Skopje, 8 March 2023 - On International Women’s Day, March 8, UNFPA launched a campaign to celebrate gender equality through photo stories of women who, with their professions, break down prejudices and stereotypes and strengthen women’s rights and their role in society.

As part of the campaign that took place in the month of March, photo stories of women whose professions, such as firefighter, accordionist, conductor and pilot, strengthen gender equality, were published on social media. The participants shared their experience with the prejudices they encountered while building their successful careers and sent encouraging messages to future generations.

Zorica Karakutovska (47), accordionist. Photo credit: UNFPA North Macedonia

“Even when choosing the accordion instrument in primary music school, I faced the prejudice that this instrument ‘is not for girls’. To this day, we, women accordionists, have managed to cope with the challenge of breaking gender stereotypes and to fight for our place in the world of music,” said Zorica Karakutovska (47), accordionist. She added that she is happy that many girls follow her example.

Iva Matic (34), pilot. Photo credit: UNFPA North Macedonia 

“The road to becoming a female pilot is difficult, painstaking and requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication, but the destination is worth it. The aircraft does not know if you are a man or a woman. Where I am now and what I have managed to achieve over the years, is proof that gender stereotypes are invalid,” says Iva Matic (34), pilot.

Menka Stojanoska (33), firefighter. Photo credit: UNFPA North Macedonia

Menka Stojanoska (33), a female firefighter in the Fire Brigade in Skopje, says that the most important thing to do is to “simply successfully finish the job.”

“In a way, I was the one who paved the way for women conductors in our country. It bothered me that I had to prove myself twice as much simply because I am a woman, but I had to be persistent,” says Bisera Cadlovska, the first female conductor in the country.