Gesine Fuchs

Gender Politics in Eastern Europe

2015 Gender Politics in Eastern Europe. Issue of  Femina Politica 24 (2) (with Eva-Maria Hinterhuber).
Introduction: Complex Interrelations of Gender Politics in Eastern Europe.

Following 25 years of democratic transformation in Eastern Europe, we are still confronted with ambiguous results regarding gender relations. Democratisation was neither synonymous with gender democracy, nor did the transition to a „free“ market economy produce economic gender equality. This introduction to our special issues surveys new research on gender relations in the Eastern member states of the European Union. We then evaluate the structural impact of EU mandates in these domains, i. e., on the architecture of Women’s Policy Agencies and on the role of women’s Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). We present a case study on gender developments in Ukraine as a non-member state to further illustrate the contradictory nature of evolving gender relations in the region as regards women’s roles, social policies and female activism. The introduction closes with reflections on the types of research and political activities that could further the pursuit of gender equality.

English version of the introduction