GENDER PROFILE MONTENEGRO
Despite the fact that women from Montenegro and Yugoslavia won the right to vote in 1945, gender equality in all spheres of society remains a far-reaching goal. Nevertheless, our foremothers left us a rich legacy of resistance that forms the foundation of our struggle today. In the immediate aftermath of World War I, Montenegro, hit by inflation, witnessed its first social protests, fueled by the global economic crisis and the devastation of the Spanish flu pandemic. Although it had lost its sovereignty and was affected by a serious economic and social and political crisis, Montenegro kept pace with global processes related to class struggle, the fight for workers’ rights, and for better working and living conditions. Protests against high prices were organized in Kotor and Podgorica. Interestingly, both protests were organized by women’s associations.
Source : Canva
In January 1920, women’s gatherings were held in Podgorica, Cetinje, Rijeka Crnojevića, Tivat and Herceg Novi, where demands were made for political gender equality
Source : Canva
May 1, celebrated as International Workers’ Day, honors the victims of the 1886 labor movement demonstrations in Chicago. These demonstrations, a historical marker of the workers’ movement during which the “three eights” were demanded – 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, and 8 hours of culture/education – were suppressed by the police, resulting in the killing of 6 workers, dozens injured, and later, five more workers sentenced to death. At the second congress of the International (in 1891), May 1 was recognized as the date for holding annual activities. Since then, depending on the circumstances, this day has been marked across the world as an important date for the labor movement, during which various events are organized in honor of the victims.
Source : Freepik
The women’s movement was gaining an increasing number of members, and its subversive activities gradually became an important part of the actions and mission in the fight for class, gender, and all other forms of equality. The movement’s activities became more organized. More and more women, especially young ones, were claiming spaces that had previously been reserved solely for men in their fight for civil freedoms. The work of the League of Communist Youth in Montenegro began to grow significantly, especially among young women in secondary schools and in rural areas.
Source : Freepik
By the Manifesto of King Aleksandar Karađorđević, issued on January 6, 1929 (the January 6 Dictatorship), the Vidovdan Constitution was abolished, the National Assembly was dissolved, and the work of all political parties, gatherings, and all trade unions was banned. Press censorship was introduced. This difficult period for the realization of workers’ rights and the development of progressive ideas, including women’s activism, lasted for more than two years and ended in September 1931. At the beginning of 1929, the Central Secretariat of Women of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia was established. That same year, the Instruction of the Central Secretariat of Communist Women on Building Party Structures for Work Among Women was formulated, stating: “In order for the Party to more easily and better connect firmly with the broad masses of non-communist working women, a party structure for work among women should be established in the Party – according to the proposal of the Central Secretariat of Women, as follows:...II The Women’s Organization within the cells operating in enterprises where a large number of women workers are employed should be connected with the youth cell of the respective enterprise.”
Source : Canva
December
On December 5, 1929, the Law on Public Schools was adopted in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia – education became mandatory for both boys and girls, which was extremely important for improving the position of women, as their social inequality was largely a consequence of significantly lower levels of education.
Source : Canva
Although still without the right to vote, women began to appear in official statistics concerning paid labor. In Montenegro, there were 1,386 industrial workers, of whom 89 were women. Out of a total of 3,307 day laborers working in Montenegrin villages, 1,020 were women.
Source : Freepik
In Germany, the National Socialist Party, led by Adolf Hitler, came to power. The influence of fascist and Nazi ideology was present across Europe. At the session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia held at the end of the year, a decision was made that “each party unit must appoint a female organizer who will be responsible for organizational and agitational work among women.
Source : Canva
During the demonstrations in Podgorica on February 18, 1935, Bojana Ivanović threw a piece of ice at Gendarme Govedarica, who was subsequently hospitalized. A corporal testified: “Among the demonstrators, I recognized Bojana Ivanović, who stepped in front of me and shouted: ‘Shoot!’ Then she called out to the crowd: ‘Forward!’”. The police arrested and interrogated 40 students of the Trade Academy and workers from the Tobacco Monopoly who had participated in the February demonstrations. These demonstrations are considered among the most significant protest events in Montenegro between the two world wars.
Source : Canva
November
On the front page of the newspaper Zeta of November 18, 1935, an article titled “For the Right to Vote for All Women” was published. It stated, among other things: “Women in all parts of Yugoslavia today lead a joint and unified action, regardless of their economic and social status or political beliefs, for the right to vote for all women and for other freedoms... This struggle of women for the right to vote and other freedoms is all the more understandable in Yugoslavia as fascism increasingly targets and attacks women and the rights they have achieved so far, which is understandable, because fascism sees in the enslaved position of women its better prospects for success, since women are for peace, equality, and freedom, and against imperialist wars – as mothers, sisters, and wives; against exploitation – as exploited and humiliated; against fascism and tyranny – as oppressed and tyrannized... The struggle of women in Montenegro is about vital issues, as mass hunger, nakedness, barefootedness, and extreme poverty have taken hold due to drought, poor harvests, etc.”
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
While women in some European countries had already secured the right to vote (Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Russia, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain), women in Yugoslavia were entering the intense pre-war years, and later the Second World War. Riding the wave of the Partisan victory – earned in part through their own selfless efforts – they would soon secure the right to vote in the postwar years. Conditions in Montenegro were further complicated by the extremely inferior status of the Montenegrin people in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which made the position of Montenegrin women even more difficult.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
March
During the first week of March 1936 (the exact date is unknown), the first women’s organization in Podgorica – the Women’s Movement – was established. Around 120 women and girls attended the founding assembly. The meeting was opened by Stanica Radović, who was elected as chairwoman, and Jovanka Milačić was elected as secretary. Following a crackdown on the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, police arrested several hundred party members from Montenegro. Among more than 20 women detained were Božana Vučinić, Đina Vrbica, and Vasa Pavić from Podgorica; Danka Kovačević from Nikšić; Jana Đurašković, Milica Jovović, Bosa Milošević, and Danica Dika Marinković from Cetinje; Persa Delević Biljurić from Berane; Desa Janketić from Lukovac; and others.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
March
At the beginning of March (2nd, 3rd, and 4th), 1937, among a group of 300 volunteers who set out for Spain to assist the democratic forces, there were also women, including Jelena Ćetković, Ana Kovačević and Marija Šoljaga. The group was discovered, and about 80 participants were arrested. Lidia Jovanović served as the secretary of the Red Aid for Montenegro, an organization that, from 1933 to 1941, was one of the key avenues for the engagement of progressive women. Its members collected donations for political prisoners and their families, monitored court trials, and provided various forms of support. On March 30, 1937, Božana Vučinić was buried. She was a member of the Local Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in Podgorica and one of the most prominent members of the Party. She died as a result of police torture in prison. Božana played an exceptionally important role in the work of trade union organizations in the textile and tobacco industries, where she led work with women and directly influenced the mass mobilization in the struggle for freedom, the spread of communist and women’s activism – for which she was repeatedly persecuted and tortured.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
The women’s movement grew increasingly massive, bringing together women from both urban and rural areas, united by the idea of social justice and resistance to the regime and poverty. At the same time, the party infrastructure among women developed, which in the years to come would become a solid foundation for the fight for gender equality.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
March
March 8, 1939, was marked by demonstrations in Podgorica, in which a large number of rural women participated alongside women from the city.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
October
A mass movement for women’s suffrage began.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
December
On December 1, 1939, as preparations were underway for the official celebration of the 21st anniversary of the founding of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, demonstrations against the authorities were held on Ulica slobode (Freedom Street) in Podgorica, in which women also took part. At the end of December, a gathering of around 1,000 women was held in the Luxor cinema hall in Podgorica. Speakers at the gathering included Anđela Vujošević on behalf of the workers, Savica Đurišić on behalf of the clerical workers, and Dara Vukotić on behalf of rural women. Petitions for women’s right to vote were collected at public assemblies across Montenegro.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
June
Women joined the ranks of the proletarian brigades as fighters. The Fourth Montenegrin Proletarian Brigade, at the time of its formation, counted 1,080 fighters, of whom 220 were women.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
July 13th
The July 13 Uprising, organized under the leadership of the Communist Party, brought together men and women, and the insurgents were joined by citizens, intellectuals, students, as well as a significant number of royal officers. The first battles began in Čevo, Mišići and Virpazar, and the flame of the uprising soon spread throughout Montenegro. Although it was suppressed in August, the Uprising represented, in a symbolic sense, an extraordinary feat in the struggle against fascist and Nazi occupiers and sent the message that the occupation would not go unresisted.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
July 22nd
After the successes in the battles following July 13, 1941, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia established organs of the people’s government in the newly liberated territory. The newly formed Provisional Supreme Command of the National Liberation Troops for Montenegro, Boka, and Sandžak in the liberated territory guaranteed adult women the right to vote, regardless of nationality, religion, or race. At the Assembly for the election of the People’s Liberation Committee in Berane, women participated in the election of government bodies for the first time in history. Women in the July 13 Uprising also actively contributed by collecting food, clothing, humanitarian aid, and war materials, and by delivering them to prisoners and fighters.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
October
The Main Committee of the Antifascist Women’s Front for Montenegro and Boka was established (Danica Marinović, Lidia Jovanović, Ljubica Kovačević, Dobrila Ojdanić, Bosa Đurović, Bosa Pejović, Đina Prlja).
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
The first step toward introducing universal and equal suffrage for women in Yugoslavia was represented by the Foča Regulations, adopted by the Supreme Headquarters in September 1942.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
November 15–18
The Assembly of National Representatives was held in Kolašin, attended by 538 delegates, including 20 women, who, for the first time in history, had the opportunity to participate in a representative body. At this Assembly, the State Antifascist Council of National Liberation of Montenegro and Boka (Montenegrin abbreviated: ZAVNO) was elected, an organ that assumed leadership over the national liberation war in Montenegro. ZAVNO consisted of 118 members, among whom were six women: Danica Marinović, Lidia Jovanović, Dobrila Ojdanić, Milica Mušikić, Stana Tomašević and Desa Anđelić.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
December 5-6
The first Congress of the Women’s Antifascist Front for Montenegro and Boka was held in Kolašin, attended by 400 female delegates. Equality and the emancipation of women were considered achievements of the National Liberation War (NLW) and would become an important part of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia’s post-war program. The Women’s Antifascist Front was tasked with protecting the equality that had been gained, furthering emancipation, and ensuring the full inclusion of women in public life.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
April
The Naša žena (“Our Woman”) magazine, the official publication of the Women’s Antifascist Front for Montenegro and Boka, was printed as a paper aimed at promoting the strengthening of ideological education and activism among women.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
July 13-15
At the third session of the State Antifascist Council of National Liberation (ZAVNO), which also marked its transformation into the Montenegrin Antifascist Assembly of National Liberation (CASNO), the “Declaration on the Rights of Citizens” was adopted, confirming the rights women had gained during the NLW: gender equality and equity, freedom of speech, religion, conscience, association and the press.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
May 9th
World War II came to an end! Germany signed the capitulation, officially ending the war globally, although in some areas fighting continued until the end of summer 1945. After the catastrophic consequences of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan signed the capitulation on September 2, marking the definitive end of the war. 50,000 women took part in reconstruction and development efforts. Their activist strength, which shone on the front lines in the fight for freedom, was now redirected toward rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure of Montenegro, and the whole of Yugoslavia. During the National Liberation War (1941–1945), 2,546 women from Montenegro actively participated in combat, 483 of whom were killed. A total of 12,108 women passed through prisons and camps. 1,754 women were executed or hanged, and 71 died in camps. Eight women from Montenegro were proclaimed national heroines: Ljubica Popović, Vukosava Vukica Mićunović, Jelica Mašković, Đina Vrbica, Jelena Ćetković, Milica Vučinić, Vukica Mitrović and Dobrila Ojdanić. Women in Yugoslavia, and thus in Montenegro, exercised their right to vote for the first time after the World War II, during the elections for the Constitutional Assembly of Montenegro on November 3, 1945, and for the Constitutional Assembly of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia (FPRY) on November 11 of the same year. Voting rights were granted to all men and women aged 18 and over, except those who were, in accordance with the Law on Voter Register, removed due to compromising involvement against the National Liberation struggle and principles of revolutionary governance.
Source : Canva
The year in which women’s political rights were finally recognized and legally defined in the then-Yugoslavia, with the adoption of the Constitution of the FPRY. That same year, women began exercising their rights by actively participating in political life.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
January 31st
Women finally achieved formal political equality with men, gaining equal voting rights. Article 24 of the Constitution: Women shall be equal to men in all spheres of state, economic, social, and political life. They shall receive equal pay for equal work and benefit from special protections in employment
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
November 3rd
Elections for the Constitutional Assembly. In these elections, as many as 88% of Yugoslav women exercised their voting rights.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
The first female members of the Montenegrin Assembly (the sixth convocation) were Lidia Jovanović, Dobrila Ojdanić and Draginja Vušović. In 1946, women made up 2.8% of the Assembly.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
The post-war years were marked by strong emancipation across all layers of society, especially among women. This year was revolutionary in terms of the emancipation of Muslim women, characterized by the removal of the traditional full-body veil worn by Muslim women in the Balkans. In the two-month-long International Women’s Day competition alone, 56,000 women participated, contributing 95,000 working days through various activities such as road repair, construction, and agriculture. As part of the same campaign, women also planted, limewashed, and pruned 32,000 fruit trees. The number of women participating in reading groups also significantly increased, reaching 54,000, while around 30,000 attended various public lectures.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at its session in Paris. This act laid the foundation for the modern international order, created in response to the consequences of the Second World War. The Declaration consists of a preamble and 30 articles, with its core message being that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Source : Canva
The European Convention on Human Rights was adopted within the Council of Europe to protect fundamental human rights, such as the right to life, the prohibition of torture, freedom of expression, the prohibition of discrimination, the right to a fair trial, and the right to privacy. The Convention provides women with access to justice through the European Court of Human Rights, whose case law has contributed to the development of the right to abortion, legal protection from domestic violence, and protection from discrimination in employment. Montenegro signed the European Convention on Human Rights immediately after restoring its independence, on June 6, 2006
October
The system continued to improve regarding the realization of women’s rights – not only political rights but also those that precede them, such as legal reforms of the education system.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
The Third Congress of the Antifascist Women’s Front emphasized women’s emancipation in line with the Party’s ideological framework and the employment of women in various economic sectors. Elections for People’s Deputies were held on October 8, 1950. Earlier, on July 20, 1950, the National Assembly adopted the Law on the Election of People’s Deputies. In this mandate of the National Assembly, 96.3% of the members were men and 3.7% were women, while the five-member Presidium of the National Assembly included no women
Source : Canva
As the last of the fundamental women’s rights, the issue of abortion came under consideration, and abortion was finally permitted, although the legal framework for exercising this right would undergo several changes until the constitutional amendment of 1974, when abortion became a constitutional right. Only then did abortion become part of specific legal regulations. From 1951, the Criminal Code no longer recognized a woman as the perpetrator of abortion, which had been the case until then. The Decree on the Performance of Permitted Abortion was adopted in 1952, which, for the first time, precisely regulated abortion and listed the grounds for its allowance – such as the health and life of the pregnant woman, the predicted health condition of the fetus/child, if the pregnancy resulted from a criminal offence, and if the birth of the child would endanger the woman’s health due to severe material, personal, or family circumstances. A subsequent 1960 decree further clarified the social grounds for abortion..
Source : Canva
The Convention on the Political Rights of Women was adopted in New York at a time when women in many countries still did not have the right to vote. It represented a key step toward political equality. It recognized women’s rights to vote, to be elected, and to hold public office. Montenegro ratified this Convention in 1953, as part of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia.
Source : Canva
The Women’s Antifascist Front, the only broad-reaching emancipatory movement whose mission was the substantial advancement of women’s status in Yugoslavia, ceased to exist. With its dissolution, the struggle for women’s rights was significantly weakened, and women were once again pushed into the private sphere, while the public sphere remained largely reserved for men.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
September
The Women’s Antifascist Front was dissolved by the People’s Front’s decision. It was transformed into the Union of Women’s Societies, whose primary responsibility was the care of mothers and children. The authorities considered that women’s equality had been achieved and was satisfactory, but the dissolution of the Women’s Antifascist Front effectively halted the successful wave of emancipation across Yugoslavia. In 1953, the Constitutional Law also defined governing bodies of the republic: the National Assembly, the Executive Council, administrative bodies (state secretariats, executive council secretariats, independent administrations, and administrative organizations), councils of the republic, courts, and the public prosecutor’s office. The National Assembly was bicameral, composed of the Council of the Republic and the Council of Producers. The two councils of the Assembly had a total of 122 deputies, of whom six were women – representing 4.9%. There were no women in the seven-member Presidium of the National Assembly.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
First woman in the executive branch of power in Montenegro
It was not until 1958 – thirteen years after the establishment of equal voting rights and twelve years after the adoption of the Constitution of the FPRY and the People’s Republic of Montenegro, which guaranteed men and women the equal right to vote and be elected to all state bodies – that a woman was elected to executive power in Montenegro for the first time: Vukosava Mićunović.
Gaining Freedom, UNDP, 2023
In terms of legislative power, female MPs accounted for only 4.6%. Out of 150 deputies in the Council of the Republic and the Council of Producers, only seven were women. The Presidium of the National Assembly, composed of seven members, included no women.
Source : Government
Under the new 1963 Constitution, the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Montenegro was structured as a five-chamber body consisting of: the Council of the Republic, the Economic Council, the Educational and Cultural Council, the Social and Health Council, and the Organizational and Political Council. The highest percentage of women was recorded in the Organizational and Political Council, where 13 out of 46 elected deputies were women, or 28.3%. Next was the Educational and Cultural Council, with eight women among 46 deputies, accounting for 17.4%. In the Republican Council, which had a total of 70 members, there were eight women, or 11.4%. In the Social and Health Council, five women were elected among 46 deputies, or 10.9%. The lowest representation of women was in the Economic Council, where four women made up only 8.7% of the total 46 deputies.
Source : Government
Until 1965, there were no women in the Presidium. That changed in 1965, when Milica Pajković, as president of the Social and Health Council, became a member of the Presidium – the first time since 1946 that a woman held a leadership position in the Assembly.
Source : Government
This year marked the adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on December 16 1966. The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights includes a monitoring mechanism and establishes the Human Rights Committee, with Article 3 emphasizing gender equality. The Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is essential in the fight against structural discrimination against women and covers poverty, access to healthcare, reproductive rights, maternity leave, and equal pay for equal work. The former SFRY, of which Montenegro was a part, ratified both Covenants in 1971, and today they are a binding part of Montenegro’s legal system.
Source : Canva
Out of 254 elected deputies in all the Assembly councils, 15 were women, or 5.9%. There were no women among the eight members of the Presidium in this term
Source : Government
Among the six members of the Assembly Presidium – comprising the president of the Assembly, two vice presidents, and presidents of the three councils – there was one woman. Mileva Gagović held this position as president of the Social and Political Council. This was the second time since 1946 that a woman was in the Assembly’s leadership
Source : Ustav SFRJ
The constitutional amendments of 1974 established abortion as a constitutional right.
Source : The constitutional amendments
During this term of the Executive Council – two decades after the 1958 formation – Olga Perović was once again the only woman elected. In that session of the Assembly, 15 out of 135 deputies were women, representing 11.1%.
CEDAW
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was adopted on December 18 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly and entered into force on September 3 1981. The Convention has since been ratified by 185 UN member states, including Montenegro. A monitoring mechanism – the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women – was established to oversee implementation of the Convention, primarily through reviewing reports that states are obligated to submit at least once every four years.
Elections for the Assembly of Montenegro were held on April 13, 1982.
Elections for the Assembly of Montenegro were held on April 13 1982. In the Council of Associated Labor, there were 12 women among 75 delegates, representing 16% of the total. In the Social and Political Council, seven women were part of the total of 35 delegates. In the Council of Municipalities, only two women were among the 55 delegates, i.e., 3.6%. In total, there were 21 women among 165 delegates across all councils, accounting for 12.7% of the overall structure.
Parliamentary elections in Montenegro were held on April 21, 1986.
In the Council of Associated Labor, 10 women were elected out of 75 delegates (13.3%). In the Council of Municipalities, three women were elected out of 55 delegates (5.5%). In the Social and Political Council, eight women were among 35 delegates (22.8%). Overall, there were 21 women among 165 delegates, making up 12.7%. The Presidium of the Assembly, composed of six members, included no women.
The first Government of Montenegro after the introduction of multi-party democracy was elected on February 15 1991. It had 19 members, none of whom were women. In the Government’s exposé, women were not mentioned – not in the analysis of the current situation, nor in development plans, nor in reference to the economic or social impact of proposed measures, nor in measures aimed at reforming state institutions. As already stated, the proposed Government did not include any women. In the Parliament of Montenegro, during the 1990–1992 term, out of 125 MPs, 120 were men and only 5 were women (96% men, 4% women).
Source : Canva
The next Government, elected on March 5 1993, had 25 members and again, no women. In the newly constituted Parliament (1992–1996), there were 80 men and 5 women (5.9%). Although there were numerous changes among MPs during that term, a woman replaced a male MP on only one occasion, raising the number of women to six (7%) compared to 79 men.
Source : Canva
The Vienna Declaration was adopted at the first World Conference on Human Rights, whose primary goal was to reaffirm the importance of human rights in the new global order following the Cold War. Feminists and activists from around the world mobilized to demand that women’s rights be formally included in the Declaration. The Declaration affirms the universality, indivisibility, and interdependence of all human rights—civil, political, economic, social, and cultural. Montenegro, as part of the FR Yugoslavia, ratified the Convention the same year it was adopted.
Source : Canva
Beijing Platform for Action
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, is the most comprehensive global policy framework aimed at achieving gender equality. It defines 12 critical areas of concern: Women and poverty, Education and training of women, Women and health, Violence against women, Women and armed conflict, Women and the economy, Women in power and decision-making, Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, Human rights of women, Women and the media, Women and the environment, and The girl child. Montenegro committed to action in eight areas, focusing on: the advancement of women’s human rights, gender-responsive education, economic equality, gender-responsive healthcare, combatting gender-based violence, equality in media, culture and sports, women’s participation in decision-making, and strengthening institutional mechanisms and international cooperation.
Source : UN
The next Government, composed of 26 members and no women, was elected on December 24 1996. Before the 1996 elections, a Law on Amendments to the Law on Election of Councilors and MPs was adopted. It defined a total of 71 MPs, delineated electoral districts and special electoral units for minorities, set the number of signatures required for submitting a list, and determined that the first half of MPs would be elected by order and the second half at the discretion of the list submitter. Despite the very low number of women and although the new Constitution was hailed as modern and more comprehensive than the federal one in terms of human rights, it contained no provisions on women’s political participation, affirmative action, or policies ensuring equal opportunities. From 1996 to 1998, women made up 7.04% of MPs in the Parliament of Montenegro.
Source : Canva
The new Government of Montenegro was elected on July 16 1998. Despite having 24 members, it included no women. In the Parliament of Montenegro from 1998 to 2001, there were only four women, representing 5.1% of the total 78 MPs. Laws still did not recognize the importance of ensuring mechanisms for the appropriate representation of women.
Source : Canva
For the first time, a woman was elected as an associate member of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts. Olga Perović was elected in 2000 and became a full member in 2008.
The next Government, with 19 ministries, was elected on July 2 2001, and again included no women. In Parliament, from 2001 to 2002, there were seven women out of 77 elected MPs, accounting for 9.9%.
In 2001, for the first time, a woman was elected President of the Parliament – Vesna Perović, an MP from the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro. The two vice presidents were men. In the following term of the Montenegrin Parliament (2002–2006), during most of the term, there were nine women out of 75 MPs (12%).
Following the parliamentary elections held in September 2006, a new Government was elected on November 10. It had 17 members, including only one woman – 5.8% of the total. Dr. Gordana Đurović, the only female member of the Government, became the first woman to hold the post of Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for European integration. In the parliamentary term from 2006 to 2009, the Parliament of Montenegro had 81 MPs, 74 of whom were men and seven women, or 8.6%.
Source : Canva
Law on Gender Equality
The Law on Gender Equality was adopted in 2007 and most recently amended in 2015. Article 2 defines gender equality as equality and equal participation in all areas of public and private sectors, equal status, and equal opportunities to exercise all rights and freedoms, and to use individual knowledge and abilities for the development of society, as well as to benefit equally from the results of work. A key provision is Article 3, which obligates state bodies, state administration, local governments, public institutions, public enterprises, and other entities with public authority to integrate the gender perspective and assess the impact of their decisions on the status of women and men.
Source : Canva
Adoption of the Istanbul Convention
The Istanbul Convention was adopted under the Council of Europe to provide an international response to violence against women. It is the first legally binding European convention that exclusively focuses on gender-based violence as a matter of public interest. Montenegro ratified the Istanbul Convention in 2013. Its implementation is monitored by the GREVIO Committee, to which the country submitted reports in 2017, 2021 and 2023.
Source : The Istanbul Convention
Introduction of Gender Quotas
Women’s political participation would be significantly lower had it not been for the legal framework introduced to protect, encourage, and promote equal participation in public life. The Law on the Election of Councilors and MPs, adopted in February 1998, has been amended 19 times. At the time of its adoption, there were five women in the Parliament of Montenegro, or 7.04%. In 2011, gender quotas were introduced for the first time, requiring 30% of women on electoral lists. At the first elections following the quota introduction, the number of women in Parliament rose to 18.5%. In 2014, the Law was amended to include placement requirements: each Party must submit a list with at least 30% women, and at least one candidate of the less-represented gender in every group of four. After this change, 23.4% of MPs elected were women.
UNDP Montenegro
Women’s Political Network (WPN)
The Women’s Political Network was established on November 17 2017 with UNDP support. From the beginning, it defined three priority areas: political participation, economic empowerment, and combating gender-based violence. During its active period, WPN established success standards for women’s empowerment efforts. Thanks to its legislative initiatives, women’s organizations within political parties received almost 4 million euros in under four years. It also encouraged local governments to allocate over 2 million euros in support of women’s entrepreneurship, helping over 500 female entrepreneurs receive grants for launching or expanding their businesses. The WPN remains one of the broadest, most serious and organized women’s networks ever established in Montenegro, through its networking, inclusion models, and educational efforts preparing women for political engagement, public presence and the fight for women’s rights.
UNDP Montenegro
First female presidential candidate
For the first time, a woman – Draginja Vuksanović Stanković – ran for president in Montenegro.
Source : www.aa.com.tr
In 2019, all amendments proposed by the Women’s Political Network to the Law on Financing Political Subjects and Election Campaigns were adopted. These amendments secured dedicated funds for women’s political organizations – an approach that remains unique not only in the Western Balkans but beyond. Montenegro’s experience has since been used as a positive example by many organizations working to advance women’s political participation. The law now mandates the allocation of 0.05% of the current state budget for the regular financing of women’s organizations within political parties in Parliament.
UNDP Montenegro
Amendments to the Rules of Procedure of Parliament
Amendments made to the Rules of Procedure in 2020 introduced Article 18, which stipulates that at least one Deputy Speaker of Parliament must come from the less-represented gender.
Source : Government
Women in the 27th Parliament and leadership changes
In the 27th Parliament of Montenegro, there were 23 female MPs – 28.3% of the total – one-fifth of whom entered Parliament after male colleagues resigned. This term was also marked by a Government reshuffle. After the Government lost the confidence vote in February 2022, a new parliamentary majority was formed, and on April 28, 2022, Danijela Đurović was elected President of Parliament – becoming the second woman in Montenegrin history to hold this position. Đurović served until July 27, 2023, when a new Parliament was constituted following elections on June 11. During her mandate, an initiative was launched to dismiss her, but it failed to receive the necessary majority.
Source : Government
Of 14 analyzed parliamentary parties, not a single one was headed by a woman. From 1945 to 2023, only 26 women have served in the Government of Montenegro. Some of them held ministerial posts in more than one term. Before multi-party democracy, only two women had served in the Government. It is important to note that even since the introduction of multi-party system, the total number of women ministers remains low. Only by combining all women who have ever held ministerial office in Montenegro could one assemble a Government with an average number of ministries typical of the multi-party era.
UNDP Montenegro
Increasing the quota for the underrepresented gender to 40%.
After the introduction of the quota for the underrepresented gender in 2011 and the improvement of the mechanism in 2014, the amendments to the Law on the Election of Councillors and Members of Parliament from 2025 increased the quota from 30% to 40%. Regarding the order of candidates on electoral lists, the 2025 Law stipulates that each list must contain at least 40% candidates of the underrepresented gender, with a mandatory arrangement ensuring that at least one candidate of the underrepresented gender is placed among every three consecutive positions on the list. The results of these amendments will be reflected in the next elections.
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