in
1944. The Pioneer organization is composed of children of elementary
school age. It is structured like the Komsomol and operates as its
junior division. A special division within the Komsomol National Central
Committee oversees the affairs and work of the Pioneers. Lower
committees at the district and municipality levels are directed by the
soviets for working with students, which are charged with youth work in
their respective territorial jurisdictions. Each district has a Pioneer
battalion that is divided into companies corresponding to school classes
and further subdivided into classroom rows, the lowest unit of Pioneer
organization. The chain of command flows from the central committee and
reaches down to the youngest member of the organization living in the
remotest part of the country. The content of academic curriculum and
party training is generally in accord with the ability levels of the
children.

Committee of Bulgarian Women

There is no mass organization, as such, for Bulgarian women. The
Committee of Bulgarian Women, with a membership of 171 in 1973, is a
group dedicated to looking after the affairs of women in the country,
whether they be workers or housewives. The Constitution of 1971
guarantees to Bulgarian women the enjoyment of equal rights with men. In
the complex structure of the BKP-controlled government, recognition of
women as a significant working force in the socialist movement is given
great attention. An earlier provision contained in the 1947
Constitution, known as the Dimitrov Constitution, similarly guarantees
the "right to work, equal pay for equal work," and the attendant
benefits, such as paid leave, social security, retirement pension, and
education.

Bulgarian women have become active participants in the political process
under communist rule. As noted earlier, 25.2 percent of BKP members in
1971 were women, and there was one woman in the Politburo. There were
7,000 women members of the BZS and almost half of the Komsomol members
were women (500,000); the same is true for the Fatherland Front, and
women made up 41.2 percent of the trade unions. In the unions of
writers, composers, artists, and actors women are also active. Most
teachers are women. They represented 67.7 percent of the Teachers Union.

The women's movement was active on a nationwide scale. On the initiative
of the Committee of Bulgarian Women, a plan for the development of
science and technical progress includ