GENDER (IN)EQUALITIES WITHIN THE FAMILY: THE CASE OF SERBIA
GENDER (IN)EQUALITIES WITHIN THE FAMILY: THE CASE OF SERBIA

Author(s): Rada Drezgić
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Sociology
Published by: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju
Keywords: Gender roles; Domestic labor; Patriarchy; Family norms; Socialist legacy.
Summary/Abstract: Almost half a century ago while I was in a third grade of elementary school my mother had to stay in a hospital in another town. Since we did not have any (female) relatives living nearby, my father had to resume all household duties while still working full time. For me it was a simple matter of fact until one day, in front of the whole class, my teacher inquired me about our family ‘situation’. With genuine concern in her voice she asked who was taking care of my four years older brother and me while our mother was away. Proudly (because we were so self-reliant), I replied that it was my father, only to turn lowly due to my teacher’s reaction. She expressed both surprise and disbelief, suggesting that my father’s attitude might have been admirable but was not quite proper and/or becoming for a man. Thus, all of a sudden, my father’s parenting that went beyond breadwinning and for me used to be normal and natural, appeared wrong and unnatural.

• Details
• Contents