PristupačnostThe Department of Sociology was established in 1992 and is one of the core disciplines of the Faculty of Croatian Studies. The concept of sociology studies focuses on the application of sociological theories and social science methodology for understanding social processes and phenomena in the specific context of Croatian society and comparatively in a European and global perspective. The study of sociology aims to train highly qualified sociological research personnel with professional research and analytical skills necessary for productive work in the public and private sectors. The sociology program at the bachelor's and master's levels is organized according to current international scientific standards.
Ana Aračić, Petra Budimir-Bekan and Mirta Pavlović, undergraduate sociology students at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, have received the Rector’s Award for the 2025/2026 academic year for their paper Perceptions of Portrayals of Women in Trap Music and Young People’s Attitudes towards Women, prepared under the supervision of Assistant Professor Ivan Perkov, PhD.
Using an anonymous online questionnaire administered to a convenience sample of 363 respondents aged 18 to 25, the authors examined the relationship between the frequency of listening to trap music, acceptance of portrayals of women in its content, and young people’s attitudes towards women.
The results showed that more frequent listening to trap music was associated with greater acceptance of standards of physical appearance, portrayals of relationships between men and women, and representations of success, money and status found in trap content. However, no statistically significant association was found between the frequency of listening to trap music and traditional gender attitudes. The study also found that recognising sexualised portrayals of women does not necessarily imply rejecting them. The findings point to a complex relationship between popular culture and gender attitudes, with the authors emphasising that the observed associations do not allow conclusions about cause and effect.
The Rector’s Award is one of the University of Zagreb’s most prestigious student honours, recognising outstanding scientific, professional, artistic and socially beneficial work and projects. The award acknowledges the sociology students’ research into a topic that brings together popular culture, portrayals of women in music and young people’s attitudes.
The award ceremony will take place on Friday, 6 November 2026, at 11 a.m., at the University of Zagreb’s premises in the SEECEL building, Radoslava Cimermana 88.
The award-winning students and their supervisor discussed the research and its findings on RTL Direkt, broadcast on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. The segment is available here.
Congratulations to Ana, Petra and Mirta, and to their supervisor, Assistant Professor Ivan Perkov, PhD, on this achievement!
