Vesti

The social status of women throughout history

On Friday March 31st 2017 it was held a one-day seminar entitled “The social status of women throughout history” at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad. The aim of this event was to draw attention to the importance of women's emancipation and acceptance of modern cultural patterns in today's society. The seminar was supported by the Provincial Secretariat for Social Policy, Demography and Gender Equality and the Institute for Gender Equality AP Vojvodina. All the participants of educational program “Start-up Romani Women” also had the opportunity to took their place at the seminar.

The welcome speech was held by Aleksandar Gajic, Director of the Danube area Research Center, prof. dr Ivana Živančević Sekeruš, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy University of Novi Sad, Diana Milovic, Director of the Institute for Gender Equality of the Government of AP Vojvodina and Predrag Vuletic, the Provincial Secretary for Social Policy, Demography and Gender equality of the Government of AP Vojvodina. The first lecture called „The women's contribution to Serbian culture in Middle Ages" was held by prof. dr Svetlana Tomin from the Faculty of Philosophy University of Novi Sad. She talked about life and work of famous Serbian women, as well as about some ways and means of expressing their knowledge and talents in that period. After that, prof. dr Svetozar Boškov, also from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, made his presentation about the status of women in ancient period. He acquainted our participants with some interesting and strange facts of way of life, rights and obligations of women of ancient Egypt and their contribution to culture and history. Totally different status had women of ancient Athens, who did not have an opportunity to participate in social and political life and who just use to protect the reputation of their husbands.

After the short coffee break and snack, the program of seminar was continued by the lecture of prof. dr Vladislava Gordić Petković which was dedicated to the women's status in the opus of Virginia Woolf. Her heroine faced to many obstacles and difficulties which is the real testimony of women's marginalization and weakness in that period. The last lecture on the program was held by Tamara Pavlovic, archaeologist and PhD candidate, Laboratory of Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade. She made the presentation about the outlines of Bioatropology with particular view to the elements which give evidence about women's power in the early middle Ages. Jewelry, various subjects for personal hygiene and care, pieces of clothing which are found in the crypts are documentary evidence about the women's power from that period. In the afternoon, the participants of educational program “Start-up Romani Women” had lectures on ethic.