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| Bosnia_and_Herzegovina | |
 Flag of Bosnia_and_Herzegovina | |
| Population (in Mil.) | 4.6 |
 Sex Ratio (m/f)
| 0,97 |
 Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)
| 1.07 |
 Fertility Rate
| - |
 Income Ratio (f/m)
| - |
 Literacy Ratio (f/m)
| 0,95 |
 Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)
| n/a |
 Women in Parliament (in %)
| 16,7 |
| SIGI Rank | 0 |
| More information on variables | |
| Did you know that Bosnia_and_Herzegovina ranks number 0 of 102 countries on the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index? To learn more, see the official country note "Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Bosnia_and_Herzegovina" at genderindex.org: | |
Contents |
Social Institutions
The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina explicitly prohibits all direct or indirect discrimination, whether on the grounds of sex, race, language, politics, religion or national or social origin. The country ratified the European Convention on Human Rights in September 2003.
Women in the country, however, are still restricted in the exercise of their fundamental rights and freedoms. Tradition dictates a gender-based division of chores and responsibilities within the family: the main role of women is to raise children and manage family life. Traditionally, girls receive less education than boys and have higher illiteracy rates. Bosnia and Herzegovina is going through a phase of transition and the job market is shrinking; these factors affect women much more than men.
Family Code
Bosnian women have a moderate degree of protection within the family context. The minimum legal age for marriage is 18 years for both men and women, and early marriage is rare. The courts can authorise marriage for a minor over 16 years of age if the person is deemed physically and mentally capable of assuming the related responsibilities. Most women marry between the ages of 20 and 24 years .
Polygamy is illegal in Bosnia and Herzegovina and there is no evidence to suggest that it is practised.
Men and women share parental authority over their children (whether born in or out of wedlock), and have equal rights in relation to adoption or child custody (in the case of divorce). A traditional division of household chores remains evident, with financial and technical responsibilities falling to men and the upkeep of the home and children to women, but men do play a significant role in educating their children. In recent years, there seems to be a shift towards more balanced role-sharing; the younger generation is quite opposed to the notion of patriarchal households.
Legally, women and men have equal rights as regards inheritance. Women are free to make a will without their husband’s consent. Despite the legislation, tradition can be an obstacle; women often surrender their inheritance rights in favour of men.
Physical Integrity
Additional effort is needed to protect the physical integrity of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Violence against women remains quite common. Current legislation does not specifically address domestic violence; rather, it is dealt with indirectly under the country’s general criminal law. One-third of women are victims of domestic abuse, but they are very unlikely to report it – in part, because the local police are generally passive and/or inactive when asked to deal with violence perpetrated against women by their husbands or partners. Traditionally, the highly patriarchal society considers this type of violence as inevitable. Rape, including spousal rape, is considered a criminal act, but the legislation is unclear about the evidence required to bring a prosecution. It should not be overlooked that the recent war in Bosnia was marked by a high incidence of rape.
There is no evidence to suggest that female genital mutilation is practised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, nor does it appear to be a country of concern in relation to missing women.
Civil Liberties
There are no reported restrictions on women’s civil liberties in Bosnia and Herzegovina; they appear to have a high degree of freedom of movement and freedom of dress.
Ownership Rights
Theoretically, Bosnian women have the same ownership rights as men, and any assets can be individually or jointly owned. Assets owned by a spouse prior to marriage remain his or her individual property, but those acquired during the marriage are considered joint property.
There is no legal discrimination against women as regards access to land or access to property other than land, but tradition generally favours men over women in these areas. The government has established a programme to help women independently manage small and medium enterprises, whether newly created or already in operation.
In theory, Bosnian women have unrestricted access to bank loans, but statistics show that in 1998 women held less than one-third of loans in the country. Women seldom have access to loans that require guarantees because, within couples, husbands often hold a larger share of property than their wives. It does appear, however, that women in Bosnia and Herzegovina have good access to micro-credit schemes.
Sources
- CEDAW (2005), Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Combined initial, second and third periodic reports of States parties Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- FAO/TAD/ILC (2004), Rural Women’s Access to Land and Property in Selected Countries, CRC/C/15/Add. 150
- UN (2003), Integration of the Human Rights Of Women And The Gender Perspective, Violence Against Women.
- UN (2006a), In-depth study on all forms of violence against women, report of the Secretary-General, UN General Assembly, 61st session A/61/122/Add.1
- UN (2006b), Progress Report on Removing Discrimination Against Women In Respect Of Property & Inheritance Rights
- UNIFEM (2006), Violence against Women – Facts and Figures.
- US DEPARTEMENT OF STATE (2006), Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Bosnia, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
The Women, Business and the Law
Where are laws equal for men and women? 
The Women, Business and the Law report presents indicators based on laws and regulations affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. Several of these indicators draw on the Gender Law Library, a collection of over 2,000 legal provisions impacting women's economic status. This report does not seek to judge or rank countries, but to provide information to inform discussions about women’s economic rights. Covering 128 economies, Women, Business and the Law provides data covering 6 areas: accessing institutions,using property, getting a job, dealing with taxes, building credit, and going to court.Read more about the methodology.
For detailed information on Bosnia and Herzegovina, please visit the Women, Business and
the Law Bosnia and Herzegovina page.
