Substantive Progress?: The Effects of Increased Descriptive Political Representation on Women’s Rights in Serbia and Montenegro

Women have begun to enter the parliaments of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in greater numbers. Currently, across 18 countries of the region women make up 28% of parliamentarians. This is a stark difference from the era right after communism, i.e., the early 1990s, when women’s political representation dropped to very low numbers, around 10% in the region. In the region of the former Yugoslavia within CEE, the pattern is similar. Women’s descriptive representation has increased considerably over time. Among the six countries of the former Yugoslavia, the percentage of women in parliament is 31% (as of November 2023). Given this reality, this work will evaluate the effects of this increase in women’s descriptive representation on other aspects of political gender equality. Namely, the research will discuss the effects of an increase in women’s numerical representation on substantive representation, or to what extent women politicians advocate for and represent women’s issues, such as education, reproductive rights, and domestic violence, while in power. In this research, I focus on parliamentary debates and sponsored bills or amendments in two countries of the region of former Yugoslavia, Serbia, and Montenegro, to evaluate the level of substantive representation occurring in each country. To further assess the effects of increased representation of women, I analyze parliamentary discussions, media reports, legislation and conduct interviews with relevant political actors. Serbia and Montenegro as two cases are compared to derive conclusions, which are relevant for the former Yugoslavia and the entire CEE region at large. Women are making progress in terms of descriptive representation in the region, but the ultimate effects of this are complicated by stubborn legacies and less than ideal current political circumstances, such as corruption and a rise in authoritarianism.