THE IMPACT OF THE PROCESS OF EUROPEANIZATION ON GENDER EQUALITY IN CROATIA

Abstract

This paper is focused on the evaluation of the impact of the process of Europeanization on gender
equality in the Republic of Croatia. In this context the evolution of constitutional and institutional
framework of gender equality in Croatia, from early days of its transition to democracy to today, will
be presented. The main hypothesis is that the interplay of international, regional and national factors,
with the leading role of the process of Europeanization, but also of strong women’s organizations,
resulted in relatively good gender equality framework. In the evolution of this gender equality
framework, or during the last two decades, Croatia developed quite solid legal and institutional
framework in the context of gender equality. This framework includes constitutionalization of gender
equality, a number of specialized laws and responsible bodies, committees, offices and coordinators
established at state, regional and local level, but also the head and independent institution of the
Ombudsperson for Gender Equality. However, there still seems to be a lot of room for improvement,
and the gap between the letter and the spirit is more than evident.
The key finding of this paper is that despite the relatively well developed constitutional and institutional
framework of gender equality in Croatia, numerous challenges and gaps in the implementation process
are still evident throughout many fields. The situation is particularly bad in the areas of political and
economic representation, gender stereotypes and sexism, and women’s sexual and reproductive rights.