This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by van der Lippe, T. Articles by Fodor, E. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Changes in Gender Inequality in Six Eastern European Countries

Utrecht University, Utrecht and Dartmouth College, Dartmouth

Éva Fodor

Utrecht University, Utrecht and Dartmouth College, Dartmouth

This article addresses the question whether or not gender inequality on the labour market increased after the collapse of the communist parties in eastern Europe. Are women the losers in the process of transformation? Several researchers claim that women are the victims; they link this claim to the needs of capitalist production, gender ideologies or the lack of social movements to defend women's interests. We argue that a more thorough analysis is necessary to draw the conclusion that women are the losers. We use data from the survey 'Social Stratification in Eastern Europe after 1989' which was conducted in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Slovakia in 1993. Our conclusion is that women in general do not seem to have suffered major setbacks in their economic positions compared to those of men in the first five years after the demise of state socialism. They did not withdraw in large numbers to become full-time housewives, as predicted by various researchers. The restructuring of the economy was instrumental in preventing a large increase in gender differences. Before 1988, women were over-represented in the service sector and men in industry. Due to the growth of the service sector, women's experience and current positions are useful in maintaining their employment patterns. However, men have improved their positions more in areas related to the emerging market economy. Between countries, we did not find many differences in changes in gender inequality between 1988 and 1993, but there are differences which existed already in 1988 and before.

Acta Sociologica, Vol. 41, No. 2-3, 131-149 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/000169939804100203


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?