Women in Power in Post-Communist Parliaments

Marilyn Rueschemeyer is Professor Emerita of Sociology at the Rhode Island School of Design and currently chairs the European Politics Series at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. Her books include Professional Work and Marriage: An East-West Comparison and Women in the Politics of Postcommunist Eastern Europe.Sharon L. Wolchik is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. She is author of Czechoslovakia in Transition: Politics, Economics, and Society and editor (with James R. Millar) of The Social Legacy of Communism.

"[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 Review"This is a highly generative and coherent piece of scholarship. . . . The most important cross-national comparative book to date on the role of women in post-communist politics."—Mitchell A. Orenstein, Johns Hopkins University"Women in Power gives us a more personal lens to understand the ways in which the parliaments, as well as the women who have made it into the houses, have adjusted to the new cultures and mandates of the post-communist world."—Jean Robinson, Indiana University Bloomington

• I Introduction Marilyn Rueschemeyer and Sharon L. WolchikPART ONEII Women in the Russian Duma Linda J. Cook and Carol Nechemias III Is There a Women's Lobby in the Polish Parliament: Progress and Current DifficultiesRenata SiemienskaIV Women in the Slovene Parliament: Working toward a Critical MassMilica Antic GaberV Women in Power in the Czech Republic: Problems and Prospects Sharon L. WolchikVI East German Women in the Unified German Parliament Marilyn RueschemeyerVII Reflections on the Return of the King: Women in the Bulgarian Parliament Karen GhodseePART TWO VIII Conversations with Russian Parliamentarians Linda J. Cook and Carol NechemiasIX The Perspective of the Head of the Parliamentary Women's Group: Senator Dorota Kempka Speaks with Agnieszka Majcher X A Specialist in Culture in the Slovene Parliament Majda SircaXI Negotiating the Czech Parliament Anna CurdovaXII From the German Democratic Republic to the European ParliamentConstanze KrehlXIII Entering the Bulgarian Parliament Kina Andreeva XIV ConclusionMarilyn Rueschemeyer and Sharon L. Wolchik Selected Bibliography About the Authors