Gender Equality and Multilevel Governance in East Central Europe

Abstract

The move from communism to liberal democracy in east central Europe (ECE) has resulted in women being left behind in these transition processes. Women continue to be disproportionally affected by cuts in employment, are more likely to be employed in the less dynamic services sector, and are more at risk of poverty than men.² In political participation, too, women are making only a gradual recovery from their virtual absence from national politics that marked the first democratic elections (Figure 11.1). The deterioration of the position of women is not only a consequence of macroeconomic changes, but it is also due to a strengthening of patriarchal values and traditional gender roles infusing policy and politics in ECE.³

This chapter draws from the findings of a research project entitled ‘Enlargement, Gender and Governance: the Civic and Political Participation and Representation of Women in EU Candidate Countries’ (EGG). This 42-month project (12/03-5/06) was funded by the EU 5th Framework Programme (HPSE-CT2002-oo115) and directed by Yvonne Galligan at Queen’s University Belfast. The authors would like to thank Eva Bahovec, Alexandra Bitusikova, Marina Calloni, Ausma Cimdina, Eva Eberhardt, Malgorzata Fuszara, Georgeta Ghebrea, Hana Haskova, Anu Laas, Meilute Taljunaite and Nedyalka Videva for their research on gender mainstreaming in the context of this project. The completion of this chapter was made possible by a UK Arts and Humanities Research Council Award (Award No. 113117) given to Y. Galligan for research leave to pursue scholarship on women and politics in east central Europe.