Women's right to inheritance: Customs stronger than law

Men and women, at least on paper, have the same right of inheritance, but when you look at the actual data, customs are still stronger than the law in Serbia. In as many as 44 percent of cases, women renounce their inheritance in favor of other family members. When it comes to men, only 0,5 percent of them do it. 

Therefore, for every 88 women, there is only one man who renounces the right of inheritance in favor of another family member.

These data were obtained by the Coalition for Fair Inheritance, which, as part of the "How much is my share" campaign, conducted a national survey on the obstacles faced by women in the process of inheritance distribution.

One of the reasons why women renounce their inheritance is that they are not told exactly what the consequences are. Although it is not their legal obligation, the Coalition called on the Chamber of Public Notaries to warn their clients about what such decisions entail.

"One of the consequences of the decision for an individual to renounce inheritance is the loss of the right to social assistance in the future," states the statement of the Coalition for Fair Inheritance, which is made up of more than 20 organizations that fight to raise awareness in society that women and men have equal rights in terms of inheritance.

In a letter to the Chamber of Public Notaries, they stated that such outcomes most often occur under the pressure and expectations of the environment, especially in rural areas. In most cases, these are women, whether they are victims of violence or divorced single mothers.

Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, warned how present and pronounced this problem really is. 

Thus, at the panel "Women and inheritance - patriarchal patterns and rights", she cited the example of a mother who condemned her daughters who decided to accept inheritance.

"That's when family relations are disrupted and there is no discussion about it, because the mother grew up in a patriarchal environment where that question was not raised," Janković explained.

She pointed out that the inheritance of property is a special phenomenon, and that patriarchal patterns last for centuries and are deeply rooted in our consciousness and identity.

"It's not easy to change." "There is no such law, strategy and action plan that will change that overnight," said Janković.

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