FRAMING THE GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN SERBIA: THE CASE OF FAMILY POLICY
FRAMING THE GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN SERBIA: THE CASE OF FAMILY POLICY

Author(s): Zorana Antonijević
Subject(s): Politics, Gender Studies, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development
Published by: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju
Keywords: gender mainstreaming; feminist movement Serbia; family policy; EU integration; institutional framework
Summary/Abstract: Feminist movement in Serbia, with more or less influence on the creation of public polices was active in Serbia since the seventies. It has built the foundations for different feminist interventions important for the improvement of the situation of women in Serbia: from fighting against male violence against women, peace initiatives to ecofeminist ideas (Blagojević Hjuson 2012b). Ever since, feminist organizations, both as grass-root formally or informally organized groups, or think tanks, were initiators of important feminist issues. These issues were political requests that will enable participation of women in politics (party programmes, quota system for less represented sex in election laws), the demands to change or adopt new laws that regulates family relationships (Family Law, Criminal Code with changes related to combating violence against women) to the Gender Equality Law and Anti-discrimination Law adopted in 2009 (Pajvančić 2006; 2010). Back in the nineties, the feminist movement in Serbia had already formulated its demands in the text “Minimum of Women's Requests” with six points’ policy agenda. Among issues that were formulate as requests, such as combating violence against women, gender balance in political representation and “Ministry for Women” was also the reconciliation of work and family life. The feminist organizations had proposed shortening working hours per day (from eight to six hours), for both men and women enabling them to share household and care work (Ćetković, 1998:20). However, formulation and adoption of the gender equality policies and gender mainstreaming as a part of the public policy agenda are relatively new notions for both the political elite and the bureaucracy in Serbia. Since the beginning of 2000 and onward first institutions responsible for mainstreaming gender polices were established as well as legal and strategic framework of gender equality. Nevertheless, despite legal, strategic and institutional framework in place, gender mainstreaming as a term remained poorly accepted and recognized, both at the level of University programmes of gender studies and in policy making. Literature about gender mainstreaming is lacking in Serbian and gender studies are more orientated toward theoretical knowledge than practical application of feminist theories in public policies making processes (Milić, 2002, Milić, 2011, Blagojević 2009).

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