The Development of Women’s Rights in Lithuania: Striving for Political Equality

Abstract

In Lithuania, the struggle for women's political rights was closely related to the process of democratization and liberation from Russian occupation. The Lithuanian Women's Movement started in 1905 as a platform that united women in the fight for both Lithuania's independence and political equality with men. The Great Duchy of Lithuania was established at the beginning of the 13th century. During the 16th century, as Lithuania shared Europe's interest in codification, the Statutes of Lithuania were enacted. Important as the First Lithuanian Women Assembly was for the women's movement and in the public life of the country more generally, however, it did not manage to unite women around the common goal of recognising equal political and civil rights for women. After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania began in 1940, the activities of women's organizations were prohibited. Women's organizations re-emerged only in 1990, when the independence of the state was re-established. Keywords:Great Duchy; Lithuanian Women Assembly; Lithuanian Women's Movement; political equality; Soviet occupation