{"id":22574,"date":"2021-03-08T05:38:06","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T10:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/croatian-american-psychology-professor-mala-matacin-on-gender-equality-in-croatia\/"},"modified":"2021-03-08T05:38:06","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T10:38:06","slug":"croatian-american-psychology-professor-mala-matacin-on-gender-equality-in-croatia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/croatian-american-psychology-professor-mala-matacin-on-gender-equality-in-croatia\/","title":{"rendered":"Croatian-American Psychology Professor Mala Matacin on Gender Equality in Croatia"},"content":{"rendered":"
March 8, 2021 – “It’s not discrimination, but I noticed that my gender mattered differently in Croatia in terms of marital status and traveling alone,” said Croatian-American Psychology Professor Mala Matacin about gender equality in Croatia.<\/span><\/p>\n Like every year, 2021 is no different, and March 8 is marked as International Women’s Day. The day that celebrates women’s emancipation but sadly reminds us that the battle for true equality is still ongoing. Given that massive gatherings still aren’t recommended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual No\u0107ni Mar\u0161 (Night March) in Zagreb will not be held this year as confirmed by the feminist collective Faktiv that regularly organizes the event. On the other hand, this year has seen gruesome stories and confessions of sexual abuse, harassment, and even rape all over the Balkans and Croatia too, as is evident by the posts and public outcry gathered by Nisam tra\u017eila (I didn’t ask for it), an initiative that connects women (as well as male victims of sexual violence) and provides a safe space to share their stories anonymously). What do these recent events tell us about gender equality and does Croatia fall behind on gender equality compared to the US or other Western countries?<\/p>\n Dr. Mala Matacin is a born American. If that sounds odd, it’s not just because of the Croatian surname but also because her name is a female gender version of the Croatian noun for \u201elittle\u201c (malo). Her father is from Preko on the island of Ugljan and her grandfather on her mother\u2019s side was from Groma\u010da, a village near Dubrovnik. From September 2019 to March 2020, she was on an academic sabbatical in Croatia where she still has a family and is very enthusiastic about re-visiting post-pandemic. Apart from being on a quest for her family\u2019s roots, she spent her time meeting with academics and students at several universities and learning from activists. One of the highlights of her time here was being able to attend and participate in \u201eNight March\u201c last International Woman\u2019s Day. When it\u2019s safe to travel, she hopes to bring students to Croatia for a short-term study abroad program. \u00a0<\/p>\n Matacin has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology with\u00a0post-doctorate training in Behavioral and Preventive Medicine. She is teaching at the College of Arts and Sciences, the University of Hartford in the state of Connecticut. Her research is focused on women\u2019s health (primarily in the issues of body image and stress), women\u2019s leadership, and the relationship between images and social change. Matacin also has an interest in gender issues and she started and teaches a course \u201eWomen, Weight, and Worry\u201d which according to the official Hartford University website is a \u201epopular University honors course\u201c. She also teaches a freshman year course\u00a0 \u201cBeauty, Body Image, and Feminism\u201d.\u00a0 She has designed two new University courses\u2014one focused on systems of oppression and the other focused on photography and activism. Additionally, Dr. Matacin is the founder and faculty advisor for \u201cWomen for Change\u201d, a campus organization focused on gender and other equity issues.\u00a0 She has received multiple awards for her work (\u201cOutstanding Teacher Award\u201d in 1999, \u201cExcellence in Service to Students\u201d in 2010 by Sigma Alpha Pi, the National Society for Leadership and Success, \u201cInnovation in Teaching and Learning Award\u201d in 2018, the \u201cRoy E. Larsen Award for Excellence in Teaching and Contributions to University Life\u201d and \u201cOutstanding Faculty Award\u201d in 2019).\u00a0 A 2009 post-graduation survey done by the Career Center named Dr. Matacin one of the three top faculty members in the entire University of Hartford community as a faculty member who had a major\/positive impact on students. Just last weekend, during the opening ceremony of the Association for Women in Psychology virtual conference, she received the organization’s mentoring award.<\/span><\/p>\n I spoke to her about her experiences from Croatia, legal frame, Sex-ED, and what does she overall think about gender equality in the country compared to the US.
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