The Political Voice of the Czech Women´s Movement : A Study of Gender Oriented Organizations in the Czech Republic and Their Channels of Influence

Abstract: UPPSATSEN ÄR SKRIVEN I ÄMNET TJECKISKA (KURS TJE252). The history of gender equality in the Czech Republic i's long and diverse. Thi's thesi's aim's to provide a concise mapping of it's development, with the purpose to illustrate and explain factor's that have consequence's to thi's day. The principal focu's of the study i's the civic women''s movement. Some attention i's give to it's historical development, but the main discussion concern's it's current structure, activitie's and contribution's to making the Czech society more gender sensitive and gender equal. Using a methodological framework based on theorie's of collective action and political influence, the thesi's examine's which strategie's, formal and informal, Czech women''s NGO's and other gender oriented civic group's use to influence policy maker's, a's well a's the public opinion. The analysi's show's that the actor's in the movement use a wide range of tactic's and choose different strategie's for different occasion's. Thu's the study support's the theoretical suggestion that the choice of strategie's and working method's depend's on the condition's in which the strategy i's to be used. Further, the study show's that the Czech women''s movement i's a very important driving force in the pursuit of gender equality in the CR. The lasting impression of the analysi's made, i's that more cooperation and better coordination would favor the movement a's well a's it's cause.