On the occasion of 8 March, the International Women’s Day, a traditional celebrations was held in the Army House in Skopje with the women employed in the Ministry of Defense and in the Army.
At the gathering, the President, Stevo Pendarovski, the Minister of Defense, Slavjanka Petrovska and the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Vasko Gjurchinovski commended the women in the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff and other subordinate commands and units for their role in the area of defense.
While congratulating all female members in the Army on the International Women’s Day, they expressed recognition for their professionalism and dedication in carrying out the tasks and for the successes they have achieved in the defense process in the Army.
General Gjurchinovski awarded Minister Petrovska a large plaque of the Army for her support of the Army’s activities in general, as well as to the entire female personnel.
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, recognition was also given to all female members in the other commands and units of the Army for their role in performing their professional tasks.
In the Army, the percentage of the female personnel is continuously increasing and currently, it is 10.65 percent, of which, 9.32 percent are women in uniform (18.92 percent officers, 12.29 percent non-commissioned officers and 6.06 percent soldiers) while there are 29.00 percent female civilians.
The number of female officers conducting staff and management duties (chiefs, commanders) within the Army is 88, or 8.56% of the total number of women in the Army.
There are 7 women with the highest officer rank, Colonel, while there are 44 Lieutenant Colonels. Since 2019, a woman has been appointed to the position of the adjutant to the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, and since 2023 a woman has been a Chief of Section in the General Staff.
In the Republic of North Macedonia, for the first time in 2020, the gender component was integrated into the Law on Defense and the Law on Service. At the same time, the principle of equal opportunities for men and women was incorporated in the by-laws and strategic documents in the Ministry and the Army.
