Vera GUDAC DODIĆ

Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade

luvenido@ptt.rs

Gender Policies of the Yugoslav State in the Context of Socialism

Abstract:

This paper examines official gender policies in the Yugoslav  socialist  context,  primarily through the egalitarian socialist legislation, the prevailing discourse on the equality of men and women on which they relied, the projected values around which the social identity of women was constructed, the pillars recognized as central points of emancipation, but also through the means of their realization, the intertwining of gender policies and existing cultural practices as well as the (dis)continuity of female subordination in gender relations in socialist everyday life. In the same context, the paper discusses socialist women’s organizations, as well as the emergence of neo-feminism. The paper summarizes our previous research and draws on it, refers to other pertinent works and research, and documentation, shaping the picture of gender policies of the socialist Yugoslav state.

Key words: Gender policies, socialist context, emancipation, socialist everyday life, Yugoslavia

Summary

Three decades have passed since the Yugoslav state was ruined and disappeared in blood, together with self-governing socialism. However, the beginning of the process of emancipation of women in these parts and the rights they achieved are significantly tied to the period of the second Yugoslav state. Under its auspices, women were closer to equality; accepting new roles, they created new experiences and conquered public spaces. The gender equal legislation, reproductive rights, free and available education, and the affirmation of women’s employment are the basic ranges of Yugoslav politics and emancipation practices in socialism. With the system of social protection which the government provided, social rights, social security, and wider healthcare, the socialist gender politics have more visible effects. Those rights often created crucial changes in the lives of women. Simultaneously, gender politics of the socialist state did not eradicate the inherited patterns and patriarchal relations in the family, and thus the double burden and conflicted role of the working woman had never been greater. The socially organised care of children was partially successful due to the stressed disproportion of the network of these institutions in different parts of Yugoslavia, while the measures of housework socialization – transferring a part of housework to public services and institutions, were of limited range in practice and had modest effects. In spite of this, the dual work of the woman was integrated into socialism. The female liberation in socialist Yugoslavia and the social affirmation of women were also limited by the continued domination of men in politics and other levels of decision-making, as well as women’s experiences of subordination in different segments of life. With a force that emphasised the diversity in local contexts, the everyday life of women in the countryside fought the policies that promoted political, social, cultural emancipation and gender equality for a long time.