OSCE in Montenegro supported International Day of Rural Women Fair

For the third consecutive year in a row, International Day of Rural Women was marked in Montenegro on 15 October 2013 with the support of OSCE Mission. This year, a fair was held in Podgorica where women from rural areas sold their products.

The Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Waldemar Figaj who opened the event said that rural women often find themselves in a difficult situation, as their behavior and lifestyle are often dictated by the norms imposed by their close community, rather than by their own needs or those of the society at large.

“Women in rural areas often don’t see a way to engage in the society, as they  lack opportunities within their own community and are also discriminated - directly or indirectly - outside their community,” Figaj said. “Rural women often don’t get paid for their work and lack adequate space and financial support for larger-scale initiatives they would want to launch.”

Head of the Department for Gender Equality, Irena Bošković reminded about a 2011 survey on needs of rural women, according to which women perform 2/3 of housework, and dominantly take care of the children in 58% of cases. „At the same time, only 40%  of rural women have a say in household’s financial planning, while 35% have limited access and 26% do not have any access to the household budget,“ Bošković stated.

The fair has gathered more than 50 rural women from nine Montenegrin municipalities, who had an opportunity to present their products and services in Podgorica. This activity is part of the OSCE’s Mission’s efforts to support rural women that started in 2010, when courses for unemployed women in rural areas of Montenegro were organized.