Karolina Lendák-Kabók, MScCenter for Gender Studies, University of Novi

Sadkarolina.lendak@uns.ac.rs

Women in Science, Budapest, 8. May 2014.

Introduction •Serbian higher education in the CEDAW reports•Hungarian women students position and faculty choices at the University of Novi Sad•Hungarian high school students migration and faculty choices – girls vs. boys

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979)

Overview• Equality of rights for women is a basic principle of the

United Nations• Preceded by the Declaration on the Elimination of

Discrimination against Women (1967)• CEDAW was adopted by the UN’s General Assembly

in 1979In 1981, after the twentieth member State had ratified

it, the Convention entered into forceFaster than any previous human rights convention

had doneThe Convention has now 187 State Parties

Hungary joined in 1980Serbia (re)joined in 2001

Analyzed reports – article 10CEDAW Serbia

Government report 1 (2003-2006)

CEDAW Serbia Alternative report (2002-2006)

CEDAW Serbia Government report 2-3 (2007-2009)

CEDAW Serbia Alternative report (2007-2012)

2003 -2009

Gender equality in education2003/2004 – Centre for Gender Studies

established at the University of Novi SadCourses in the field of gender studies at the

postgraduate (two years) and specialist (one-year) levels.

Studies on the MSc and PhD levels - today

“Gender Equality in Schools” – pilot project with 10 secondary schools, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Sports of the RS and NGOs

“Women Can Do It 1 and 2” – domestic and international NGOs ran a series of courses on economic and political rights of women

Women students in %Engineering Social & medicine19.84% in

Mechanical Engineering

21.05% in Electrical Engineering

40.89 in Mining42.74% in Civil

Engineering

86.16 % in Philosophy

70,8% in Medicine 60,1% in Law

Female teaching staff and women leaders in academia• 29,4% of the total in 2002• 40% of independent

researchers (EUROSTATSerbia is in the fourth place, although funds in this area are not sufficient – only 0.3% of gross domestic product)

• Over 50% of assistants and or technicians in scientific institutions

• At the University of Novi Sad since 2001 – 3 women rectors

• 2002/03 – The Rector of the University of Belgrade was a woman – the first one since 1905

Gender related Millennium Development GoalsKey laws introduced to govern and promote the improvement

of the status of womenGender related Millennium Development Goals in Serbia:

Introduce gender studies into the educational system Increase the number of computer literate women.

Gender studies have been introduced at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad

The Faculties of Law in Belgrade and Niš have so-called legal clinics with free of charge consultations for women

2002 -2012

Women take the “empty space”Women take the “empty space" emerging as a

result of brain drain and other reasonsJobs at universities and in scientific institutions

were no longer prestigious and well-paid as during socialism The presence of women gradually increased in

lower positions in the scientific / academic institutions

These institutions lost economic / social prestige Women took the place of that of their male counterparts

considered not desirable

Gender in educationWomen poorly represented in leadership positions at

universities, scientific institutions and in decision-making positions in the educational system

Participation of NGOs in the implementation of research on gender in university programs

Optional gender research subjects introduced in regular studies at some universities in SerbiaThese programs are faced with constant resistance

and cynical comments academiaLess than 6% of women in the Serbian Academy of

Sciences and ArtsSince its founding, there was no women head of

the Academy

Legal framework - todayLaw on Prohibition of Discrimination: prohibit

discrimination and gender-based discrimination in educationLaw on Gender Equality: Discrimination prohibited within the

framework of institutions for the education and vocational training institutions

Law on Higher Education: in Serbian, but education in the languages of national minorities also possible

Law on the Protection of the Rights and Freedoms of National Minorities: right to education in their own language in preschool, elementary and secondary education, in higher education departments and faculties can organize lectures in minority language

National strategy to improve the situation of women: aims on integration of equal opportunity in education, gender equality principles in education

The Education Development Strategy 2020: absolutely no mention of gender equality in education as a criteria

Representation and faculty choices Analysis of the 14 Faculties of the University of Novi Sad

Hungarian students at the University of Novi Sad (2009-2012)13% of Hungarians in

the total population of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (a.k.a. Délvidék)

6.77% Hungarian students at the UNS in 2012/13

30% of Hungarian students from Vojvodina study in Hungary!

Hungarian women students at the University of Novi Sad

Faculty choice of the Hungarian women - influencesUniversity education

in their mother-tongue

Lack of adequate knowledge of the majority language results in adverse situation and lack of confidence

Stereotypes and home education

Analysis based on a study conducted by the Hungarian National Council (Magyar Nemzeti Tanács)

About the study…A total of 1459 high school students (831

girls vs. 628 boys) Graduates and third grade students (who

will graduate next year)Study conducted in high schools in towns:

Ada, Csóka, Nagybecskerek, Óbecse, Szabadka, Topolya, Törökkanizsa, Újvidék, Zenta & Zombor

Questions about: migration intentions, language barriers, choice of faculties...

High school summary

30% will continue their studies in Hungary 6% will continue their studies in other

countriesEven the choice of a STEM high school does

not steer girls towards STEM facultiesLess then 2% of the graduates has insufficient

knowledge of the Serbian language% questionable – students might not have been

honest

Hungarian high school studentsGirls Boys57% were girls36% will study abroad33% will study in Serbia7% of girls will continue

their studies in STEM field

3,8% of girls finished a STEM high school18,75% will study STEM

2,8% will not continue their studies

43% were boys30% will study abroad37% will study in Serbia14% of boys will continue

their studies in STEM filed

12,7% of boys finished a STEM high school40% will study STEM

3,5% of boys will not continue their studies

Current situation – where are the Hungarian women?The legal framework is satisfactory – there is room

for improvement – harmonization of the strategies is needed

Hungarian women students are overrepresented in the field of education studies (partly because they can continue their studies in Hungarian)

30% of the high school graduates continue their studies in Hungary – more girls

Serious “brain drain” among the Hungarian population in Vojvodina

Low % of girls continue their studies in STEM field

Suggestions for actions - conclusionsIntroduction of quotas for state-funded status for

women students in the STEM filed of studiesScholarships for women students and high

school girls who have achieved outstanding research results

The help of NGOs is needed to popularize engineering (a good example is the Hungarian Women in Science (NATE) association, whose aim is to raise the interest of the high school girls' in the STEM field of studies)

Foundation of a Hungarian University in Serbia (Szabadkai Egyetem), which could stop the migration of the high school graduates

Questions?