Radicalization of the Bulgarian Women's Movement

In the early 1900s, socialist ideas and the establishment of the Socialist Women’s International in 1907 had a strong influence on the Bulgarian Women’s Union (BWU). This led to the creation of a new organization called Ravnopravie. From around 1908-1909, both of these organizations began focusing on the fight for women’s civil and political equality.

Feminism and the Middle-Class Focus

Like feminism in other countries, Bulgarian feminism mainly represented middle-class urban women. However, in Bulgaria, as in some other Eastern European countries, feminist activities also worked on the issues faced by peasant women.

Feminism Misunderstood

Many Bulgarian feminists, like feminists everywhere, feared their work would be misunderstood. In the 1920s, Dimitrana Ivanova, the chairwoman of the BWU, wrote articles in the newspaper Zhenski glas to explain what feminism really meant. She wanted to correct the misunderstanding that feminism was the same as the Bolshevik view of women’s rights. Ivanova argued that feminism was not about women fighting against their “natural duties” in family or society, nor was it about liberation for women who were part of a luxurious lifestyle or engaged in activities like sports, smoking, or drinking. She worked to fight anti-feminist ideas that were spreading in society Bulgaria Holidays.

Feminism and Modernization

The women’s movement in Bulgaria was a part of the larger modernization process in the country, which also included Europeanization. However, this process had both positive and negative aspects. While there were some improvements and progress, women’s rights were not well developed.

Women in Bulgaria had to fight for basic rights such as the right to education, civil and political rights, and access to professions. Despite being part of the national project for progress, women’s emancipation was poorly realized. Women’s citizenship came slowly, and their right to vote came decades later than men’s.

Gender Inequality and Traditional Roles

In Bulgaria, like in many other countries, there were laws that treated men and women differently. Even though the country claimed to represent all citizens, many women were excluded from the public sphere. The relationship between women and men remained rooted in the traditional gender roles of society.

Women in Bulgaria experienced tensions between tradition and modernity, urban and rural, and local and foreign ideas. These struggles made their fight for rights more complicated and difficult.