From Laggard to Leader: Surprising Trends in Gendered Leadership in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

This panel presents novel approaches to understanding the growth and impact of women in Central and Eastern European (CEE) politics. Previous analysis has focused more on women in western advanced industrial democracies. We seek to foreground the roles of women in the CEE in theoretical and methodological discussions of descriptive and substantive representation of female political interests, thus contributing to larger debates by examining country cases often underexplored. We examine women across a variety of political sectors: civil society (Gwaizda), legislatures (Dean; Vojvodic), and executives (Jalalzai and Rincker, Bego). Papers use a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches to examine the growing numbers, presence, and impact of female legislators and executives in CEE. Papers include in-depth analysis of the rise of feminist activists in Poland (Gwiazda), the increase in women legislators in Serbia and Montenegro (Vojvodic) and Latvia (Dean). Papers also examine women cabinet ministers in CEE (Bego) and women prime ministers in Poland (Jalalzai and Rincker). Why in some CEE contexts do significant bursts in women’s numbers or executive powers not produce widespread substantive change? How is women’s presence in the executive realm increasing their likelihood in the legislative realm? Under what conditions do women aim to blend in with their male counterparts rather than highlight gender differences? Or alternatively, if they long to differentiate themselves by gender, how do legacies of corruption and authoritarianism dilute the effects of female legislators, executives, and activists? How does women’s party ideology in CEE shape women’s substantive actions in political spheres? Why can “gendered moral shocks” lead to greater short-term organizing outside of traditional political institutions, but not increase women’s levels in legislatures or the executives? These questions draw together the contributions of our respective authors who bridge the traditional divide across CEE and advanced industrial democracies.

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Women’s Executive Leadership in Poland	View Paper Details
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The Latvian Path from Descriptive to Substantive Representation of Women	View Paper Details
Shaping Perceptions: The Influence of Women in Cabinet Positions on Political Engagement and Trust in Central and Eastern Europe	View Paper Details
Substantive Progress?: The Effects of Increased Descriptive Political Representation on Women’s Rights in Serbia and Montenegro	View Paper Details
If Not Quotas, Then What? Factors Influencing the Election of Poland’s Women Members of the European Parliament, 2004-2019	View Paper Details