The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-27
WOMEN IN BOSNIA.

ONCE tn" annexation Of Bosnia and
y Herzegovina by Austria Hungary
attention has been drawn 20 the
peculiar conditions Of women In thu an
nexed area The population. a mixture
Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS are in a large
majority - Roman Catholics. Greek
Catholics. protsstants and Jews. lived
until III" md os the seventies of the
las. century in Tho simc state rs /,
lived IN Ave ~ SIX hundred years ago
And though administrative reforms
since tn" occupation. and more since
the annexation by Austria Hungary.
nav" caused great changes in many ra-
Spoots, customs surviving from the
earlier Grange forms Of family life are
still to be- found In Bosnia and Here
Eoviua.
The grea; difficulties Of shaping the
fnal constitution Of the annexed prov
noes have led to the adoption OF an
Interim FORM, which gave to tho women
OF Bosnia and Herr govna some politi-
cal rights. l. is almost Rrotesuue to
th.nk Of women who live under alb
s"lutcly patr,archal conditions and have
not yet awakened to the perception of
their situation getting the vote. And
all the more grOtesque to have IL given
by the Austrian Government, which
denies TO the highly cultivated women
OF its own country even the right to
FORM political societies or to Join mems
political associations, and by the Hun
garlan Government which resisted n
strongly organized wOman's movement
10 give the vote TO Hungarian women.
VINO or course have at least always had
the right OF political organization.
The patriarchal form of life stu to be
round In many parts Of Bosnia and
Herzegovina il mixture OF Slav and
Mohammedan customs. All the mem
bers Of family, amounting sometimes
10 hfty or sixty persons, constitute a
Zadruga or family society. and thew
inhabit one large house called a Velllta
kuca- According 10 prescribed custom
the head of the family II the eldest man
IN H. The younger men implicitly obov
him and the women of the community
are entirely subject TO the men. The
chief place among the women liz held
by the Maja redusca, who controls tho
management OF the house. She or
ganizes the daily work among nil thu
women and is responsible for all TIM,
happens in the household. In soma
SlaV countries married women take /,
In turns TO be the MaJa rodusca and a
new one takes over the duties eyery
week but here the oldest woman of the
FAMILY shares 1t with no one else. Next
IN rank to her ls the Maja planInka
who IL in charge OF the dairy farm
Al the property OF the Zadruga "a
heid In common among the members OF
the family The only private and nor
sonal property which can be possessed
by any of them is what they NAV han
pen 10 make In their free time. and This
Is called their obsina But woman re-
tains her dowry, her marriage outfit and
her wedding presents as her own all her
ne and. further, tho poultry OF ths
Zadruga Is generally considered by com.
mon consent to belong to the women Of
inc community. As Is the case in all
EASTERN nations the women marry very
young and grow old at an early age.
and have very few interests in life. They
set immense store by their clothes
"hich are exceedingly beautiful. being
covered with the most exquisite em-
nroidery' But II IL only In the house
that they wear these fine clothes. Out
OF doors the Mohammedan women OF
iSoshla ana herzegovina are more
closely yelled than are their sisters in
turkey Even their hands are not nj
lowed to appear. hut must be hidden In
the folds OF the shapeless feredza
There Is but little resemblance be-
tween the dark, sombrely clad figures
seen walking in the streets and the bril-
liant women OF the harem. with their
richly colored dresses and beautiful or
naments. In their style OF dress there
IL not much difference between the cos
tune Of the Mohammedans and the
women processing other religions. They
all wear short silk trousers, called
dinnje. richly embroidered stockings,
short Jacket. called fermen, and
handsome belts, Married women are
never seen without their anterija,