Log in
Edit
Discuss
| Macedonia | |
 Flag of Macedonia | |
| Population (in Mil.) | 2.1 |
 Sex Ratio (m/f)
| 1,00 |
 Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)
| 1.07 |
 Fertility Rate
| 1.44 |
 Income Ratio (f/m)
| - |
 Literacy Ratio (f/m)
| 0,96 |
 Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)
| 1,39 |
 Women in Parliament (in %)
| 19,2 |
| SIGI Rank | 23 |
| More information on variables | |
| Did you know that Macedonia ranks number 23 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 Macedonia" at genderindex.org: | |
Macedonia ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1991. The right to non-discrimination is upheld in the country’s Constitution and Macedonian law provides men and women with equal rights and freedoms. Recent amendments removed the last discriminatory provisions in the legislation, but social stereotypes still prevail, particularly in the media. Macedonian tradition places women at a lower status than men in many areas of life, including within the family and in society in general.
Contents |
Family Code
Macedonia’s Family Code explicitly provides for equality between men and women. Macedonian women have a reasonable degree of protection within the family, although some inequalities remain. The legal minimum age for marriage is 16 years for both men and women. Early marriage does occur and appears to be most common in the Roma community, but it is difficult to assess the true prevalence on a national scale as Roma marriages are not generally officially recorded. According to a 2004 United Nations survey, 9% of women aged between 15 and 19 were married, widowed or divorced.
Polygamy is not a common practise in Macedonia.
The Family Code states that parental authority and the custody of children are to be shared by the mother and father, who have the same rights and responsibilities. Detailed information about parental authority is difficult to obtain in Macedonia.
Macedonian law explicitly stipulates that men and women have the same rights to inheritance. In reality, inequalities do exist, not least because women lack information about their rights.
Physical Integrity
The physical integrity of Macedonian women is not sufficiently protected. Violence against women is a serious problem and Macedonia has not honoured its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to develop a legal, political and administrative framework to prevent such violence. The Penal Code does not specifically punish violence against women in general, although in 2004 it was amended to make domestic violence a specific crime. Until then, all cases of domestic violence were regulated by general laws on crimes and misdemeanours.
Domestic violence is a widespread problem, but is only rarely denounced and is the subject of little public debate. Society is relatively indifferent to the issue, with most people seeing it as a private matter. The police do not respond appropriately to the needs of female victims of violence and there are no specific institutions to provide protection or assistance. In fact, intense social pressure means that few victims bring complaints to the police at all. Some NGOs provide shelters, but they do not have the resources to deal with the scale of the problem.
Rape, including spousal rape, was criminalised via the 1996 amendments to the Penal Code, but the police and courts are reticent to punish the perpetrators of spousal rape. Many victims do not file complaints for fear of social stigma.
Female genital mutilation does not appear to be commonly practised in Macedonia. There is nothing to indicate that Macedonia is a country of concern with regard to missing women (including infants, young girls and teenagers).
Civil Liberties
Women in Macedonia have the same civil rights as men. Their freedom of movement and freedom of dress appear to be unrestricted. The latter is guaranteed by Article 4.5 of the Act providing for equal opportunities for men and women.
Ownership Rights
Macedonian law does not discriminate against women as regards access to land. However, women in rural areas have difficulties because traditional attitudes give men the central role, particularly in relation to land ownership. Women have the same legal capacity as men to access property other than land. The legislation on joint property, either within or outside marriage, draws a distinction between property acquired individually before marriage and that acquired jointly during the marriage. Both spouses have the right to administer and dispose of their joint property. The couple may declare in writing who is responsible for administering their joint property and who can dispose of it. There are no specific laws restricting women’s rights to own property or their freedom to run a business.
There is no legal restriction on women's access to bank loans, but there are no statistics available by which to assess the true situation. Some micro-credit institutions specifically target women.
Sources
- CEDAW (2004, Conventions of reports submitted by State parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination, Combined initial, second and third report of State parties, CEDAW/C/MKD/1-3
- CEDAW (2004), Concluding comments of the committee on the Elimination of discrimination against women: the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, CEDAW/C/MKD/CO/3
- CIA (2008), CIA world Fact Book, Macedonia Report
- MINNESOTA ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (1998), Domestic violence in Macedonia
- UN (2004), World Fertility Report, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. New York: UN (2004)
- UNEC (2004), Access to Financing and ITC for women entrepreneurs in the UNECE region, challenges and good practices, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
- US. DEPARTMENT OF STATE (2006), Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Macedonia , Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
