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State Support in the Market: Women and Tourism Employment in Post-Socialist Bulgaria

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Abstract

In many former Eastern Bloc countries, economic transition has been responsible for drastic declines the social and economic well-being for both men and women. In general, however, women have tended to experience relatively greater losses since 1989. Through a detailed case study of women's employment in the tourism sector of post-Communist Bulgaria, this chapter will argue that state support for certain economic sectors can help improve the relative economic welfare of women. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this study finds that state support for viable economic sectors with relatively high wages that employ a “critical mass” of women can help to ease the difficult transition from centrally-planned to free-market economies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Women's Studies Program, Eurasian and East European Studies Program, Bowdoin College, 7100 College Station, Brunswick, ME, 04011

    Kristen Ghodsee (Assistant Professor)

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  1. Kristen Ghodsee
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Ghodsee, K. State Support in the Market: Women and Tourism Employment in Post-Socialist Bulgaria. International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society 16, 465–482 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022364630327

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022364630327

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