TACITURNING, OBSTRUCTION, MARGINALIZATION: OBSTACLES ON THE ROAD TO WOMEN’S EXPERTISE PRACTICE

Text topic: Women's Expertise Potential in Cultural Activities

Text author: Нада Торлак

Ever since the beginning of the 20th century the demographic fact has been that the number of women compared to men constantly rises, the result being women for a long time have been making for more than a half of total population. It is also true that in the past their legal position in comparison to men considerably improved (both in quontity and quality) to achieve equality in the 20th century. However, there is still a gap between the idea and its realization, formal and material right. Thus the woman of the 21st century remains - despite all declared rights, clear potentials, education and capacities - often marginalized, and her right to work obstructed on the political, economic or cultural sphere as well as in the expertise practice of any kind. In the best case, our society in transition, overburned by stereotypes, traditionalism and patriarchcal relations taciturns her achievements. The statistical data clearly show that women are still missing in the key decision-making positions, that they are less paid than men for the same job, but outnumber men in the NGOs which mostly entail voluntary i.e. unpaid and less influential work. In 106 years of the Beograd University there was only one female rector, and according to the 2006 data of the Federal Bureau of Statistics only 30% of the Beograd University academic community were women. A somewhat better situation is in cultural institutions where women are usually directors of libraries, schools, kindergardens, museums or social centers. But, on the other hand, of 19 Beograd theaters, women are top executives in only six.