2014 GROUP GENDER DIMENSIONS Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized OF ROMA INCLUSION Perspectives from Four Roma Communities in Bulgaria Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Гледната точка на четири ромски общности в България в общности ромски четири на точка Гледната И ПРИОБЩАВАНЕТО НА РОМИТЕ НА ПРИОБЩАВАНЕТО И РАВЕНСТВОТО МЕЖДУ ПОЛОВЕТЕ ПОЛОВЕТЕ МЕЖДУ РАВЕНСТВОТО GROUP 2014 THE WORLD BANK Gender Dimensions Of RomA iNClUSiON: Perspectives from four roma Communities in Bulgaria © 2012 international Bank for reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington, DC 20433 USA Telephone: (202) 473-1000 internet: www.worldbank.org All rights reserved manufactured in republic of Bulgaria Printing: february, 2014 Prepress, print and bookbinding by Taralezh ltd. 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The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Copyright Statement: The material in this publication is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/ The World Bank encour- ages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission to reproduce portions of the work promptly. For permission to photocopy or reprint any part of this work, please send a request with complete information to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, telephone 978-750-8400, fax 978-750-4470, http://www.copyright.com/. All other queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to the Office of the Publisher, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA, fax 202-522-2422, e-mail [email protected]. 2 | Perspectives from Four Roma Communities in Bulgaria Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................................6 Chapter 1: Introduction and Background ....................................................................................................14 Chapter 2: Conceptual Framework, Approach, and Method ........................................................................23 Chapter 3: Gender Roles and Social Norms in the Four Communities ..........................................................35 3.1 The Normative Framework for Gender Roles and Social Norms ....................................................... 35 3.2 Changing Gender Roles across the Roma Communities .................................................................... 36 3.3 Changing Social Relationships, Traditions, and Rituals in the Roma Communities ............................ 44 Chapter 4: The Interaction of Social Norms and Agency in Making Strategic Life Choices ............................47 4.1 Education ........................................................................................................................................... 47 4.1.1 Social Norms Related to Education ........................................................................................... 47 4.1.2 Agency to Make Strategic Life Choices on Education ................................................................ 52 4.1.3 Drivers of Change ...................................................................................................................... 53 4.2. Marriage and Pregnancy................................................................................................................... 55 4.2.1 Social Norms and Agency around Marriage and Pregnancy ................................................... 55 4.2.2 Agency to Make Strategic Life Choices on Marriage and Pregnancy ........................................ 58 4.2.3 Drivers of Change ..................................................................................................................... 59 4.3. Employment ..................................................................................................................................... 60 4.3.1 Social Norms Related to Employment ...................................................................................... 60 4.3.2 Agency to Make Strategic Life Choices on Employment .......................................................... 62 4.3.3 Drivers of Change ..................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 5: Concluding Remarks and Areas for Policy Development .............................................................64 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................................ 72 | 3 GENDER DIMENSIONS OF ROMA INCLUSION List of Acronyms DG Regio European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy EC European Commission EU European Union FGD(s) Focus Group Discussion(s) ICT Information and Communication Technologies IUD Intrauterine Device NRIS National Roma Integration Strategy NSI National Statistics Institute of Bulgaria OSI Open Society Institute UNDP United Nations Development Program UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund WB World Bank WDR World Development Report 4 | Perspectives from Four Roma Communities in Bulgaria Acknowledgements: This report was prepared by Kosuke Anan, Valerie Morrica, and Ranjit Nayak, under the guidance of Peter Harrold, Mamta Murthi, Ismail Radwan, Markus Repnik, Katarina Mathernova, Elisabeth Huybens, and Carrie Turk. The team was supported by Peter Pojarski, Plamen Danchev, Adela I. Delcheva, Albena A. Samsonova, Beaulah Noble, Hiwote Tadesse, Gohar Grigorian, and Victoria Bruce-Goga. Dorota Kowalska and Sladjana Cosic also contributed. The research design drew upon a series of discussions at the onset of the study with staff of the following institutions: Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Ministry of Education, Youth and Science, Open Society Institute, Gender Project in Bulgaria, Amalipe Foundation for the Roma, Vitosha Research, and Microstat Analytics. Field work was conducted by a team led by Prof. Ilona Tomova of the Institute for Population and Human Studies, Bulgarian Academy Science. The team would like to thank peer reviewers Joost de Laat, Tobias Linden, Ana Maria Munoz Boudet, Sarosh Sattar, and Sarah Keener for their insightful comments. The team also appreciates the feedback received from the Office of Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister for Interior), Ministry of Finance, and National Council for Cooperation on the Ethnic and Integration Issues. The report also benefitted from constructive comments by Laura Cassio, Rob Swinkels, and Sophia Georgieva. | 5 GENDER DIMENSIONS OF ROMA INCLUSION Executive Summary i. The ‘Gender Dimensions of Roma Inclusion’ study conveys gender-informed Roma perspectives on the historical challenge of their social inclusion in Bulgaria. It is based on qualitative research consisting of neighbor- hood questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs) with women and men of varying age groups, and mini case studies. The research was conducted in four Roma communities (Byala Slatina, Hristo Botev, Sheker Mahala, and Vesselinovo) selected by regional representation, extent of urbanization, and adherence to traditional lifestyles and isolation from mainstream society. The study contributes to efforts in implementing the Bulgarian National Roma Integration Strategy 2012 – 2020, and developing Roma targeted policies and programs. Roma communities in Bulgaria ii. The Roma constitute about 4.7 percent of Bulgaria’s population, though estimates vary due to contested identities.The Roma number approximately 371,000 according to official figures (National Statistical Institute, 2001) and are the third