MICE is largely a women’s industry. Eventhough we are still living in a world where women don’t have the same social, economic, and other opportunities as men do, there are women who have made a difference in meetings and events industry and also in other spheres. But this is not another story about social paradigms of gender role, it’s about powerful Slovenian women.
Have you ever heard of the WAW effect? It’s about women being perceived positively on the whole as they are stereotyped as supportive, nice and gentile. Women are able to handle even the most stressful situations with grace. They balance their private lives while breaking boundaries in their career. Tatjana Radovič is that kind of woman, she is the first Slovenian to have received an international award in the field of business tourism, the IMEX Academy Award. Five professional women in the events sector founded The Association for Women in Events, an inclusive community dedicated to the professional advancement of women in all facets of the events industry.
So, who are other significant Slovenian women? Let us mention just a few of them:
- Ivana Kobilica, Slovenia’s foremost female artist of all time who painted an iconic Slovenian work of art, The Coffee Lady. A cosmopolitan and bold power woman back in days.
- Svetlana Makarovič, a sharp and witty femina and one of the best-known Slovenian authoresses.
- Katarina Čas, currently, the “it” Slovenian actress, her most prominent role so far was in Scorsese’s movie The Wolf of Wall Street.
- Tina Maze, one of the world’s leading figures in female skiing and a double winter Olympic champion, ‘world record’ holder – 2414 points in one World cup season, definitely a fierce woman. Another outstanding female athlete is Brigita Bukovec, a woman who won the first Olympic medal in the independent Slovenia.
- Nika Zupanc, world-known product and interior designer, her product design collaborations include distinguished design companies such as Dior, Moooi and Se.
- Ana Roš from Hiša Franko is starring in the Netflix documentary series “Chef’s Table” and is reperesented as one of the best female chefs worldwide and
- There are also young rising stars taking among female Slovenians, like Urška Sršen, the founder of BellaBeat, took top spot in “Forbes 30 Under 30” this year.
It’s difficult to name just a few compelling Slovenian women, each one is special and powerful in its own unique way.
Slovenian women primarily work in three fields: cultural and social welfare, public services and administration, and the hospitality industry. The official gender pay gap in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU. It’s challenging to generalise Slovenian women in terms of personality traits, they’re as different and diverse as other nations. But one thing is certain for all women out there, as Virginia Woolf put it:
“As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.”
Women are making the Slovenian nation proud by their outstanding performances on many fields and their important contribution to an overall development of the society. Women are wonderful, right?
Stay tuned for the final I Feel 25 story!