Empowering Women Executives: Presidents and Prime Ministers in Central and Eastern Europe and Women’s Cabinet Appointments

This paper addresses women presidents and prime ministers in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). We assess their impact on women’s political empowerment in their societies. We focus on leaders from five countries: Croatia, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, and Estonia. Based on our analysis of cabinet data across time in each country as well as interviews with over 65 political experts and politicians in these countries (including women heads of state and government) we find a variety of opportunities and obstacles to women’s cabinet inclusion. Women leaders do not necessarily promote women to cabinet posts nor to more powerful roles. Nevertheless, we do see some progress in promoting women to the cabinet in some cases, particularly in Estonia and Romania, when women are at the helm. Women’s gains, however, are sometimes fleeting, comprising democratic representation.