The stagnation of women’s emancipation in post-communist Romania. Beyond the curtain: evaluating gender equality in communist and post-communist Romania

Abstract

This paper delves into the intricacies of gender equality in Romania, focusing on the impact of communist policies on the developments post-1989. The study begins by assessing the progressive nature of communist policies in the Eastern Bloc, which advanced women's rights in education, employment, and the political realm. These policies often surpassed the progress seen in Western countries, even contributing to the global feminist movement. While reluctant to use the term ‘feminism’ due to its negative connotation and memories of Western imperialism, some values were shared between Eastern ‘women-friendly’ policies and Western feminist policies. However, beneath this facade lay numerous hidden issues and contradictions. The paper introduces various feminist theories to contextualize these policies and examines women's experiences during and after communism in Romania, providing extensive sources and statistics. Under communism, women saw advancements in education and employment but faced the double burden resulting from a first shift at work and a second shift of domestic duties. Post-communism, while significant progress was seen, this took the form of ‘snail steps’. Romania became the lowest ranked country in the European Union on the Gender Equality Index. Adapting the concept of State Feminism, the study argues that the women-friendly policies of communist Romania can be seen as a form of feminism, despite their flaws. Lastly, several factors are considered as contributors to the stagnation of women’s emancipation. Key words: communism; gender equality; post-communism; state feminism; feminism.