The Position and Role of Women in the Private Sphere of the Slovene Counter-Revolutionary Camp

Julija Suligoj 
PhD Student at Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Trnjava 40, 1225 Lukovica, Slovenia

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Abstract

This study delves into the transformative effects of World War II on women’s lives on the home front in what is now the Republic of Slovenia. It focuses on the Slovensko domobranstvo (Slovene Home Guard), a counter-revolutionary movement, and examines women’s roles within the family and their contributions to the movement’s ideology. The movement used anti-communist propaganda to emphasize women’s roles as key supporters of the regime’s social model. Despite traditional gender norms confining women to roles as wives and homemakers, this paper explores how women managed their dual responsibilities during wartime. Utilizing journals such as Slovensko domobranstvo and Domovina in Kmetski list, which were crucial educational tools for the anti-communist camp, the study highlights the daily lives of women linked to the Slovene Home Guard. The research contextualizes the division of roles between private and public spheres, emphasizing women’s adaptability and contributions within the broader narrative of wartime mobilization and ideological indoctrination. This exploration enhances our understanding of gender roles, the home front, and women’s positions during World War II in Slovene territory.

Keywords: Slovene Home Guard, women’s history, World War II, propaganda, journals, domesticity, women’s work