Population Policies and Anti-Gender Narratives in Serbia

This paper examines contemporary pronatalist policies and anti-gender discourses in Serbia through the lens of feminist critical discourse analysis (FCDA). It focuses on ideological and discursive shifts from the socialist period of family planning to contemporary conservative-populist strategies. It critically considers the institutionalization of pronatalism through the Serbian Ministry of Family Welfare and Demography (established in 2020) and situates this process within a broader transnational context of anti-gender mobilization and heteroactivism. Historically, socialist Yugoslavia maintained a liberal approach to reproductive rights, including broad access to abortion and a commitment to individual autonomy in family planning. However, with the rise of nationalism in the 1990s, demographic discourse became increasingly intertwined with ethno-nationalist rhetoric. The metaphor of the “white plague” emerged as a powerful discursive tool, framing declining birth rates among the majority population (Serbs) as an existential threat, while high fertility rates among ethnic minorities (Albanians, Muslims, Roma) were constructed as excessive and dangerous. Using manual coding and FCDA, the study identifies key ideological elements in public policies. The analysis introduces the framework of heteroactivism to explain how pronatalism functions not only as a demographic solution but also as a cultural project that reinforces binary gender roles, heterosexual normativity, and the marginalization of LGBTIQ+ communities. The paper highlights strategic alliances between state institutions, religious actors (especially the Serbian Orthodox Church), and international anti-gender networks such as the Hungarian government and the World Congress of Families. Finally, the paper argues that Serbia’s demographic policies serve as a channel for anti-gender ideology, masking economic insecurity and structural inequality with moralizing discourses on national survival, motherhood, and traditional values. Although wrapped in depoliticized language, these policies promote a regressive vision of society that privileges certain forms of family while excluding others.