Women in Belarus

Women in Belarus

A group of Belarusian women, wearing their national costumes, while getting the bride (seated) ready for her wedding day, dated before 1841.
Gender Inequality Index[1]
Value 0.152 (2013)
Rank 28th out of 152
Maternal mortality (per 100,000) 4 (2010)
Women in parliament 29.5% (2013)
Females over 25 with secondary education 87.0% (2012)
Women in labour force 62% (2014)[2]
Svetlana Alexievich, born in Ukraine but grew up in Belarus. Won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature

The modern-day characteristics of women in Belarus evolved from the events that happened in the history of Belarus, particularly when the "concept of equal rights for women was first developed and substantiated in the late 16th century". The so-called Grand Duchy Charter of 1588 - one of the most important legal documents in Belarusian history - protected the dignity of Belarusian women under the law.[3] Women in Belarus and their contribution to Belarusian society is celebrated annually on the 8th of March, during International Women's Day.[4]

Population

In 2000, 53% of the population of Belarus was female. The average life-span for Belarusian women is at around 74 years old.[4]

Role in society

According to tradition, setting food on the table is customarily done by women. Caring for the household and the rearing of children are also traditionally delegated to them.[4]

Organizations for women

Feminist groups in Belarus first appeared in 1991, and then more were formed onwards. These organizations included the Union of Women in Belarus (formerly known as the Belarusian Committee of Soviet Women), the League of Women in Belarus, the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, the Women's Christian-Democratic Movement, the Belarusian feminist movement "For the Renaissance of the Fatherland", the League of Women-Electors, and the Women's Liberal Association.[4]

Gender rights

Married women in Belarus are entitled to retain personal and private property, income, investments, and other assets earned by them.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Table 4: Gender Inequality Index". United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. ↑ http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.ACTI.FE.ZS/countries
  3. ↑ Belarusian Women as seen Through an Era, United Nations in Belarus.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Belarus, everyculture.com
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Women of Belarus.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.