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Gender Roles in Post-Communist Central and Eastern Europe

Many researchers have studied the affect of the fall of communism on the development of gender roles within Central and Eastern European society. It has been addressed academically that Communist countries have proceeded in reflection of Communism's influences socially in regards to gender roles and expectations.

Historical Turning Points

Author of Gendering Family Policies in Post-Communist Europe Steven Saxonberg argues that these differences in roles were not created soley by Communism or from the fall of Communism, but through a series of specific turning points throughout history. The first of which was the establishment of regulated child care. Placing an age restriction on those children who would be attending school and those who would need attentive care. This change shifted the needs of mothers and created an expectation for women to stay home with children until the age of three when they could finally attend institutional education. The second of which was "when Stalin forced the newly established communist regimes to close down their ministries of social care in the early 1950s, on the grounds that the command economy would solve all social problems" . Next, they put nurseries and the attentive childcare needed for children under the age of three to order under the Ministry of Health. This division created more issues in regards to the unification and smooth transition from home to educational institution. This change also made nurseries run more health care initiatives than educational ones, Creating a divide in educational preparedness for young children entering kindergarten. One final change was, through a stagnant economy, the government suggested to shut down more of these child care institutions and push back the age in which children could enter formal education. This lead to more responsibility and even more time woman were expected to stay home with children.

When Communism came to power, this shift was already in place, the changing regime just continued to stratify these gender roles. And proceeding it, these roles already set in place took hold for future generations to model.

Media and Representation

After the fall of communism media had more ways in which to express their ideas. Without the restrictions they once new, the media

As media groups competed to draw in potential audiences, using images and themes previously forbidden under communism was the most successful way to grab viewers' attention, including commercials with provocative images of women or TV programs that talked about and displayed sexual acts . . . Because sex under communism was either represented through officially sanctioned channels or not represented at all, the void rapidly filled with new images of sex, just as the consumer market and politics were flooded with new imported products and ideas.

This exploitation of women in mass media continued to stratify the gender roles and expectations in post-communist Europe. This surge of images continued to reinforce the idea that women were objects to sell products.

Job Representation

Gender roles create expectations for daily living. In post-communist countries, this also correlates with the jobs in which men and women are expected to occupy. Specifically in regards to Women in government, or lack thereof, showcases the strict gender roles in place still today.

The Soviet Party-state monopolized control over the politics of gender in order to make it consonant with the political and economic needs of socialism. Official Soviet propaganda claimed the "woman question" was solved because women and men were declared to enjoy equal rights. Hence. women were required to participate like men in labor. But when sex differences could not be ignored, women were quickly reminded that they had "natural" responsibilities involving preforming housework, taking care of children, and creating a god family atmosphere. As a result, women were frequently employed in lower-paid and lower-status positions.

With a lack of Women's representation in government it does not allow their systematic perspective and ideas to not be heard. Without Women in government their priorities are not always addressed.