Жене и праксе наслеђивања на селу у Србији
Women and Practice of Inheritance in Serbian Rural Areas

Summary/Abstract: The legal inequality of women, enshrined in the Serbian Civil Code, was manifested at different levels, but was particularly emphasized in the provisions regulating the principles of inheritance, in compliance with Serbian custom law. At the beginning of the second half of the twentieth century, within the framework of new socialist legislation, the Law on Inheritance was adopted, guaranteeing men and women equal legal status regarding the inheritance, regardless of gender. Despite this, the established practice of inheritance in the villages changed slowly and has never been eradicated. The favouring of male children when it comes to the inheritance of estate and immovable property after the death of their parents has long endured in rural areas. The sisters most often gave up their share of inheritance in favour of their brother or brothers, accepted it only when there were no male heirs, or took a smaller part of the inheritance than that legally belonging to them. The combination of socialist politics of gender and traditional values led to limited emancipation of women, and the prevailing inheritance practices in rural areas conϐirm this. They reϐlect the endurance of patriarchal systems of values in socialism, the power of traditionalism and norms of custom law, as well as the principles they promote. In the period of post-socialism at the turn of the centuries, such practices, ways of behaviour and thinking were not completely eradicated and, although to a lesser extent, are still present in the villages in Serbia.

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