From Norm Adoption to Policy Impact: Explaining the Multi-Layered Implementation Gap in Gender Equality in Stem in North Macedonia

This article examines the gap between the formal adoption of gender equality policies and their substantive outcomes in the STEM sector in North Macedonia. Drawing on Europeanization and feminist institutionalism, the study employs a mixed-methods design combining policy analysis, longitudinal statistical data, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders.

The findings reveal a systematic decoupling between high levels of formal alignment with European Union and international frameworks and limited progress in practice. While women approach parity in STEM education, their transition into employment remains significantly constrained. Using a novel operationalization of the “leaky pipeline” through transition rates between education and employment, the study demonstrates that gender disparities are most pronounced at the point of labor market entry, indicating structural barriers beyond educational access.

The analysis shows that this implementation gap is produced by the interaction of four interrelated dynamics: weak operationalization of policy commitments, fragmented governance structures, limited integration of gender-disaggregated data into policymaking, and persistent socio-cultural norms shaping participation in technical fields. These findings highlight the limits of formal policy adoption in the absence of institutional and cultural transformation. By conceptualizing the implementation gap as multi-layered and introducing transition rates as an empirical indicator, the study contributes to the literature on Europeanization and gender equality by linking policy adoption to measurable outcomes within a sector-specific context. The results suggest that advancing gender equality in STEM requires moving beyond formal compliance toward coordinated, data-driven, and contextsensitive interventions that address both structural and informal barriers.