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Montenegro is one of the smallest Mediterranean countries with a population of only 622,137 citizens. In its Constitution, Montenegro is declared a ‘civil, democratic, ecological’ country with a ‘state of social justice, based on the rule of law’.
Women in Montenegro gained civic, political, economic, social and cultural rights after World War II within former Yugoslavia, the state which was dissolved as a result of multiple wars during the nineties. Montenegro remained with Serbia in the political union/federal republic which ceased to exist when Montenegro proclaimed its independence in 2006.
After regaining its independence, Montenegro ratified all of the major human rights conventions including the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW. In 2010, Montenegro became an official candidate for the membership of the European Union. Through its EU integration process, Montenegro has committed itself to advocating more effectively for gender equality and women’s rights.
When it comes to gender equality in Montenegro, the key legislations are the “Law on Gender Equality” adopted in 2007 (and amended in 2015) and the “Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination” adopted in 2011.
However, the implementation of laws in Montenegro remains weak. Women are still underrepresented in decision making processes; they are severely underrepresented in Parliament, Government and political parties as well as in business and property ownership fields, etc.
Forms of discrimination against women
The last parliamentary elections in 2020 resulted in a victory for the opposition parties and the fall of the ruling “Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro” marking the end of its political monopoly since the introduction of the multi-party system in 1990. However, this victory was not unbiased, as the strongest party of the new parliamentary majority is conservative and religious, which jeopardizes the principle of secularity and endangers women’s human rights.
In 2020, the Gender Equality Index was assessed for the first time in Montenegro. The recent index report calls for stronger leadership for institutional transformation, coupled with adequate financial resources, in order to bridge the gap between men and women. The Gender Equality Index is a tool developed by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and is used to measure inequalities in all EU member states and pre-accession countries. With the index value of 55 (out of maximum 100 points), Montenegro scored lower than the EU average of 67.4.
At the national level, women in Montenegro are least equal when it comes to access to Power, followed sequentially by Time, Knowledge, Money and Work. Highest equality was observed in the domain of Health. Greatest differences between the EU countries and Montenegro were recorded in the domains of Money and Power.
The feminist movement in Montenegro
In Montenegro, we often speak more about a women’s movement, rather than a feminist one, even though there are several active feminist organizations in the country. Many women activists and protesters against repressive governmental measures prefer to not refer to themselves as feminists due to the persisting traditional and conservative heritage of Montenegro.
One of the feminists’ most pressing struggles is the battle to preserve their wins amidst the current social and political context where the role of the Serbian Orthodox Church and its supporters is growing stronger by the day and is even more established than it has ever been in the last 100 years.
The main issues on feminists’ agenda are: the combat against gender-based violence, the eradication of the practice of sex-selective abortions, the introduction of sex education in the formal educational system, and the (re)institutionalization of gender studies in University of Montenegro and of transitional justice with a gender perspective.
