Women's Vital Voices: The Costs of Exclusion in Eastern Europe

Abstract

In the newly independent states of Eastern Europe, the low status of women is hindering economic development and the transition to democracy. The transition from communism to capitalism has caused women to suffer from diminished labor market access, increased vulnerability to crime (including trafficking in women), loss of family-oriented social benefits, and exceedingly low representation in parliaments. These factors have combined to produce the striking feminization of poverty evident in many countries. Many countries also have not yet established laws and mechanisms to protect women from sexual harassment in employment, rape, or domestic violence. All of this ignores the fact that women create the essential social elements of political stability and fuel economies because they are reliable employees and innovative entrepreneurs. In response, women have formed new alliances, (including some that reached across enemy lines in Bosnia) and scores of nongovernmental organizations. The US has responded by taking actions that focus on women's economic enterprises, such as directing management training to women farmers in Albania and Russia and advocating the creation of microcredit schemes for women. The US is also supporting efforts to harmonize national and international policies and legislation to stop trafficking in women and is taking steps to support and develop women leaders in the region. It is in the best interest of the US to magnify the voices of women who are echoing US values in postcommunist Europe.