Intervju s Marléne Haas, glavnom tajnicom Socijalističke internacionale žena: Prvo "Crvene žene" a zatim "Socijalistička internacionala žena"
Interview with Marléne Haas, Secretary General of the Socialist International Women: First "Red Women" and then "Socialist International Women"

Summary/Abstract: Marléne Haas talks about her beginnings in politics, her political involvement through the Dutch Labour party she had joined in the early 70s, and her activism in the women's organisation of the party, called the Red Women. Her activism began on the local level and then on regional, since she speaks several languages. In the 80s, she became a member of the Red Women's main board on state level, and shortly after that she was elected for Red Women's international secretary. During the 80s, she represented her party in the meetings of the Socialist International, which was followed by a nomination and election for the Socialist International Women's vice-president in 1992. In 1994, she was elected as a Secretary General of Socialist International Women, and remained at the position ever since. Socialist International Women consists of 152 member organisations, and these are exclusively women's organisations, women's forums or branches or other forms of gathering within social-democratic, socialist and labour parties from all over the world. Croatian member of the Socialist International Women is Social-democrat Women's Forum of Social-Democrat Party. Haas explains the gender equality and related principles within the Socialist International: "If party is a member of the Socialist International, it is not only socialist, but it is also democratic, at least that is what stands in its name, and, of course, it would be completely undemocratic that a party calling itself democratic does not promote gender equality." She also speaks about important shifts and political changes. She quotes example related to 152 members of Socialist International Women: "Over half of them have introduced some kind of a quota system. I know that in this part of the world the quota system is quite unpopular, and I understand it. Even within Croatian Socialist-Democrat Party it is not popular, but it has been introduced, and, as far as I know, it is successful. Men are not particularly keen on it, but they are forced to accept the fact that successful democratic party cannot consist of men only". Marléne Haas insists on closer co-operation with civic women's associations and organisations, and emphasizes that this is a general attitude within Socialist International Women, and that members are systematically encouraged to cooperate with civic women's associations.

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