Razumevanje koncepta rodne ravnopravnosti u normativnom okviru visokog obrazovanja u Srbiji

Since 2000, a number of legal and political measures and mechanisms have been implemented to advance gender equality in research and higher education institutions in Serbia, mainly as a part of the process of harmonization of legislation with the EU standards on gender equality. However, while on one side the relatively high score on the Gender Equality Index is often evoked in political discourse to support the claim that Serbia is doing well regarding gender equality in higher education, most of the empirical research done in Serbia reveals persistent gender inequalities, gendered career possibilities, and unequal working conditions in academia for women and men. Originating from those contradictory assertations, our main research interest in this chapter is concerned with the way in which the concept of gender equality is understood in the normative frame of Serbia. Our hypothesis is that gender inequalities in the academic sphere are actually supported by the way in which the concept of gender equality is framed in the Serbian normative order. Our study will be based on the analyses of documents that form the normative framework of gender equality in higher education in Serbia. In addition, we will analyze the data gathered in interviews with the academics of the University of Belgrade. Hence, an inappropriate normative framework will be detected, explored, and additionally explained through its visible practical implications