Dirigism and Deja Vu Logic

This article examines the transference of the European Union's equal opportunity directives to the new post-socialist accessor states, most especially to Bulgaria and Romania. Drawing upon 13 interviews in Bulgaria and 12 in Romania with local institutional stakeholders -- e.g. trade union depu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of women's studies 2009-08, Vol.16 (3), p.211-228
Main Author: Weiner, Elaine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bulgaria
East and West
European Union
Feminism
Interest Groups
Postcommunist Societies
Romania
Sexual Inequality
Socialism
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Summary:This article examines the transference of the European Union's equal opportunity directives to the new post-socialist accessor states, most especially to Bulgaria and Romania. Drawing upon 13 interviews in Bulgaria and 12 in Romania with local institutional stakeholders -- e.g. trade union deputies, ministry officials -- the article shows how politico-ideological differences have bred very different gender sensibilities across Europe, East and West. It further reveals how these disparities have been downplayed, if not wholly ignored in the EU's extension eastward. The study concludes that continued disregard of the historical and cultural specificities of power relations between men and women in the formerly socialist, new EU member states threatens the efficacy of the EU's 'gender equality agenda' and more generally, the integrity of the EU as a self-purported democratic body. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright holder.]
ISSN:1350-5068
DOI:10.1177/1350506809105306