Professional paper
POLITICAL CULTURE IN POST-COMMUNIST SOCIETIES AND WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE CASE-LAW OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Lucija Dorbić Jurlin
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Abstract
This paper analyses the significance of politics in post-communist countries and some contemporary concepts of political action in the context of violations of women’s rights. Old structural problems inherited from former socialist state formations - such as new
populism, human rights violations, state paternalism, corruption and crime – represent a serious obstacle to the consolidation of democracy. Communist regimes contributed to the reinforcement of traditional and authoritarian attitudes and relationships in the family, school, politics and the workplace, thus slowing down the development of civic and
democratic political culture.
Particular attention is devoted to the evolution of the protection of women’s rights within the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. The paper analyses the limits of a formally genderneutral
conception of human rights, the tension between public and private spheres, as well as the concepts of direct and indirect discrimination. By examining selected cases dealing with social benefits, family life and violence against women, the paper demonstrates both the reach and the shortcomings of the Court’s approach.
The conclusion emphasises that without a transformation of political culture and a more gender-sensitive interpretation and application of human rights standards, formal guarantees of equality remain insufficient to ensure substantive equality for women in post-communist societies.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
346789
URI
Publication date:
1.5.2026.
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