HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography (2010) 4.2, 63-78 www.humangeographies.org.ro AGE-GENDER STRUCTURE OF CROATS IN VOJVODINA PROVINCE1 Tamara Kovačevića*, Lolita Zakića, Milka Bubalo-Živkovića aUniversity of Novi Sad, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Novi Sad, Serbia Abstract: The paper elaborates the age - gender structure of Croats in Vojvodina and gives insight how old is the Croatian population and does it in general older than population of Vojvodina. Particular attention was given to the period after the Second World War, e.g. on the second half of 20th and at the beginning of 21st century. The main task of the paper was the identification of tendencies in age structure of Croats. Statistical methods and mathematics proceeding are used to compare different parameters of age structure (e.g. middle age, index of ageing etc). The paper proves that Croats are one of the oldest ethnic groups among the population of Vojvodina province. The results of the study will enhance the knowledge about demographic characteristics of Croats in Vojvodina and therefore might be useful for further research in the field. Key words: Age structure, Gender structure, Croats, Vojvodina Introduction census 2002, Croats had a portion of 2.8% in total population of Vojvodina region. The Serbia in terms of ethno-demographic Age-gender structure of Croats in processes is one of the most complex entities Vojvodina is elaborated in the paper. Special in Europe (Vojkovic, 2003, 28). The attention is given to the second half of the demographic and socio-cultural terms of 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. Vojvodina is a unique multicultural, The most Census data are acquired by the multiethnic and multi-area, not only in Serbia, same statistical methodology. All numerical state in which the part is located, but also in data relate to the Croats in Vojvodina, but Europe (Stepanov, Lazar, 2002, 137). Croats are official statistics founds two more ethnicity on one of the 29 “national minorities” in Serbia. the territory of Vojvodina which can be added The concept of "national minority" has no to Croats. Those are Bunjevaz and Schokaz internationally recognized definition. who often declared themselves as Croats Accordingly, minorities are identified based during the history. on linguistic, ethnic, national and/or religious The literature about Croats in differences with the majority population Vojvodinais very scarce. Information about (Sircelj, 2002, 10). Croats represent 0.9% of Croats in Vojvodina can be found sporadically total population in Serbia (Republički zavod and in the texts about other national za statistiku, 2003a, 16). From 70.602 Croats in minorities, as additional information. Serbia, 80.1% live in Vojvodina region, 14.7% in Belgrade and others (5.2%) inhabit the territory of Central Serbia. According to Croats in Vojvodina before the 1 Constitution of Yugoslavia Paper is a part of the project (Contract Project EVB. 146017D) “Demographic transitions in Serbia” financed by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development. In the list of taxpayers, there is some evidence *Corresponding author: about Croats on the territory of Vojvodina. Email: [email protected] There was a certain number in Srem. At the TAMARA KOVAČEVIĆ ET AL. 145341 150000 132517 134232 138172 130000 129788 128054 109203 110000 90000 81198 101035 91366 67692 66362 74808 70000 80404 72298 50000 38161 60690 Number of Croats in Vojvodina 56546 30000 1780 1805 1830 1855 1880 1905 1930 1955 1980 2005 Census Figure 1. The number of Croats in Vojvodina, according Censuses between 1781-2002 end of 17th century, they came to Vojvodina growth occurred just before the disintegration along with Serbs and settled down in Hrtkovci of the Monarchy. At the time of the 1910 and Nikinci. In 1720, a small ethnic group Hungarian census, the large-scale immigration called “Bunjevci” occupied the north of the of Germans, Croats and Hungarians happened Backa region. Later, they started to declare to be in the Srem sub region (Kocsis, Kicošev, themselves as Croats (Kicošev, Kovačević, 2004, 1 and 2). 2004, 86). From 1711 to 1867, the number of Croats in Vojvodina was almost double (Figure 1). During the reign of Francis I, the main The Number of Croats in Vojvodina target of colonization was the scarcely after the Constitution of Yugoslavia inhabited Banat. In this period, the significant number of Hungarians, Slovaks, Romanians, Yugoslavia was constituted at the end of the Croats and Czechs settled here besides World War I (1914-1918). The consequences of Germans. Croats were colonized in the central the World War I can be divided in two groups. part of Banat, in the following settlements: The first group includes the consequences of Radojevo, Neuzina and Boka. During the the war itself, such as the physical loss (people Napoleonic Wars, the colonization organized who lost their lives in battles or died of by the government was halted. However, epidemics) and the demographic loss (the around 6000 German and Croatian refugees negative natural growth of population). The withdrew from French troops and fled to second group includes the consequences South Hungary (Kocsis, Kicošev, 2004). caused by the end of the war and the change Period of Austro-Hungarian domination of the government (emigration of certain was characterized by the enlargement of all ethnic groups, changes in ethnic declaring, ethnic groups, mostly because of the huge etc). The extreme growth was registered in the natural growth of the population (11-14‰) Croatian ethnic group, caused by the decision (Tomićet all 2004, 70-75). The natural of the Bunjevci to declare themselves as assimilation also slightly contributed to the Croats (Tomićet all, 2004, 73). increase in the number of inhabitants The first census of the country of South declaring themselves as Hungarians. This Slav nations, in 1921, shows that it was about could be observed mainly among German, hundred and thirty thousands Croats in Croat (Bunjevatz), Jewish, Serbian urban Vojvodina Region. According to the Census in middle class population and Catholic 1931, the number of Croats in Vojvodina Bulgarians in the Banat (Maletić, 1968). In the increased for 2%. period between 1867 and 1918, the number of According to calculations, Kocsis and Croats in Vojvodina increased. Intensive Kicošev (2004) noticed the following fact. 64 HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, (2010) 4.2, 63-78 AGE-GENDER STRUCTURE Between 1918 and 1931, 3000 optant attracted several hundred thousand village Bunjevatzes were settled besides local Slavs on dwellers into the towns, causing the land of 468.989 cadastral acres on the deagrarization and urbanization. This caused present territory of Vojvodina, in the a gradual breaking up of traditional rural Hungarian ethnic space, mainly about 50 km society and ethnic rural communities. In from the border. As a result, the number of urban environment, the intense ethnic settlements with Croatian ethnic dominance combining and mixed marriages of the rapidly increased from 20 to 22. growing new urban population, with different Census 1941 wasn’t organized on the lingual and religious backgrounds, intensified state level, because of the Second World War. natural linguistic assimilation and vanishing According to data of Hungarian census, which of ethnic identity, as well. This trend was was conducted between 11th and 25th intensive from the `70s, reflected by the rapid November 1941, compared to the Census 1931, growth in the proportion of those who could the number of Croats has decreased for more not or did not want to define their ethnic than ¼ (23.8%). The period between 1941 and affiliation. The great majority of this 1944 was very turbulent. Independent State of population identified themselves only as Croatia was declared in Zagreb on 10th April. „Yugoslav“. In 1981, „Yugoslav“ population, According to the resolution of the Vienna both in absolute and relative terms, reached Conference, Srem, the southwest part of the greatest share in the bigger towns (Novi Vojvodina, was given to the Independent State Sad, Subotica, Zrenjanin, Sombor, Pančevo) of Croatia (Mirnić, 1947). That fact had had with vast attraction zones and extremely small influence to the number of Croats in mixed ethnic hinterlands. Vojvodina. Between 1948 and 1991 the population of The consequences of the World War II Croats in Vojvodina, who were especially had negative influence for the ethnic structure struck by the increasing loss of their ethnic of Vojvodina. The scopes of war losses were identity, i.e. who got „Yugoslavized“ and exceeded by the results of migrations. tempted by the attracting „guest work“ Between September 1945 and July 1947, all opportunities in the West. The number of Germans from Vojvodina and Yugoslavia were settlements with Croatian majority in expelled and the Yugoslav population was Vojvodina decreased from 19 to 17 between colonized on their settlements. Of the total of 1948 and 1991 (Kocsis, Kicošev, 2004). these 225.696 colonists, there were 7134 Croats (3.2%) (Gaćeša, 1984, 404). The next census was organized in 1948 The Number of Croats in Vojvodina and it showed that in Vojvodina province after the Constitution of Republic of 134.232 Croats was registered (table 1). It was Croatia only 1.3% more than 1931. During the postwar period, until the middle of 60s, there was the Since the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991, expansion of all ethnic communities because there have been three wars in the “former” of the high rate of natural growth of Yugoslavia, taking place in Slovenia, Croatia, population. The greatest number of Croats and Bosnia-Herzegovina; with further was registered in 1961. conflicts situated within each of these However, during the last four decades, conflicts (Hudson, 1999, 71). The beginning of the rate of natural population growth was the `90s introduced new, significant changes significantly lower, which caused the in the ethnic structure of Vojvodina.