Stanovnistvo

Guest Editor’s Introduction Population, Gender Equality and Public Policies: Current Issues and Proposed Solutions

Ankica Šobot — 2025-11-26

Relationship between Gender equality in household labor, Marital stability and quality

Jelena Šakotić-Kurbalija — 2025-11-26

The main goal of this research was to examine how important the gender equality in the distribution of household labor is for marital stability and the perception of marital quality. The study included 498 couples from the Republic of Serbia who lived together for a period ranging from 6 months to 57 years and 6 months (M= 14.02, SD= 11.85). The data was collected during 2015 and 2016 as part of a broader research project. Both partners provided responses on the household labor workload, satisfaction with the division of housework, dimensions of marital quality (Dyadic consensus, Dyadic satisfaction, Affectional expression and Dyadic cohesion) and the degree of marital instability. Differences in the household labor workload between women and men were examined using a series of t-tests for dependent samples. The structure of differences between couples who perform housework equally and those in which one spouse mainly performs the majority of work in the degree of satisfaction with the division of housework, assessment of the marital quality and stability was examined using discriminant analysis. The results indicate that the traditional division of household labor is still present in our society and that women are more engaged in housework related to feeding and hygiene, while husbands are more engaged in repair work. Caring for the children, pets, garden and lawn, are household tasks that both spouses are equally engaged in. The results also indicate that an equal distribution of household labor is important for women's satisfaction with the division of housework, and also for the degree of dyadic cohesion and dyadic satisfaction of both spouses. Based on the results, we can assume the existence of different mechanisms that connect the division of household labor, satisfaction with the division of housework, and the quality and stability of the relationship in men and women. The factors that influence satisfaction with the division of household labor in men should be further investigated, since they are not determined by the spouse's actual engagement in the housework.

Gender Balanced Parenting Support: Fathers' Perceptions of Healthcare System Support

Ivana Mihić — 2025-11-26

Research shows that father involvement contributes to child development, the quality of maternal parenting, and the overall functioning of the family. However, there remains a significant gap between the guidance offered by scientific research for better child-rearing practices and the practical support available to fathers, especially within institutional systems such as healthcare. The healthcare system, in particular, plays a pivotal role from the earliest days of parenthood, offering very important opportunities to support both mothers and fathers in their caregiving roles.

This study aims to describe fathers' experiences with the support they receive from the healthcare. The study involved 367 fathers (M = 37 years; average age of the oldest child 58 months). The majority of fathers are employed (94.8%) and had at least a secondary education (42.2%). Findings suggest that healthcare professionals are rarely recognized as significant sources of parenting support. During pregnancy monitoring, fathers are almost never invited to check-ups, and discussions about the baby’s development and the father’s role are largely absent. Although pediatricians invite fathers more frequently, still about 50% of fathers report that they have never been invited to pediatric consultations (healthy baby check-ups).

Home visiting nurses represent the most recognized and accessible form of support. Visits are often planned when the father is present (43.5%). However, statistically significant differences are noted between mothers and fathers in the content and tone of interactions that they receive during these visits. Fathers receive less information and emotional support compared to mothers, especially in areas such as: infant care, responsive parenting practices and discussions about parental competence and emotional wellbeing.

Furthermore, the majority of fathers in this sample report being unaware of the existence of parenting programs or services within the healthcare system. Even when they aware of them, very few have actually participated in activities such as parenting classes, breastfeeding support groups or groups for parental preparations. Fathers recognize and express strong need for more targeted services – such as father-specific workshops, mental health support and guidance in the relationship with their child – highlighting systemic neglect of their unique needs.

Overall, the findings accentuate the necessity for a paradigm shift in how the healthcare systems conceptualize and deliver support for parenting. Fathers are willing to be involved, but it seems that the systemic structures and cultural expectations (still) often prevent their engagement.

Barriers to Work-Family Balance in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Gender Implications

Jelena Ćeriman — 2025-11-26

Although laws in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) formally guarantee the rights of pregnant women and mothers, their practical implementation is largely absent, preventing women from fully exercising their maternity rights. Women often face dismissals during pregnancy or after childbirth, and labour market discrimination remains unaddressed, particularly in the private sector, where fixed-term contracts hinder maternity leave access. Additionally, unequal wages contribute to disparities in maternity benefits, while paternal leave usage is minimal, reinforcing traditional gender roles in childcare. These structural factors impede the reconciliation of professional and family lives for women, shaping their experiences and perceptions of childbirth and parenting. This paper explores the main challenges women in B&H face in reconciling work and family life, with a focus on systemic, institutional, and cultural barriers. Drawing on a descriptive analysis based on quantitative empirical research conducted with women-working mothers from B&H in 2025, this paper identifies critical limitations on women’s participation in the labour market, without inferring causal relationships. Special attention is given to B&H’s family model, which heavily relies on women for care and unpaid work, making it difficult to achieve a more equitable distribution of responsibilities between partners. The paper explores potential legal and strategic mechanisms to align parental rights, enhance financial support, and encourage greater paternal involvement in childcare, highlighting implications for gender equality and institutional practice.

Employment Policy Measures to Improve the Economic Opportunities of Women in Serbia

Kosovka Ognjenović — 2025-11-26

The aim of the paper is to analyze the performance of women in the Serbian labor market. The research topic is gaining importance as Serbia is in a mature phase of implementing its strategic framework for employment policy. This paper applies an approach that focuses on analyzing the impact of labor market policies aimed at improving the economic position of women. It analyses labor market statistics, as well as relevant policy documents, previous studies and research findings that show how women are progressing on the scale of measurable indicators of gender equality and whether they are ready to take advantage of economic opportunities in the face of demographic challenges. While women still lag behind men, their labor force participation and employment rates show relative and absolute improvement. The differences in the basic labor market indicators in the population category with tertiary education have narrowed since 2023. The pay gap persists and has been closing slowly, despite the regulations and efforts to help women in the labor market through active measures. The main findings for Serbia are compared with other relevant research findings to derive conclusions based on a comparative analysis supported by recommendations.

Gender and Its Impact on Work Engagement and Research Productivity of University Teachers in Serbia

Ivana Simić — 2025-11-26

This study investigates the impact of gender on work engagement and research productivity among university teachers in Serbia, with an additional focus on the potential mediating role of work engagement. Grounded in international literature that identifies persistent gender disparities in academic careers, particularly in research performance, the study explores whether similar patterns are evident in the Serbian context. Utilizing a quantitative approach, data were collected via a structured questionnaire, from 263 academic staff across four major public universities. Work engagement was assessed using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), while research productivity was measured by the number of publications indexed in SCI, SSCI, and ESCI databases. Statistical analyses, including t-tests, correlation, and mediation analysis using PROCESS macro (Model 4), revealed no significant gender differences in either work engagement or research productivity. However, a modest but statistically significant positive correlation was found between work engagement and research productivity. Although work engagement significantly predicted productivity, it did not mediate the relationship between gender and research output. These findings suggest that, while Serbia may exhibit greater gender parity in academia than some international counterparts, subtle forms of inequality may persist and suggest the need for further exploration through expanded and more nuanced research methodologies.

Branislav S. Đurđev

Daniela Arsenović — 2025-11-26

"Is gender equality an obstacle to decisions on family formation?" Belgrade, Institute of Social Sciences, 24th September 2024.

Milena Šećerov — 2025-11-26

Dragan Stanojević: Conflict and Balance Between Family and Work Life: How Couples in Serbia Balance Work, Family, and Social Expectations

Bojan Todosijević — 2025-11-26

Building-Level Binary Dasymetric Mapping and Spatial-Statistical Analysis of Population Change in Rural Serbia

Ivan Potić — 2025-11-26

This study primarily implements a building-level Binary Dasymetric Mapping (BDM) framework to analyse population change between 2011 and 2022 in Barje Čiflik, a rural settlement in southeastern Serbia experiencing long-term depopulation. It extends the analysis with spatial and classical statistical methods. High-resolution ancillary data—including manually digitised building footprints, the number of storeys, and building function, all field-verified with abandoned dwellings identified during survey work—were integrated with census counts to allocate population using volume-based weighting.

Population estimates were assigned to each residential building to derive indicators of absolute and relative change, as well as density variation. The analysis combines spatial statistics (Global Moran’s I and Getis–Ord Gi*) with classical statistical techniques (Ordinary Least Squares regression, Spearman’s rank correlation, and LOWESS smoothing) to detect clustering, structural correlates, and spatial patterns of demographic change.

Results show that depopulation is spatially clustered, particularly in peripheral areas of the village, and that larger and multi-storey dwellings are more prone to decline. While density change was modest and statistically dispersed, the study highlights nuanced household-level transformations that remain obscured in aggregated data.

The findings demonstrate that integrating BDM with statistical analysis provides a replicable and cost-effective tool for fine-scale demographic research in rural environments with limited data availability, thereby supporting methodological development and spatial planning.

Intra-settlement Redistribution of Daytime and Nighttime Population

Marko Filipović — 2025-11-26

This study analyses the spatial–temporal differences between daytime and nighttime populations in Serbia’s largest urban centres—Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Niš—using data from the 2022 Population Census and 2018 Urban Atlas land-use classifications. The Diurnal Population Change Index (I_dpc) was applied to identify areas with predominantly work-oriented or residential functions. Results show that Belgrade attracts nearly 147,000 inbound commuters daily, accounting for 18.5% of all commuting workers in Serbia, while Novi Sad and Niš exert strong but regionally confined influences. The greatest differences between day and night population densities occur in continuous urban fabric and industrial–commercial zones, highlighting the dominant role of central business areas. Integration of census, functional, and geospatial data allowed for a more precise interpretation of functional structures and commuting patterns. The study also demonstrated the analytical potential of combining Urban Atlas classifications with 3D visualisation for identifying daytime “hotspots” and communicating urban dynamics. The findings underline the importance of incorporating temporary population models into urban planning, transport management, and emergency preparedness, and provide a methodological basis for further research on temporary populations and commuting in the context of spatial and functional urban analysis.

Between Crime and Solidarity: The Treatment of Refugees in Montenegro During the 1990s

Jelisaveta Blagojević — 2025-11-26

This paper examines the status, treatment, and public representation of refugees in Montenegro during the 1990s, a period marked by political upheaval and humanitarian crises following the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). It focuses on multiple refugee waves, including those generated by the Bosnian War (1992–1995), the influx from Croatia after Operation Storm in 1995, and the displacement from Kosovo during and after the NATO bombing of 1999. Drawing on archival records, government documents, and contemporary media, the study highlights the complex and often contradictory experiences of displaced populations. Serb refugees received broad public and institutional support, facilitated by historical kinship, civic engagement, and favorable political alignment. Bosniak/Muslim refugees, while receiving solidarity and assistance, were also at times subject to deportation, police intervention, and arbitrary detention, reflecting perceived political and security concerns. Albanian refugees were generally welcomed in Albanian- and Bosniak-majority municipalities, but their stay was politically sensitive, including the killings in Kaluđerski Laz. By situating these experiences within theoretical frameworks of forced migration, the study addresses a significant gap in research on post-Yugoslav refugee reception, illustrating how small, conflict-affected states balance moral obligation, political calculation, and ethnicized social dynamics.

Political Culture among the Youth in Serbia: Interest, Participation, Satisfaction and Trust

Stefan Mandić — 2025-11-26

The main objective of this paper has been to empirically examine the four aspects of political culture of the youth in Serbia by using the statistical analysis based on the data from the eleventh round of European Social Survey. The new theoretical explanation of political culture is introduced, followed by its new classification with four distinct types – passive, cynical, protest and participatory political culture. We propose a general hypothesis that the dominant type of political culture among the youth in Serbia is cynical. Four supporting hypotheses related to the different aspects of political culture are established: political interest, political participation, satisfaction and trust in institutions. We expected that sociodemographic factors and ideological positioning would influence these components. The results indicate that the interest in politics and overall political participation among the majority of youth is low. Although some forms of participation have relatively high percentages, most of the respondents participated in only one political activity. Next, overall satisfaction and trust in institutions are below the neutral midpoint, indicating a dissatisfaction with the state of the country, particularly regarding political institutions, and a general distrust in these institutions. In addition, we observe that certain sociodemographic variables, such as education, emerge as significant in specific instances. However, those results are inconsistent and the available evidence is insufficient to support definitive conclusions about the presence of another form of political culture in certain sociodemographic categories. Based on these results, we argue that in the analysed period the prevailing type of political culture among the youth in Serbia was cynical.

Sociodemographic Characteristics and Motives of Youth Membership in Fan Groups – Empirical Research on a Sample of High School Students in Serbia

Saša Milojević — 2025-11-26

This scientific paper examines the sociodemographic characteristics and motivations of youth membership in organised fan groups in Serbia, viewing them as distinct youth subcultures that serve dual roles – both as a source of identity and togetherness and as a potential generator of violent behaviour. The research was conducted on a representative sample of 3,662 high school students from different regions of Serbia, using a questionnaire that included demographic characteristics, fan preferences, motives for membership, perception of school and social obligations, attitudes towards the leaders of fan groups, as well as experiences with violence and institutions of the system. The results show that 13.8% of the surveyed high school students are actively involved in a fan group, with boys making up the majority (86%). In comparison, the participation of girls is much lower (14%). Compared to their peers who are not members, group members are distinguished by their value orientations – they are more inclined to prioritise the club over school, as well as exhibit a greater degree of involvement in physical conflicts and conflicts with the police.

The motivational structure of membership reveals a multi-layered phenomenon: the most common reason for membership is support for a beloved club (56.7%), followed by the social dimension, which includes socialising and entertainment (22.1%). In comparison, some respondents perceive the fan group as a family or the source of their closest friendships (approximately 11%). Most members report that they joined the group gradually and on their own initiative, through regular monitoring of matches and socialisation in the stands. The influence of family and peers in the initiation process is present, but to a lesser extent. In terms of consequences, the research revealed a strong correlation between membership and violence, with as many as 70.8% of members participating in physical confrontations of a fan nature, compared to 18% of non-members. In addition, members of the groups come into contact with the police and the judiciary significantly more often, which confirms the hypothesis of fan violence as a socially relevant phenomenon.

The discussion of the results sheds light on the ambivalent nature of fan groups. While they represent a source of identity, togetherness and meaning in life for young people, they also carry the risk of deviant behaviour. Theoretically, the findings align with the framework of social identity theory and the concept of identity fusion, which posits that a strong connection between personal and group identities fosters loyalty and a willingness to sacrifice for the group, including potentially violent behaviour. It concludes that membership in fan groups should not be reduced to stereotypes about "problem hooligans", but must be seen as a response of young people to the needs for belonging, self-esteem and social recognition. It is recommended to develop prevention strategies that enable young people to channel their energy and enthusiasm into constructive social activities, while preserving a sense of community and belonging, and minimising destructive behaviour patterns.

New Interpretation of Social Needs in Hungarian Law

Gábor Mélypataki — 2025-11-26

The Hungarian legislator's approach to means-tested social benefits is complex, often focusing on reducing expenditures. The emergence of new social and family support benefits has somewhat overshadowed these traditional benefits, with substantive changes being rare. However, introducing the social reference base has resulted in a significant shift in Hungarian law. This paper aims to delve into the antecedents and immediate expected effects of this change, which profoundly impacts the lives of many in need.

Occupational Safety for Workers in Unstable Industries: International and Legal Frameworks of the European Union

Vladyslav Volynets — 2025-11-26

Ensuring occupational safety in unstable industries such as
construction and agriculture is critical because of the high
level of risk to workers. These industries require careful
regulation by state and international organizations. The
International Labor Organization (hereinafter – ILO) and
the European Union (hereinafter – EU) develop standards
and directives to protect workers’ health in such settings.
The purpose of the study is a comparative analysis of these
international norms and recommendations for improving
national legislation. The following scientific methods were
used in the survey: logical method, system method, statis
tical method, dialectical method, metaphysical method,
law, and method of legal forecasting.

Corrigendum to: Population Ageing and Gender Gap: A Dual Challenge to Economic Growth

Jelena Zvezdanović Lobanova — 2025-11-26

Erratum to: Informal care givers of elderly in Serbia – towards formalisation of the status?

Editorial Office — 2025-11-26

Erratum to: Political Culture and the Attitude Toward “the Other”

Editorial Office — 2025-11-26