Eighty-one years ago, women in Yugoslavia secured the right to vote, marking one of the most significant milestones in the struggle for women’s political equality in the region. On August 11, 1945, women’s voting rights in Yugoslavia were formally established by law after years of political organizing and women’s mass participation in the resistance during World War II.
The right was introduced through the Law on Electoral Rolls, which established universal suffrage for all citizens aged 18 and over, regardless of gender. Women exercised this right for the first time in nationwide elections later that year, on November 11, 1945.
Years of Struggle Led to Political Equality
The achievement was preceded by decades of efforts by women’s organizations and activists demanding political and social equality. Before World War II, women in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia did not have the right to vote, despite initiatives and campaigns seeking to change their political status.
The struggle intensified during World War II through the activities of the Women’s Antifascist Front (AFŽ), founded in Bosanski Petrovac in December 1942. The organization brought together women from across Yugoslavia and played an important role in their political mobilization and participation in the National Liberation Struggle.
Women participated extensively in the resistance movement, working as fighters, nurses, couriers and political activists. According to the reports, around 100,000 women participated in the partisan movement, approximately 25,000 were killed and about 40,000 were wounded.
Around 2,000 women became officers in the Yugoslav Army, while 91 women were later declared national heroes. Women also organized assistance for the wounded, collected food and clothing and performed other tasks supporting the resistance.
Their participation strengthened demands for equal political rights. At the Second Session of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) in Jajce in November 1943, the foundations were laid for women to receive equal political rights in the future Yugoslav state.
Women Voted for the First Time in 1945
The legal recognition of women’s voting rights in Yugoslavia came on August 11, 1945. The new legislation gave women both the right to vote and the right to stand as candidates in elections on equal terms with men.
Women went to the polls for the first time in the elections for the Constituent Assembly on November 11, 1945. The elections represented the first occasion on which universal suffrage was applied across Yugoslavia.
The new Yugoslav Constitution adopted in 1946 subsequently confirmed the principle of equality between women and men. It guaranteed women equal rights with men in all areas of state, economic and socio-political life.
The anniversary recalls a change that was not simply granted from above but followed years of activism, political organization and women’s direct participation in the wartime resistance. August 11 therefore remains associated with a decisive expansion of political rights for women throughout the former Yugoslavia.
