Overview

Gender issues in the transition countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) are markedly different from those in other regions of the world.

Gender equity was one of the major achievements of the Soviet Union and the socialist regimes of Central Europe. Literacy rates were high among both women and men, levels of female employment often exceeded those of the OECD countries, and benefits such as pensions were provided equally to men and women.




The difficulties of transition have, however, taken a toll of this legacy. While internationally, women have borne the brunt of gender inequality, in the ECA region the sweeping changes of the past decade have seen both men and women pay a price.

However, a clear geographical pattern in gender differences has emerged. While in Central Asia, women's welfare has declined as compared to that of men, in the European countries of the former Soviet Union, the burden has fallen disproportionately on men.

In Russia and Ukraine the main concern is the welfare of men, who are at a clear disadvantage with respect to all indicators. In Tajikistan, on the other hand, women's welfare has declined as compared to men with respect to all indicators.