THE ROAD TO EQUALITY: WOMEN AND THEIR POSITION IN SERBIA IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Abstract

Based on already available literature and sources, in this paper we will look at the position of women in Serbia in the 19th century. Analyzing the broader historical context of the struggle for women's rights, we will also pay attention to how the political position of Serbia at the time influenced the development of the struggle to improve the social position of women. We will present a brief overview of Serbian legislation and education and try to present different and partially opposed currents of opinion that simultaneously existed and formed understandings that affected the position of the female part of the population. This position, largely subjugated, was different in the countryside and in the city, but in both environments it was maintained with the help of the patriarchal understandings of the entire society, including the understandings of women themselves. However, he experienced changes over time. Extremely unfavorable at the beginning of the 19th century, together with the general development of Serbia and under the influence of western currents, it became better and better throughout the 19th century. In this context, women in Serbia gained a strong foundation in the 19th century, on the basis of which they managed to fight for social equality in the 20th century.