, the amendments to the Pension Insurance Act (ZOMO) from 2025 additionally increased the added rate; for each child born or adopted from six to twelve months.

“This will contribute to the further reduction of gender-based inequalities in pension income. It is estimated that by the end of 2026, approximately 27,000 beneficiaries will receive 12 months of added pension per child, who will thereby achieve an additional pension increase of an average of three percent for each child,” the government says.

Regarding employment data, the Government pointed out that, compared to 2024, the number of persons registered as unemployed decreased by 14.8 percent.

She also pointed out the decrease in the number of women in the registered unemployment records by 18.6 percent and the number of men by 10.0 percent, as a result of which the share of women in the total number of people in the registered unemployment records is 2.5 percentage points lower than in 2024.

The ombudsman’s report, which she submitted to the Croatian Parliament, contains an analysis of areas that, among other things, relate to: employment and work, pensions, parents, gender-based violence, demographic policy, LGBTIQ persons, the media, discrimination, applicants for international and temporary protection, and military training.

Military training: 10 percent of men in the first generation, six in the second

The government rejected the ombudsman’s warning that the provisions of the Defense Law privilege men who have completed basic military training (TVO) and give them priority in employment in all state bodies, which represents indirect discrimination based on gender, which is legally prohibited.

The government emphasized that disabled women will not be put in a disadvantageous position nor will they be discriminated against men because both men and disabled women can voluntarily attend TVO.

In doing so, the Government stated that in the first term, which ended on May 9, 2026, out of 800 participants, 82 were women, which is 10.25 percent. In the second generation, as of May 18, 900 people are starting TVO, of which 53 are women, which is six percent of women in the generation.

Among other things, the ombudsman recommended an urgent review of the effects of the two laws on civil servants (state and local) related to the evaluation of persons who used leave based on rights in the area of ​​maternity and parental benefits, and the accession to their changes in order to eliminate unfavorable effects from the aspect of gender equality.

The government pointed out that their provisions do not put civil servants who were on parental leave in a less favorable position because they are rated as successful even though they were absent from work, and such rating is one of the conditions for promotion.

Regarding the topic of combating violence against women and domestic violence, especially in the form of interdepartmental cooperation and coordination, the Government pointed out that in March of this year a working group was established for the transfer of the EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence with the task of drafting proposals for changes to the Criminal Code and reaching conclusions on the necessary changes to the Criminal Procedure Code for the purpose of further improvement of the legislative framework in that area.

In addition to representatives of the academic community and judicial officials, members of the working group also include representatives of civil society organizations that are directly involved in working with victims of violence against women and domestic violence, as well as a representative of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Gender Equality, the Government stated.