Feminist Mobilisation and Changing

Landscape of Women's NGOs in the Czech

Republic

Hana HaškováInstitute of Sociology

Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Czech Women’s Groups and NGOs - pre-89

Period between WWI and WWII► developed civil society► number of women's associations promoting civil and political rights of women► feminists influencing legislation

Post-WWII – official sphere ► state limited free associations among citizens ► civil associations were supplanted by state-sponsored, state-controlled and mass organizations ► women’s groups unified and replaced by the Czechoslovak Women’s Union

Czech unofficial/underground civic sphere - pre-89

► equality between men and women rarely discussed

► gender stereotypes reproduced► fewer women than men who were active

in pre-1989 democratization movements achieved key positions in new political institutions post-1989

► women's rights not considered as a political issue

Diversity of Czech Women’s Groups and NGOs - post-89

► Founding of women's groups- interest, self-help, social problem-oriented groups- professional organizations- subdivisions of international organizations- women's groups connected to political parties, churches, social movements, academia

► Issues on which women have been active- women in the labor market and public sphere- violence against women and trafficking- reproductive rights and social services in health and child care- minority issues (e.g. Roma women, lesbians)- environmental issues (eco-feminists)- increasing public gender sensitivity, awareness & education

Czech Women’s Groups and NGOs - Transformation Period (1989-1998)

► 70 registered women's NGOs► newly created women's NGOs disavow from former

Czech Women's Union and wary of western feminists

► small in size, based on voluntary work► lack of recognition, experience, skills and joint

public activities► lack of interaction with state bodies, women

politicians, media and other social actors ► gender conservative media and political rhetoric;

gender insensitive population ► individual funding arrangements ► importance of informal networks, foreign support

and foreign funding

Women’s NGOs – EU Accession Period (since 1998)

► 60 active registered women's NGOs (1/3 of them since beginning of 90s)

► gender studies at universities► gender equality focused projects outside group of

women's NGOs► slightly growing gender sensitivity in population

and media► central left-wing government► more skills, experience and recognition► starting strategic coalitions and activities

Professionalisation of Women's NGOs - EU Accession Period

► newly created gov’t gender equality bodies as new partners

► EU equality directives used in lobbying: “People accept it much more easily when it is written there that it is simply within the framework of the European Union and that, simply, it’s just like that and that it really wasn’t something only we thought up.” (Czech women's NGO)

► importance of governmental and party connections

► hierarchical relations between gov´t and non-gov´t sectors

Project-orientation of women's NGOs – EU Accession Period (Part 1)

► foreign funding bodies leaving region vs. new funding opportunities

► dependence on grant projects ► no all-inclusive long-term and flexible

grants: “It changed when we lost the continuous funding from…. Then we had to immediately begin to search and search for grants, which is an extremely difficult activity. This is because when you have a clear vision and structure of what you want to do and you want to carry out a specific activity, then it is almost impossible to survive because grants are always configured a bit differently. The grant has its own character; there is always a definition that you have to fit into. This means that you are then required at that moment, even if you have a clear vision of a certain project, to make the project fit the needs of the funding institution”. (Czech women's NGO)

Project-orientation of women´s NGOs – EU Accession Period (Part 2)

► EU grants require extensive partnerships & established org. structure: "Our application was accepted but it was written there that we have to widen our group of partners…with 30 partners we started the project.… I said that nobody will make me create such a huge partnership again … some organization were perfect… but other organizations were only dead-heads… It happened about twice or rather three times that we had to change our partners…” (Czech women's NGO)

Changing Focuses, Radicals and Mainstream Liberals – EU Accession Period

► shifts in focuses and strategies of women's NGOs: “I’d say that at the present time it’s (focus of the NGO) evolved in a somewhat different direction than where it was going originally. The initial area was ... reproductive health and caring for children…the focus and everything changed…This was relatively difficult and painful … we began a process of strategic planning … So now … for the purpose of some grant applications we just re-formulated it differently … we’re going to focus on equal opportunities in connection with the family and the labor market…and the equality of men and women in the family …”. (Czech women's NGO)

► fear of silencing of issues outside the mainstream (e.g. ecofeminists; „natural childbirth“ activists; activists dealing with the issue of domestic violence from the perspective of hierarchical and gendered distribution of power, etc.)

► raise of informal, creative and campaign rather than project oriented groups that use resources of sympathetic women's or other NGOs

ConclusionsPublic, politicians and other social actors

► gender equality as marginal political issue► feminism seen as negative concept► lack of support for women's groups

Women's NGOs and women´s informal groups ► NGOs: professionalisation, project-orientation, “strategic” partnerships – (positive + negative aspects)► informal, time to time existing, low cost, rather campaign oriented groups ► mutual support between NGOs a informal groups