LITHUANIAN WOMEN'S POLITICAL AND SOCIAL MOVEMENT AT THE END OF XX CENTURY

Lithuanian women started to organize themselves in 1905. In October 1905 a women amalgamation was established. Its aim was to join women into the movement for their political and civil rights.

In 1907 in Kaunas the first women assembly was organized. A woman of different social status attended the assembly. Among them were the writers Julija Žemaitė-Žymantienė, Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė, Liudvika Didžiulienė, Ona Pleirytė-Puidienė, Marija Penkauskaitė-Šatrijos Ragana, Sofija Ivanauskaitė-Pšibiliauskienė-Lazdynų Pelėda, the socially active women Felicija Bortkevičienė, servants, women workers and peasants. Most of the assembly members were country – women. They spoke about the wrong that had been done to them. They wonted to get some advice and ways to solve their problems.

The political party i. e. Social Democrats, Democrats and Christian Democrats wanted to gain influence on the women movement. Only Christian Democrats succeeded in this. This party organized the first women assembly and the Christian women organization. As a result the women movement split into 2 organizations of Christian women and laywomen.

The Lithuanian Christian women’s organization was established in March 1908. The public women’s organization wasn’t formally established because the Russian officials did not issue a license for their activity.