MINISTER OF FINANCE

„Entrepreneur, hard-worker, doer and game changer! Change, digitalization and results lover!

I won the first prize at a national competition for the most innovative business plans in 2010 and received funding to start a business. I was 22 years old, had just graduated from college as a student of the year, and was full of energy and ambition to seize opportunities and start my career. I founded the leading e-commerce site that revolutionized the e-commerce industry in my small developing country, Macedonia. When less than 1% of the population was shopping online, when others saw obstacles, I saw a challenge – the challenge of changing the e-commerce market. We educated companies on new trends and built confidence in online shopping. I believe that every problem is a challenge that will make us stronger and more knowledgeable. I challenged the regulatory changes in the e-commerce industry in Macedonia and cleared the way for other e-commerce players.

I consult companies and speak at conferences and events around the world on the topics of e-commerce, marketing, business development, digitalization and entrepreneurship.

I am always an optimist who believes in people and their potential. After all, it’s not the technology, the product or the process that makes the company great, it’s the people behind the solution.”

This is the short biography of Nina Angelovska shared on her LinkedIn page, and yes, before becoming Finance Minister, she was known for her work as a co-founder of Grouper, and her story was valued by the people as a hard-working and successful Macedonian story. But all that changed when she was nominated for Finance Minister, with some portals shamelessly doing everything in their power to tarnish her name. All kinds of fiction could be read not only on the portals, but also on the social networks. People have attacked the Minister for her years and gender, saying that she cannot be in such a political position.

An example of this is the VMRO – DPMNE spokesman Naum Stoilkovski, who posted the following on his Facebook page:

“Zaev came out with Nina Grupirovka to present his rebalance.

She went to answer at least one question;  he took the microphone!

It is now clear that Zaev is in charge of the finances, and Nina is a pin-up girl – a presenter for the government’s Yoyos and Stomach Eliminators.

This is complete abduction of the institutions! ”

His statement has drawn sharp criticism from several politicians, as well as the general public for the apparent sexism he displayed. He was forced to apologize publicly, saying that the comment was directed at the Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, and that he did not considered the Minister to be a “pin-up girl”.

It is more than clear that being a target of sexism has its consequences: emotional, cognitive, behavioral and psychological. These kinds of problems are caused not only by gender nontraditional professions, but also by the attitudes of collaborators. It is unpleasant to be in a situation where others are skeptical about our qualifications or expect us to perform poorly. Not surprisingly, people tend not to do their best work in the workplace when their co-workers question their abilities, forming negative stereotypes about them.

He was not the only one who used discriminatory elements.  The portal Dokaz also integrated it into its recognizable narrative in the representation of women.

Media coverage of female politicians often uses sexist language and tends to focus more on the family role, appearance, and perception of “women’s political issues” when talking about female politicians. Women are faced with issues that male politicians almost never encounter, such as being asked to smile or answer questions about the work-life balance. The media and journalists must respect ethics in their reporting. This type of media communication is inappropriate and is unacceptable to a professional journalist or media outlet. The media must adhere to the rules of professional reporting.

Meral Musli Tajroska