Albanian Women of Macedonia in Political Life

Abstract

The democratization of a country is measured by the level of representation of different groups of society, especially women. Women comprise half of the electorate, and everyone agrees that Albanian women in Macedonia are politically underrepresented. Despite the political and legal efforts, yet they are not present in political life. The impact factors are: the lack of education, their huge daily engagement in households, poverty and lack of employment. These factors are reinforced by the patriarchal mentality, as a result of which women are not engaged in politics and they have no ability to engage in politics, and as a result the decisions are made on her behalf in various forms, including the phenomenon of family voting. Albanian women in Macedonia are positioned in the margins of politics, a position which is completely invisible and without decision- making influence. Their exclusion is an indication of mentality and the traditional way of life of the Albanians in this country and complete inequality of women in family and society. Through forms of power and gender domination, women’s activity in political life is limited. The purpose of this research is to draw the attention of society, especially of the Albanian men in Macedonia, that the inclusion of women in political decision-making is one of the elements that must be changed in the way politics is done, because its absence hinders the achievement of consolidated democracy according to the concept of liberal democracy. In this article we will discuss the reasons that affect the women’s involvement in politics. The cultural and historical factors have their role in creating the conditions for the participation of women in public life in the past and during the post-communist transition period when they were completely neglected. The research is based on the use of mixed methodological approach (structured interviews, free conversations and statistical analysis). This paper attempts to provide answers to the question about the place, role, and incorporation of Albanian women in politics, and in the context of democratic processes of Albanian family and society in Macedonia. This research has proven that Albanian women in Macedonia are politically more marginalized than for e.g. the women of Macedonian community.

DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n2p199