Equality is just a word, misogyny is on the rise

This year, the International Day against Violence Against Women was marked by the same matrix - gloomy data and the declarative support of the highest state officials for equality.

Officials say that zero tolerance towards violence is the only thing acceptable, but judging by the data, the reality is completely different.

Thus, in the report of the international organization Amnesty International, it is pointed out that hate speech is on the rise in Montenegro, and that ethnic divisions and religious intolerance have deepened.

During the year, several examples of verbal violence against women were recorded, from insulting comments to caricatures depicting naked women in a subordinate position, to death threats, and due to the inadequate response of the institutions, most of them went unpunished.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the results of the questionnaire of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) from last year show that nine out of 10 respondents on social networks encountered content that attacks or belittles female ministers, MPs, journalists, activists...

And the results of research by the Westminster Foundation and the Defacto agency, also published at the end of 2021, show that women are not interested in politics, that is, that over two thirds of them (67 percent) do not see themselves in politics, and do not experience themselves as politically active citizens.

The same number of women answered that nothing would motivate them to get involved in politics.

Such an answer is not surprising if you take into account that the current, 43rd Government of Montenegro in its technical mandate, consists of 15 men and only three women.

That traditional and patriarchal values ​​impose a different way of life for women, in which appearances on the public stage are excluded, is also shown by the data of the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP), according to which women in Montenegro are involved in household care 92 percent more than men.

The leading positions of political organizations are also mostly men, and their voice is much more heard and valued.

That is why, as stated in the research conducted by the Women's Political Network of the Parliament of Montenegro and the UNDP Office in Montenegro, the influence of men in all political parties is to the greatest extent significant and they are the rulers of the political scene.