Introduction: Gender Politics and Everyday Life in State Socialist Eastern and Central Europe

Abstract

Since the collapse of state socialism1 in Eastern and Central Europe twenty years ago, a good deal of scholarship has been devoted to the issue of gender and the transition.2 Relatively less, however, has been published (in English) that focuses on gender politics, policies, and the everyday lives of women and men under state socialism.3 This imbalance is somewhat understandable in light of the need for policy-oriented analysis that focused on the effect of the transition on women’s civic, economic, and social position. Still, the comparatively moderate production of research on gender and state socialism is curious considering the many documentary and human sources that have become available to scholars since 1989. While some might argue that this imbalance reflects the illegitimacy of the socialist system, it is clear from our conversations with men and women that socialism decisively shaped, and continues to shape, how individuals think about government, the economy, society, and their lives more generally.