Djurdjja Varinec writes:  Women in Serbia are underrepresented in firm ownership and management The United States assists Serbia in implementing critical reforms necessary for the country to complete its economic and democratic transition into the EU and other international institutions. The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID)1 programs in Serbia focuses on building prosperity and increasing democratic practices, both fundamental to Serbia’s Euro-Atlantic integration goals. Business Enabling Project (BEP) is one of the USAID’s initiatives aimed at helping the Government of Serbia (GoS) increase the competitiveness of the Serbian economy and its private sector by streamlining the business enabling environment, improving public financial management, and strengthening financial markets. The USAID Project conducts an annual survey of enterprises and entrepreneurs in Serbia to assist the government in implementing and monitoring economic reforms. The survey is distinct from all others conducted in Serbia because of the large sample size (1,008 businesses), five year time series, and the breadth of the questionnaire, all of which make it a powerful tool to inform advocacy that influences policy-making. The 2015 survey reveals that women are underrepresented in firm ownership and management. Employment of women in the surveyed firms is close to the national average of 43% of employees: the firms in the USAID BEP survey have 37% female employees in average. In companies registered as entrepreneurs, women make up 51% of employees. But men continue to dominate in firm ownership, as illustrated in Figure below. Numbers are similar for management: only 29% of managers are women, which is almost on the same level of the 27% women managers in 2014 survey.