Almost all of the facts in this blog post come from one source. I know this is problematic, but was unable to find any other sources that specifically mention the status of women in Macedonia.
In fact, “according to the standard sociological approach, the process of social regulation of sexuality is anchored in social institutions-religion, family, and secular institutions, such as school, law, and medicine- that produce and/or reproduce ideologies and norms, which define social expectations” (Stulhofer, 5). In Macedonia, social expectation is low for any change in the status of women or ethnic minorities. People will often say that Macedonia is relatively egalitarian, but “will admit that gender stereotypes and values are quite patriarchal especially in rural areas and among ethnic minority groups” (USAID Report, 5).
To make matters worse in Macedonia, “the media is seen as promoting traditional gender stereotypes and as being uninterested in women’s issues” (USAID Report, 5). They often portray women in a sexist or degrading manner though “relevant laws prohibit media from broadcasting programs that could create gender intolerance ot that contain pornography or excessive violence” (USAID, 20). Without the media to bring light to some of the important issues, they may never become part of the discussion in the general populous or then in Parliament. In addition, the “school curricula promotes traditional gender stereotypes” (USAID, 5). If the children are taught to expect nothing better than the traditional gender roles or life, then the struggle will be lost to create a more equal society where all members can choose to do what they want in society. If young girls are taught that the only thing they are good for is cleaning houses and making babies, then those who want a career will feel left out of society and that something is wrong with them.
These teachings and lack of media attention have concrete results. In the region (the Balkans) Macedonia has the third highest pay gap between men and women (USAID, 5). A large percentage of Macedonians also live below the poverty line and the highest risk groups are “single mothers, children outside of parental care, the elderly, people with disabilities and the Roma” (USAID, 13). While impoverished citizens are entitled to some forms of social aid (e.x: with food or medical care), a recent budget analysis that focused on the differences between gender by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MoSLP) found that women were far less likely to access this assistance than men. In addition, the MoSLP reported being “perplexed by this finding and speculated that women may not be accessing this assistance because of the insensitivities on the part of the staff and time burdens associated with applying for assistance of women’s reluctance to come forward to claim the assistance to which they are entitled” (USAID, 13). The current ruling party is seen as “socially conservative, antagonistic towards gender equality, promoting patriarchal views of women’s roles, and was described as suppressing independent actions by both Parliament and civil society” (USAID, 11).
All of these negative “on the ground” style reports are countered by the following legal frameworks relative to gender: (USAID, 14)
Many of the people interviewed were pessimistic about the future situation of women in Macedonia and with these statistics it is hard not to be. However, there are many (on paper- even if they do not respond to emails or have a working website) women’s based NGOs in Macedonia that are working to end the inequality faced by women. While these NGOs may not be as strong as their neighboring countries (USAID 18) they are working towards ending gender based violence or discrimination.
2010 Gender Assessment, USAID/Macedonia by Catherine Cozzarelli.
In fact, “according to the standard sociological approach, the process of social regulation of sexuality is anchored in social institutions-religion, family, and secular institutions, such as school, law, and medicine- that produce and/or reproduce ideologies and norms, which define social expectations” (Stulhofer, 5). In Macedonia, social expectation is low for any change in the status of women or ethnic minorities. People will often say that Macedonia is relatively egalitarian, but “will admit that gender stereotypes and values are quite patriarchal especially in rural areas and among ethnic minority groups” (USAID Report, 5).
To make matters worse in Macedonia, “the media is seen as promoting traditional gender stereotypes and as being uninterested in women’s issues” (USAID Report, 5). They often portray women in a sexist or degrading manner though “relevant laws prohibit media from broadcasting programs that could create gender intolerance ot that contain pornography or excessive violence” (USAID, 20). Without the media to bring light to some of the important issues, they may never become part of the discussion in the general populous or then in Parliament. In addition, the “school curricula promotes traditional gender stereotypes” (USAID, 5). If the children are taught to expect nothing better than the traditional gender roles or life, then the struggle will be lost to create a more equal society where all members can choose to do what they want in society. If young girls are taught that the only thing they are good for is cleaning houses and making babies, then those who want a career will feel left out of society and that something is wrong with them.
These teachings and lack of media attention have concrete results. In the region (the Balkans) Macedonia has the third highest pay gap between men and women (USAID, 5). A large percentage of Macedonians also live below the poverty line and the highest risk groups are “single mothers, children outside of parental care, the elderly, people with disabilities and the Roma” (USAID, 13). While impoverished citizens are entitled to some forms of social aid (e.x: with food or medical care), a recent budget analysis that focused on the differences between gender by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MoSLP) found that women were far less likely to access this assistance than men. In addition, the MoSLP reported being “perplexed by this finding and speculated that women may not be accessing this assistance because of the insensitivities on the part of the staff and time burdens associated with applying for assistance of women’s reluctance to come forward to claim the assistance to which they are entitled” (USAID, 13). The current ruling party is seen as “socially conservative, antagonistic towards gender equality, promoting patriarchal views of women’s roles, and was described as suppressing independent actions by both Parliament and civil society” (USAID, 11).
All of these negative “on the ground” style reports are countered by the following legal frameworks relative to gender: (USAID, 14)
- “the constitution guarantees equality of all citizens regardless of gender, race, political or religious beliefs, or other socio-demographic characteristics.”
- “The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was adapted in 1979 and took effect in 1971.”
- The law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men was adopted in 2006. This law established basic and special measures for insuring equal opportunities for women and men, lays out the responsibilities of various central and local government entities for insuring equal opportunities, and describes the procedures for determining when unequal treatment has occurred and how the government should process these cases.”
Many of the people interviewed were pessimistic about the future situation of women in Macedonia and with these statistics it is hard not to be. However, there are many (on paper- even if they do not respond to emails or have a working website) women’s based NGOs in Macedonia that are working to end the inequality faced by women. While these NGOs may not be as strong as their neighboring countries (USAID 18) they are working towards ending gender based violence or discrimination.
2010 Gender Assessment, USAID/Macedonia by Catherine Cozzarelli.
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