Women in Power in Post-Communist Parliaments

Sharon L Wolchik editor Marilyn Rueschemeyer editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Indiana University Press

Published:31st Aug '09

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Women in Power in Post-Communist Parliaments cover

Women as political actors in eastern Europe today

Examines the life and work of women who have reached positions of political power after the end of communism in Europe. This book explores the roles they have adopted, the relationships they have cultivated, and the agendas they have pursued.

Women in Power in Post-Communist Parliaments examines the life and work of women who have reached positions of political power after the end of communism in Europe. It explores the roles they have adopted, the relationships they have cultivated, and the agendas they have pursued. Much of the literature on women in post-Communist states has focused on one or two countries. This volume treats the issues comparatively, in six countries—the Czech Republic, Germany (with a focus on the former GDR), Slovenia, Bulgaria, Poland, and Russia. It also includes interviews with and written statements by the very "women in power" discussed in the first half of the book, giving voice to their common and divergent experiences as political actors within an environment of stormy economies and new foreign engagements, particularly with the European Union.

[T]his is a well-researched and well-organized volume. It should be standard reading for both scholars interested in woman politicians generally and post-Communist politics in particular. Its importance lies in the questions that it raises, perhaps more so than the answers it provides. 69.3, July 2010

* The Russian Review *

By not focusing on the post-communist superstar, this book draws a nuanced picture of the various women serving as members of parliament in the post-communist era. ... As the women describe their routes to parliament and their work there, they create an account of their experiences with and in power that is comparable to those of women in the West.

-- Elisheva Zakheim * Feminist Review *

[This] book provides genuinely interesting and legible data and analyses that inform us – both in a comparative sense, and by giving voice to individual actors – on the subject of women's pervasive and persistent inequality in the sphere of high politics.

* Canadian — American Slavic Studies *

[T]his edited volume is an important addition to the comparative literature on women in politics. It helps illuminate gender politics in an important, unique, and understudied region. . . . Overall, this niche-filling book is a welcome addition to the libraries of both political sociologists and gender scholars. It is a valuable resource, whether used for reference or instruction.

* Contemporary Sociology *

Unlike so many other edited works, with its succinct and suitable introduction and conclusion, Rueschemeyer and Wolchik's study manages to bring these contributions into a valuable and united whole. . . . This volume is a valuable addition for students of gender politics, as well as of those of post-Communist Central and East Central European cultures and societies.

* H-SAE, H-Net Reviews *

The volume fills an important scholarly gap by examining transitions in the political, economic, and social spheres of the postcommunist world. . . . [A] real empirical contribution to the study of women in power.

* Slavic Revi

ISBN: 9780253221698

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 499g

256 pages