Development of women’s societies in Macedonia and Edirne Thrace (second half of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century)

The article is devoted to the public appearances of Bulgarian women from the regions of Macedonia and Edirne Thrace (then located in the Ottoman Empire) and their organization in women’s societies in the period from the mid-nineteenth century to the Balkan Wars. 

The topic is considered in the context of the emancipation of the female sex and its departure from the sphere of the home. It is emphasized that during this period it is still not possible to speak of manifestations of feminism, but rather of activity in the field of education and charity. 

However, a certain level of women’s unification was reached in the name of public causes and traditional stereotypes about the role of women were broken.