Women in the older part of population (65+ and 75+), as well as in the population of pensioners, are in significantly greater risk of poverty in comparison to men94. The greatest gender gap, when it comes to employment, is in the category of persons of 55–64 years of age, where the employment rate of women is 32.5 percent and the employment rate of men 52.8 percent95. Elderly women are less active at the labor market than elderly men (the difference in activity rates amounts to 22.9 percentual points); with employment rate gender gap amounts to 19.9 percentual points, whereas the difference in the unemployment rate is almost negligible and amounts to 2.5 percentual points96. The lack of services of support is still present, especially the assistance services at home, which are frequently necessary to this population, taking into account that very often the elderly live alone and do not have relatives to take care about them. These problems are especially prominent in rural areas in which elderly women who live in single-member household are in especially difficult position. Elderly women in rural areas who live in families are most often dependent on other family members in the realization of their needs, since most frequently they do not have property rights to the immovable and movable property, income and their access to services in the community is not adequately provided in areas in which traffic and public transportation infrastructures are not established. Violence and neglect of elderly persons is still “below the radar” of the authorities, both for the reasons that the elderly cannot, are not supported or do not want to report violence they suffer from the closest family members, most frequently children and because of insufficient recognition of emotional, social and economic violence against the elderly. The authorities acted upon systemic recommendations issued by the Protector of Citizens in 2018 after he confirmed in 30 reviewed cases97, among which there were cases of violence and femicide against elderly women, femicide, domestic violence and partner violence, abuse and neglect of children, numerous individual and systemic omissions. See in greater details on the activities of the body in the chapter on the situation in the field of gender equality. PROPOSALS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE STATUS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND THE ELDERLY IN RELATION TO ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES Even though pursuant to Article 17 Paragraph 3 of the Law on the Protector of Citizens, the Protector of Citizens is not authorized to oversee the work of the National Assembly and the Government, the Protector of Citizens believes that it would be useful that the stated bodies review his proposals. Standards and Normatives for Planning, Designing, Construction and Conditions of Use and Maintenance of Flats for Social Residence (“Official Gazette of RS“, no. 26/13). 94 Third national report on the social inclusion of the Team for social inclusion and reduction of poverty, available at: http://socijalnoukljucivanje.gov.rs/wpcontent/uploads/2019/02/Treci_nacionalni_izvestaj_o_socijalnom_ukljucivanju_i_smanjenju_siromastva_2014 %E2%80%932017.pdf. 95Publication of the Republic Statistical Office “Women and Men in Serbia”, available at: http://publikacije.stat.gov.rs/G2017/Pdf/G20176008.pdf 96 Third national report on the social inclusion of the Team for social inclusion and reduction of poverty, available at: http://socijalnoukljucivanje.gov.rs/wpcontent/uploads/2019/02/Treci_nacionalni_izvestaj_o_socijalnom_ukljucivanju_i_smanjenju_siromastva_2014 %E2%80%932017.pdf. 97 Recommendations available at: https://www.ombudsman.rs/index.php/2012-02-07-14-03-33/5985-u-vrd-nipr-pus-i-u-r-du-n-dl-znih-u-bl-s-i-z-sh-i-zr-v-u-sluc-vi-p-r-dicn-g-i-p-r-n-rs-g-n-silj. - 58 -