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.