Kosovar Women Research Articles

WOMEN'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIBERATION OF KOSOVO IN 1998-1999

The work brings to mind the years 1998 and 1999 in Kosovo, which brought a lot of suffering. Serbian forces carried out massacres, murders, raped women and men and destroyed almost the entire country. Approximately 90% of Kosovo Albanians were forcibly expelled from their homes. The paper brings to attention a contemporary issue, in these times of horror that are being repeated in the same form again in Ukraine and Palestine, groups of women and girls who are raped, massacred and killed, help displaced people with food, support, medical care, housing and education. Over 20 thousand Albanian women and girls were raped by the Serbs during the years 1998-1999. The harrowing narratives of Kosovar women and girls reveal the barbaric violence that the Serbs have inflicted on women, girls, mothers, children and men, who became victims of rape during the war. The role of women in Kosovo, in this war, was as important as the role of women for the creation of a new life. This research is based on real statistics of the testimonies of women and girls during the war in Kosovo. According to the records, women and girls got knowledge about weapons and ammunition and became part of the national liberation struggle. The women became the informers of the massacres that the Serbs would do in the towns and villages, preventing them. The lack of an accurate number of women participating in the war for the liberation of Kosovo means that they do not take their rightful place in this war. They deserve recognition. According to the data, there was a considerable number of women in the guerrilla BIA. Women had a key role in the liberation of the country, they must have been forgotten by the free state of Kosovo. The contribution and sacrifices of women during the war in Kosovo were unparalleled, they aimed at the war and the liberation of the Albanian lands. In many studies, this role of women in liberation has not been identified, due attention has not been paid to it, and this is related to the existence of patriarchal norms of Kosovar society. The exclusion of women from this active contribution is related to these norms and this study makes an effort to bring this contribution of women to the liberation war of Kosovo. The study brings to attention that the contribution of women during the war should be documented and be part of our oral and written history, whose contribution has been little described.

Correlation between diet, body mass index, and lipid profile in Kosovar women treated for primary infertility

The increasing prevalence of female fertility requires the identification of potentially modifiable factors and non-pharmacological treatments. There is strong evidence that healthy preconception dietary patterns of women of reproductive age have a beneficial effect on fertility. In accordance with the hypothesis, the aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of diet on overweight and obesity in infertile women as well as the correlation of serum lipid concentration by making a comparison between three observed groups with different body mass index (BMI). A total of 107 women who were treated for infertility were investigated. Diet and food pattern survey, BMI, and lipidogram determination from venous blood samples were carried out. The determination of lipidogram parameters was carried out by enzymatic colorimetric test with the COBAS INTEGRA 400 apparatus. From the total number of patients included in the study (107), infertile women with abnormal BMI accounted for 26.16%, while fertile women with normal BMI accounted for 73.83% (p<0.001). The total cholesterol value for groups with BMI>25 kg/m2 was 6.78 mmol/L (p=0.031). High triglycerides with increased BMI were observed (2.27 mmol/L versus 2.68 mmol/L) (p=0.028). Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol had higher concentrations in obese women (n=28), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol had lower concentrations in women with BMI>25 km2 (p<0.05). Western dietary patterns of nutrition results in obesity and increased BMI values in infertile women. Increased BMI has a positive correlation with lipid profile in obese infertile women.

RENUNCIATION OF INHERITANCE BY KOSOVAR WOMEN: DESIRE OR INJUSTICE? A CASE LAW PERSPECTIVE

Background: The right to inherit is one of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and legal provisions. Every citizen is entitled to this privilege without exception. Even though this right is protected by the Constitution, barely 23% of women in Kosovo are officially registered as heirs. When women exercise their right to refuse inheritance, they mostly give up that privilege in favour of male heirs. Unquestionably, customary law impacts this choice. Influenced by religious and customary rights that stipulate that men are entitled to inherit, women prefer to give up their claim to inherit, which accounts for the low percentage of female heirs. Despite the fact that the right of inheritance is regulated by law under the principle of equality, the real situation shows something else. This article will analyse inheritance law and the influence of customary law, which has led many women to forfeit their rights. This issue discriminates against Kosovar women, denying them their rightful inheritance. These analyses will determine whether customary law or other factors have impacted Kosovar women's unequal inheritance rights compared to men. Ultimately, it raises the question: are these women victims of injustice, or have they freely decided to give up their inheritance? Methods: In this paper, several methods were employed to reach a conclusion, including analytical, comparative, historical and normative approaches. The analytical method was used to examine the phenomenon of women renouncing their inheritance rights and the judicial decisions where women have given up their right of inheritance. The normative method examined the legal provisions that directly regulated the right to renounce the inheritance. The historical method played a crucial role in illustrating the evolution of inheritance rights and its influence on women's contemporary perspectives. Finally, the comparative method facilitated a comparison of the legal regulation of inheritance rights in Kosovo with those in other countries in the region. Results and Conclusions: In legal terms, the right of inheritance treats all heirs equally, regardless of gender, but in practice, a very low percentage of women inherit, mostly giving this right to male heirs. Many factors have influenced this result, such as the influence of customary law and religious law, but also the low number of employed women. After analysing this matter, it was seen that the main solution is to raise awareness among women that all heirs are equal, regardless of gender, ensuring the law is applied fairly to all heirs. To address the reduction of women renouncing their inheritance, several legal changes are recommended. One such change is requiring the declaration of renunciation of inheritance to be made before a notary and registered in court to determine legal deadlines. Additionally, the reasons for renouncing inheritance should be explicitly stated within the set timeframe. A more radical measure that would ensure that women do not renounce their rightful inheritance according to the law, and in this way, they would be free from the influences of society, is to change the law by removing the right to renounce the inheritance. Thus, all legal heirs would be forced to accept the inheritance due to them by law.

Mnemonic wars and parallel polis: The anti-politics of memory in Central and Southeast Europe: Kosovar women and Black/Roma Lives Matter

The essay argues that anti-politics, a category borrowed from the anti-communist movement in the Eastern Bloc, can inspire memory studies. We focus on one of the chosen categories – the parallel polis (with some forays into the matter of the nonviolence movement). We discuss this universal category through the particular lens of Central and Southeast Europe with two examples: (1) women’s memories of war and violence in Kosovo with a specific focus on the Heroinat monument in Pristina and (2) the Black Lives Matter movement in Czechia that can be used to highlight the racially and ethnically motivated activities of the police, as well as oblivion of the Holocaust of the Roma community in mainstream discourse. It all leads to the identification of parallel orders of memory produced by marginalized groups, as well as the development of anti-politics of memory in opposition to the official, state-driven politics of memory.

An Exploratory Study of Gender Role Stress and Psychological Distress of Women in Kosovo.

Introduction:Although investigations of changing gender roles have been performed globally, most studies have been conducted in high-income countries, and studies from emerging and developing countries are lacking. This study aims to examine the factor structure of the feminine gender role stress scale among women (FGRS) and explore its relationship with psychological distress (PD).Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out with 656 women from Kosovo using a convenience sampling technique during October 2017 and March 2018. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 21 and Mplus 7.3. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and path analysis were used to understand the goodness-of-fit of the FGRS scale in the Kosovo context and explore the relationship between the FGRS scale and PD when treated as latent variables. Multivariance analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to understand the differences between groups of women based on employment and FGRS. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the prediction of different domains of FGRS for PD separately for each category while controlling for age.Results:After demonstrating that the five-factor model of the FGRS showed a good fit to the data in this sample of Kosovo women, analyses revealed that the FGRS domains (fear of victimization and behaving with assertiveness) were positively associated with psychological distress.Conclusion:The findings validate the usefulness of the FGRS scale in a sample of Kosovar women. The intersectionality perspective was used to interpret the importance of multiple layers of vulnerabilities and their coexistence, including education, socioeconomic status, and their implications for health inequalities.

Insults and prejudices against Kosovar women politicians that are present in the media

Offensive and sexist statements against women politicians in Kosovo and women in general are no longer unknown, especially when they are made public, either through various media or through statuses on various social networks. But, in Kosovo, recently there have been insults against Kosovar women politicians by their colleagues, Kosovar men politicians, which insults clearly tend to increase. These statements contain the following epithets: dealing with their body weight, calling them 'cows', 'beautiful', 'prostitutes', and even inviting them on a date. Also, in the media several times and recently, bias has been noted regarding women’s jealousy by calling them jealous, even of those fighting for human rights.
 In this paper, content analysis is used, where the contents of some media are analyzed, such as television and some online media. The contents of the messages written against the Kosovar woman politician were analyzed.
 Offensive statements and prejudices against Kosovar women politicians were pointed out to be very harmful, because this could damage the chances of women politicians to be successful and could contribute to the woman being further qualified only on the basis of her beauty and not to be treated according to its wisdom.

Diversity and Inclusion of Women working as Engineers: A comparative study between Kosovo and Ireland

Abstract The primary focus of this paper is to investigate the diversity and inclusion of women working as engineers in Kosovo. A comparison is made with Ireland. It focuses on the lack of support from the employer, society itself and family. Paper is divided in two continuous paper. In this second paper, lack of governmental supports for maternity leave and childcare are investigated. The qualitative approach used in this research will focus on interviews with women working in Kosovo and Ireland and will ask questions about their perceived socio-economic difficulties, flexibility issues and lack of opportunity for career advancement. Through this detailed analysis a clear picture will emerge of the challenges of Kosovar women in their workplaces in the field of engineering. Also, as there is such a small number of women in the field of engineering, we ask the question is there a significant amount of human potential being unused, misused or underuse? How does the division of professions, based on traditional gender roles, lose out on human, institutional and global values?

Some aspects of "women's language" in the language of Prizren and its surroundings

Gender and age have influenced social divisions as well as speaking groups. The degree of education reflects linguistic behavior is the opinion of U. Lubov, not only about female language. The level of females’ education of the city of Prizren with its surrounding is close to to Kosovar women. It is important where the person was born and how he grew up, certainly there starts to speak, because without social environment we will not talk. In this area, a phenomenon that separates the feminine gender is a lack of proper education. So we have environments lacking proper development, females do the housework. We especially have the language of new brides. They obey the rules, speaking with low voice, being polite and pure heart. This behavior is noticed in parties such as; henna night, bridal shower, weddings, where the brides stay in their feet and greet them with temen (greeting used by brides, they wave their hands). This causes them to be seen by the audience, especially by the girls who sing /E ka Aferdita o: nje pike n`ball`Ani nuk na la o: shoqe n`mahall`!/ (a song that describes the bride Aferdita as the best girl in the neighborhood) (Kushtrim, Prizren). This is the process of their new life as a bride, they are not allowed to speak, se me ia cit nuses gojen (if you allow them to speak), is going to be criticized se si nusja foli (how she spoke), and sung : /Nusja Ali ages dimijat me topa N` ren`in e nuseve po duket si shota!/ (describing the costume of the bride and comparing her with the ducks) (Vlashnje, Prizren). This ethnography of speech expresses the lexical value of these areas by pointing out specific communicative data with specific differences of these socio-dialectical and sociolinguistic representative phenomena.

Grading of hirsutism based on the Ferriman-Gallwey scoring system in Kosovar women.

IntroductionHirsutism is defined as excess terminal hair that commonly appears in a male pattern in women.AimTo examine severity and distribution of hirsutism with Ferriman-Gallwey visual scoring system in hirsute women in Kosovo.Material and methodsThis prospective study included 160 women, 135 with hirsutism and 25 as a control group. The Ferriman-Gallwey score is used to evaluate hirsutism. The examiner scored the subjects on a scale of 0–4 for terminal hair growth on eleven different body areas according to the Ferriman-Gallwey scoring system. An Ferriman-Gallwey score of 8 or more was considered diagnostic of hirsutism. A thorough physical examination with specific emphasis on signs of virilization (including frontal baldness, loss of female body contours, increased muscularity, acne, clitoromegaly, and atrophy of breast) was done in all patients.ResultsThe positive family history of hirsutism was present in 63.7%. In 51.1% of women with hirsutism, the menstrual cycle was regular, 25.2% had oligomenorrhea, 13.3% amenorrhea, 7.4% dysmenorrhea, 1.5% polymenorrhea and 1.5% oligomenorrhea and dysmenorrhea. The age group with the highest scoring comprised women under 20 years and 20–29 years group with an average value of 23.9 and 24.8, respectively. In our study population, 40% of the patients had an Ferriman-Gallwey score of 3 for the upper lip and 47% of patients had an Ferriman-Gallwey score of 3 for the chin.ConclusionsThe Ferriman-Gallwey scoring system has a great significance and value to establish the diagnosis of hirsutism and is an acceptable screening method.

The Impact of Conflict Displacement on Education and Labor Market Outcomes: The Case of Post-War Kosovo

This paper uses the 1998-1999 Kosovo war and the following massive displacement of people as a natural experiment in order to estimate the impact of conflict displacement on labor market and education outcomes of Kosovars after they returned from exile. I exploit the interaction of the spatial variation in conflict intensity -as measured by casualties and bombings- and distance to the Albanian border as a source of exogenous variation in the displacement status. Results indicate that displaced Kosovar men are less likely to be employed in the agricultural sector and to work on their own account, while displaced Kosovar women are more likely to be inactive. Loss of assets (e.g. land, livestock) in an agrarian skill-based economy and also loss of social networks in an informal labor market might have further decreased the probability to find employment relative to stayers. However, shortly after the return home, the results also indicate that displaced Kosovar men and women are more likely to be working off-farm, especially in the construction and public administration sectors, which indicates a relatively quick recovery. In addition, displaced Kosovar girls are more likely to be enrolled in primary school, but I find no effect on education for boys. The refugee camp experience might have provided better conditions to young Kosovar girls compared to the the precarious pre-war ``parallel education system.

Female Enterpreneur of Small Businesses Challenges in Kosovo

Nowadays it is more than obvious that women as entrepreneurs are moving forward in advancing the role in the process of improving the quality of work and increasing business results, powered with comparative and competitive vigilance. First of all in terms of female position in Kosovo’ society, and secondly, in their ability to absorb the challenges of business environment, participation in the market, and the possibility of more efficient business. Based on these facts the promoting of female as owner of small business that historically had only ceremonial role but needs of the involvement of female skills and evolve its position encouraged all shareholders to ensure quality business, products or services with high quality and valued clients, which it achieved through a genuine commitment of women from inner and outer of the company, adding at the same time care instinct from female perspectives to their clients, managing current market share and enlargement of it in the market share. To achieve this, women entrepreneurs must be aware on how to do deal with challenges, they must be ensured to stay all the time motivated, working consistently and with enthusiasm for a qualitative change. Keeping in mind the role of women in SE (Small Enterprises) is an important generator of economic development of a certain country and especially in Kosovo as a country in transition. But the challenges of women in the organizations of SE in Kosovo are many, divulged from ranging from the most basic definition of the market share, unfair competition based on ignorance of the female, informal economy up to financial abilities to create a steady operating environment. As one of the most important challenges for women entrepreneurs is without doubt the ability to manage a business and care for the family evolved and Kosovar women are more career oriented in an harsh and dynamic environment, challenged to follow competitors with innovations and high-tech manufacturing products as well as communication, reducing entry barriers in some markets as a result of electronic business, the demand to respond quickly to customer needs, which requires not only supplement of functional and emotional needs, but also their spiritual supplement to the mind, spirit and heart. Kosovar women today tend to manage small capital companies, production industry and services makes the possibility still challenging and perspectives of their development due to informal economy, unfair competition and the impact of economic development entity of Kosovo. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n2p561

Securing Property Rights for Women (and Men) in Kosovo

This paper addresses the challenges of establishing clearly defined and enforced property rights for women in Kosovo. It proceeds in three parts. The first section of the paper addresses women’s immobile property rights in Kosovo from a comparative perspective, examining the situation of Kosovar women vis-a-vis women in other former Yugoslav republics. The second part of the paper examines the gap between the egalitarian property law and unequal enforcement practices in Kosovo. The third part of the paper addresses both why this gap exists and discusses the unique opportunity the Kosovar government has in this moment to shift from de jure articulation of egalitarian property rights to the de facto enforcement of them. This paper is based on four months of research in Kosovo.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in the Republic of Kosovo: a Retrospective Pilot Study.

GDM is a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. Pregnancy causes some insulin resistance in all women, but only a few develop GDM. To test the hypothesis that women with GDM have impaired regulation of blood iron storage and transport, decreased renal function due to decreased glomerular filtration rate and occurrence of urinary tract infection (UTI). Incidence of blood iron storage was investigated in n=30 pregnant kosovar women with GDM after mild of pregnancy and in n=30 pregnant women without GDM (years 2010-2012). Baby weights, both systolic and diastolic BP, creatinine, albumin, lymphocytes, monocytes, WBC and granulocytes in both groups were within their normal ranges in both groups. Compared to control group, glucose was higher in women with GDM (mean +/- SD: 7.43 +/- 2.23 mg/dL vs. 4.33 +/- 0.63 mg/dL; P < 0.001). Women with GDM had also higher RBC (mean +/- SD: 4.4 +/- 0.8% vs. 3.8 +/- 0.3%; P < 0.005) and HGB (mean +/- SD: 13.0 +/- 3.2 g/dL vs. 11.2 +/- 1.4 mg/dL; P < 0.05), and decreased renal functionality (MDRD-GFR: 92.8 +/- 25.8 g/dL vs. 108.2 +/- 38.2 g/dL; P < .05). There is a potential association between iron status and GDM. The role of iron from diet and/or from supplementation in GDM pathogenesis needs still to be examined. In addition we have observed a decrease of glomerular filtration rate in women with GDM. Due to the lack of studies on the relationships between GDM and UTI, and to the retrospective design of the present investigation, it is difficult to establish whether UTI may be a GDM causal factor or a consequence of GDM symptoms, signs and/or of its correlated pathologies.

Migration and Health in Italy: A Multiethnic Adult Sample

Immigration to Italy has increased drastically, but there is a paucity of data on the health of these immigrant populations and the need to improve their health care. Therefore, we analyzed a multiethnic immigrant population in Bologna (northern Italy) to identify the risk factors for health. This anthropometric study was part of a multiregional project "Health Assistance and Monitoring for Indigent Italian Citizens and Immigrants" funded by the Italian Ministry of Health. The sample consisted of 401 adult immigrants from southeastern Europe (Kosovars, Gypsies, or Roma) and four extra European countries (Senegalese, Moroccans, Tunisians, and Pakistanis). Ethnic ancestry was self-reported. Anthropometric (height, weight, and waist circumference) and blood pressure data were collected during the survey. The prevalence of overweight (and obesity) exceeded 50% in Moroccans and Kosovars of both sexes and in male Roma. The ethnic heterogeneity was associated with different patterns of obesity: the highest prevalence of abdominal obesity was in Moroccan and Kosovar women and in male Kosovars and Gypsies. The highest prevalence of hypertension (more than 20%) was in Senegalese, Kosovar, and Gypsy males. Some of the immigrant subsamples had a high prevalence of obesity, which is associated with morbidity. Our findings on the relationships between the anthropometric traits and the blood pressure suggest different cardiovascular disease risk profiles in the ethnic groups (higher for Kosovars and Roma) and an urgent need for preventive measures.

Tracking gender-based human rights violations in postwar Kosovo.

Four years have passed since the institution of the cease-fire in Yugoslavia, and questions remain as to how Kosovar women are faring in the country's postwar reconstruction. Reports, albeit fragmented, suggest that violence against women began to increase in 1998 and 1999. This trend continued through 2001, even while rates of other major crimes decreased. Despite considerable local efforts to address the conditions of women, there remains a lack of systematic data documenting the scope and frequency of violent acts committed against women. A centralized surveillance system focused on tracking human rights abuses needs to be established to address this critical need for empirically based reports and to ultimately guide reform efforts.

Developing policy on integration and re/construction in Kosova

The Gender Audit (GA) and associated reports and reviews drawn upon in this article enable an evaluation of how far the intervention processes at work in Kosova since 1999 have been inclusive of gender analysis and supportive of women's and girls' needs and interests. This assessment considers the strengths and drawbacks of various attempts to use and implement gender-sensitive projects. The GA was designed to support the emerging feminist reconstructive politics in Kosova. Its findings and recommendations tackle aspects of empowerment, equity, and opportunities, outlining some developments from community activism as well as outcomes of the international administration. By considering developments over a two-year period, it is possible to place issues of equity and opportunities in the context of change over time, with change at local and national levels linked with developing international dialogues. The article analyses local work undertaken by the Kosova Women's Network to overcome violence against women in war and domestic peace, and reviews international work engaged in by the Kosovo [sic] Women's Initiative (KWI). Many Kosovar women (of all ethnicities) do fully acknowledge their community membership, and recognise the risks involved in talking across their differences to achieve everyday security and reconciliation. International reports and reviews such as those produced in 2002 by the UN Secretary-General and UNIFEM on women, war, peace, and security, as well as the review of the KWI, allow an assessment of how dialogues are changing and what the potential impact of such change might be on policy development and implementation.

The Way of Oblivion: Refugees in Italy

In these short notes, that constitute the beginning of what we hope will become an in-depth study, we would like to introduce some critical points regarding the representation, perception and policy of refugees in Italy. A 'research in progress' on women in Kosovo is the starting point of the following reflections.2 The project was born from an idea of giving voice to Kosovar women; this then changed into a discussion on contemporary forms of intersubjectivity between the two sides of the Adriatic sea (Athena, 2001: 22-48). This research asked us to contextualize the specificity of the construction of 'refugees' in Italian public space and

Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Gender Analysis in Kosova

Gender relations fluctuate in times of violent change with flight, exile, displacement and return and relations of inequality between men and women can prevent women from fully participating in the reconstruction processes and gaining political voice. Undertaking a gendered analysis of Kosovar women's involvement in the emerging feminist reconstructive politics highlighted the ways in which international governmental responses at times hindered women's progress. The central concern in this Gender Audit is the extent to which encouragement has been given to increasing women's social,economic,educational and political participation - in both informal civic fora and organizations and at the formal levels of power. The Gender Audit assesses the gaps in policy-making, service provision, data collection and in co-ordination and monitoring of projects designed to increase the participation of women and girls. In post-conflict situations it is vital that all people are enabled to contribute their ideas, expertise and skills in reconstruction and rehabilitation processes leading to democratization and democracy-building. Working in coalitions combining local, national and international elements is providinga positive contribution for somewomen in Kosova.