Ljubinka Škodrić: “Women in Serbia during the Second World War (1941-1945)”
Zgodovina na Špici / History on the Edge
You are kindly invited to the new event of the History on the Edge series, which will take place on Wednesday, 12 March 2025 at 13:00, at the INZ premises or at the ZOOM link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86949706378
The lecture will be given by Ljubinka Škodrić, and the title of the lecture is “Women in Serbia during the Second World War (1941-1945)”. The lecture will be held in English.
Women in Serbia during the Second World War (1941-1945)
As a heterogeneous social category, women in Serbia experienced diverse and often contrasting destinies during the Second World War. Their lives underwent profound transformations compared to the interwar period, as they assumed new responsibilities and faced political, social, and economic challenges. Women were forced to overcome extreme hardships, including poverty, shortages, displacement, mass reprisals, uprisings, and forced labour.
The support of women was essential for all warring factions for economic, political, and ideological reasons. As the war accelerated changes within traditional family structures, debates emerged over women’s roles and status across different ideological and political groups. The policies towards women led by the occupation and collaborationist authorities, as well as the Ravna Gora Movement and the People’s Liberation Movement reflected the broader relationship between the socio-political landscape and the ideological perspectives of Serbian society during the Second World War.
The occupation authorities’ policies towards women focused on economic exploitation and the maintenance of the peace and order. Women employed by the occupiers or in intimate relationships with them benefited, while those who resisted or were considered racially undesirable were imprisoned in camps established across the territory of Serbia. Moreover, the collaborationist authorities reinforced the conservative ideals that denied women the possibility of modernization and more significant public engagement. Similarly, the Ravna Gora Movement made little effort to attract women and took the conservative, patriarchal stand that did not differ from the one of the collaborationist authorities, as they both saw women exclusively as wives and mothers.
In contrast, the People’s Liberation Movement advocated a positive attitude towards the woman question and made considerable efforts to mobilize female support. Women recognized these efforts, expressed readiness to take part in the resistance and joined the People’s Liberation Movement. In doing so, they challenged patriarchal norms and the traditional view of war as a male domain, marking a decisive break with the past.