| Language: | Czech |
| Country: | The Czech Republic |
| Based: | Prague |
| Founder: | Milada Horáková |
| Founded: | 1947 |
| Category: | Women's magazine |
| Frequency: | Weekly |
Vlasta is a weekly women's magazine which has been in circulation since 1947. The magazine is headquartered in Prague, the Czech Republic. Its title is a reference to a female warrior from an Old Czech legend.[1] It was the most popular publication of the Communist era in the country.[2]
Vlasta was established by Milada Horáková in 1947.[1] [3] Its establishment was supported by the Council of Czech Women which was a commission of experts.[4] The cover of its first issue featured Edvard Beneš and his wife Hana Beneš.[1] It is published on a weekly basis.[5]
During the Communist period Vlasta was under the state control via the Czechoslovak Women's Union (CSWU).[5] The CSWU was also its publisher.[6] From the late 1960s it became relatively less dependent on the CSWU.[5] During this period it covered articles on feminism, but this phase ended in 1969 when the magazine was subject to strict censorship.[7] Vlasta reinforced the goals of the state in regard to the increase of the birth rate and diminishing the women's burden of formal labor and domestic work.[5] In line with the former the magazine published anti-abortion articles in the 1950s and 1960s.[2] It published the memos of the CSWU functioning as its spokesman.[5] [8]
Vlasta had the second highest circulation in 1968 after the Rudé právo newspaper.[5] As a result, its page number was increased from 16 to 32 in February 1968.[5] The magazine enjoyed higher levels of circulation until 1989.[5] Then it began to be published by a private company.[5]
As of 2006 Vlasta was described as a conservative women's magazine focusing on topics related to the roles of women's as a mother and a spouse.[3]