Page 49

AD ALTA

JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

FAMILY CARE AS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SYSTEM BARRIER TO WOMEN´S POLITICAL
ACTIVITIES IN SLOVAKIA ON THE EXAMPLE OF MUNICIPAL FEMALE-MAYORS

PETER NEMEC

University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius
Faculty of Social Studies

Bučianska 4/A, 917 01 Trnava
email:

peter.nemec5@gmail.com

Abstract: The paper deals with the low representation of women in politics, focusing
on the barriers that impede their performance of the public function. On the basis of
realized research among the municipal female-mayors, as the most significant system
barrier to employment of women in politics proved to be the family care. The author
defines this barrier and identifies how it shapes the political career of women.

Keywords: woman, politics, barrier, family, municipal female-mayor

Introduction

Differentiation of world in the public and private sphere belongs
in terms of the structure to constitutive elements of modern
society. As a public area has developed the sphere of politics,
education, culture, science and the economy, and as a private
sphere has constituted above all care for the family and
household. While the public sphere is identified by the action of
men, private sphere has developed as an area of activity for
women. Dualism of public and private life is closely linked with
the idea that men and women live in such a divided world in a
different way. These divided worlds will never act as the
equivalent to each other - their relationship is highly
hierarchical. Private sphere represented by a woman is always in
a subordinate position to the public sphere represented a man

Historically, women were excluded from the public sphere for
long time, and they were not given the opportunity to participate
in the power which occurred in this area.

Today, a woman does

not belong only to the private sphere long ago, but she is a
normal part of the public sphere. However, to think that the time
when woman was assigned exclusively to the home area is gone
does not correspond to reality.

Despite the fact that the

boundaries between these two worlds are not as clear as in the
past, both spheres remain gender-differentiated. This is currently
manifested mainly in the relationship between career and family
life. While women are moving as if on the border between the
two spheres of life, men continue to dominate the public sphere.
New targets for women in the form of involvement in activities
related to public life are not eliminating their traditional
domestic duties. As problematic proved to be difficulties arising
from women’s´ parallel activities in both spheres, which is
usually referred to in sociology as the concept of the double
burden

. In relationships where both partners are employed,

mostly women spend more time caring for children and the
household. Women at the same time act as paid workers
operating in the public sphere, while the society expects them to
do the unpaid housework.

Despite the fact that women are currently present at all levels of
social space, they are still not represented in all its areas. The
dominant masculine area where the presence of women is still
significantly limited includes area of politics. Exclusion of
women from this sphere of power has been for long time natural
in the society, and although today is the participation of women
in legislative and executive positions already considered as
important

, their presence is not sufficient. The problem is that

KICZKOVÁ, Z. 2011. Vzťah verejnej a súkromnej sféry z rodového hľadiska. In

KICZKOVÁ, Z. (eds.), SZAPUOVÁ, M. (eds.):

Rodové štúdiá. Súčasné diskusie,

problémy a perspektívy. Bratislava: Univerzita Komenského, 2011. p. 183.

The legal and social position of women and gender relations in past in the area of

contemporary is analysed in DUDEKOVÁ, G.: Na ceste k modernej žene. Kapitoly
z

dejín rodových vzťahov na Slovensku. Bratislava: VEDA, 2011. 774 p.

See e.g. LIPOVETSKY, G.:

Třetí žena: neměnnost a proměny ženství. Praha:

Prostor, 2007. p. 267.

FILADELFIOVÁ, J., KOBOVÁ, Ľ.: Glosár rodovej terminológie. [online]. 2014

[cit.

2015-11-11] Available at

http://glosar.aspekt.sk/default.aspx?smi=1&ami=1&vid=20

Arguments for equal representation of women in politics are based on the principles

of participatory and representative democracy as an indicator of quality and degree of

women (also within the politics) are often concentrated more on
lower (subordinate) positions in the hierarchy and rarely occupy
high decision-making positions

In Slovakia is a perfect

example the function mayors of municipalities, which is within
all kinds of politics mostly of represented by women. Even here,
however, can be seen a number of obstacles which unable
women to perform the public function free of problems.

1 Participation of woman in political life in Slovakia before
and after 1989

The low participation of women in political life is still normal
and accepted phenomenon in the Slovak society. A great role in
this plays gender stereotypes that are usually defined as an
idealized and simplified images and ideas of “typically” male
and female characteristics, activities or behaviours that result in
preventing or limiting the full personal development.

Politics is

regarded accordingly as strictly masculine domain in which
women should not interfere. This opinion, according to some
authors, results from Slovak traditionalism and patriarchal way
of thinking, which is the heritage of rural social structure and
have a significant impact on opinions about the role of women
and men in the family and society.

The situation regarding women's representation in political
structures in the recent past was marked by the formally declared
equality between men and women and the actual emancipation
of women was proclaimed to be an important victory of the
Communist Party politics. "In fact, the socialist women became
victims of emancipation trapped in two full-time employment - at
home and at work."

Emancipation during socialism, however,

was not the result of the women's movement fighting for equal
rights and opportunities. Women gained more rights without any
political struggle. The only official women's organizations
operating in the country was Slovak Women Union, which was
part of the Czechoslovak Women Union and had its branches at
all levels. Like all other political or interest organizations during
the socialist period, the Union was a member of the National
Front, which was under the control and monopoly of the
Communist Party.

Women's participation in the legislative power was secured
through quotas. "The proposed share of women on candidate
lists in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was 30%, while
majority of the women represented the working class and the
agricultural sector and only a small symbolic number of women
represented so-called 'working intelligence'. All male and female
candidates were selected by the communist party and the
election only confirmed their candidacy. Despite the relatively
high number of women in the legislature their participation in
politics was formal, as the Parliament or the government
adopted 100% of a drafts prepared by the Communist Party. The
election results, however, were always celebrated as a victory

democracy. Masculine monoculture and significant gender asymmetry of power
indicates the risk of a insufficient or complete absence of a certain kind of
representation of interests and experience in law and public policy. See HOLUBOVÁ,
B.: Súhrnná správa o stave rodovej rovnosti na Slovensku za rok 2010. [online]. 2011
[cit. 2015-11-11] Available at http://moznostvolby.sk/wp-
content/uploads/2014/08/Sprava_RR_2010.pdf

See e.g. situation in Slovakia CVIKOVÁ, J. (eds.): Aká práca, taká pláca? Aspekty

rodovej nerovnosti v

odmeňovaní. Bratislava: ASPEKT, 2007. 134 p.

PORUBÄNOVÁ, S.: Slovenská republika a

rovnosť príležitostí mužov a žien: stav,

problémy, výzvy. Bratislava: Nadácia za toleranciu a proti diskriminácii, 2006. p. 6.

E.g. BITUŠÍKOVÁ, A.: Ženy v o

bčianskom a politickom živote na Slovensku.

Banská Bystrica: Ústav vedy a výskumu Univerzity Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici,
2005. p. 105.

BITUŠÍKOVÁ, A.: Ženy v o

bčianskom a politickom živote na Slovensku. Banská

Bystrica: Ústav vedy a výskumu Univerzity Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici, 2005. p.
40.

BITUŠÍKOVÁ, A.: Ženy v o

bčianskom a politickom živote na Slovensku. Banská

Bystrica: Ústav vedy a výskumu Univerzity Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici, 2005. p.
40.

- page 49 -