ABW Serbia conducts research on the role of women in exporting SMEs within the European WOMEX project

ABW Serbia conducts research on the role of women in exporting SMEs within the European WOMEX project

01.11.2025

The Association of Business Women in Serbia (ABW Serbia) has been conducting an extensive research study since October 2025, as part of the regional mapping of the position of women in exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), within the European project WOMEX – The role of women in the competitiveness of exporting SMEs.

WOMEX – The role of women in the competitiveness of exporting SMEs is a European project financed by the Interreg Europe programme, supported by the European Union, aiming to enhance the competitiveness and sustainable growth of exporting SMEs through a stronger integration of gender equality into business strategies and public policies. The project started in May 2025 and will run for four years, until July 2029.

Focus on women in exports and business culture change

The main objective of the WOMEX project is to support women entrepreneurs and professional women who seek to internationalize their businesses, while also fostering a change in business culture across European regions, so that competitiveness and growth of the exporting SME sector become inconceivable without equal opportunities for women.

Although European regions are strongly oriented towards strengthening SME competitiveness, the gender perspective remains insufficiently integrated into public policies and business practices. WOMEX addresses these challenges through the development of a catalogue of good practices, tailored support tools, and public advocacy initiatives, with a particular focus on financing, training and digitalization.

Research in Serbia – quantitative and qualitative phases

The research conducted by ABW Serbia within the WOMEX project is carried out in parallel across all partner regions, following a common methodology, and aims to provide a clear and comparable picture of the position of women in exporting SMEs.

In Serbia, the research is implemented in two complementary phases:

  • Quantitative phase – through an online questionnaire, collecting representative and measurable data on the presence of women in ownership structures, management and export-related functions within SMEs;
  • Qualitative phase – through in-depth interviews, enabling a deeper understanding of the structural and cultural barriers women face, such as the “glass ceiling”, horizontal and vertical segregation, parenthood-related challenges, and limitations in professional mobility.

The research targets women and men who hold positions as owners, general managers (CEOs), export managers or members of management teams in exporting SMEs in Serbia. Following the closure of the research, a joint analysis of the collected data and the preparation of reports by all project partners will take place, after which the findings will be consolidated into a single interregional report.

Results as a basis for improved policies and support

The research results will serve as a basis for:

  • mapping key challenges and opportunities for women in exports,
  • improving public policies supporting SME internationalisation,
  • designing concrete measures that contribute to higher competitiveness, productivity and sustainable growth.

In Serbia, the partners in the WOMEX project are the Association of Business Women in Serbia (ABW Serbia) and the Belgrade Regional Agency for Development and European Integration (RAREI).

International partnership

The WOMEX consortium consists of nine partners from six countries, including institutions and development agencies from Spain, Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria and Hungary, while the project is led by the Catalan Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ) from Catalonia.

More information about the WOMEX project and the Interreg Europe programme is available on the project’s official website.