Breaking Male Dominance: Institutional Change in New Democracies

Abstract

This chapter argues that, despite the relatively short interval, and despite the formidable resilience of men's over-representation in politics of the past two decades, the process of breaking male dominance is well under way in Central and Eastern Europe. I identify five mechanisms of change, all of which have been at play in the region: gender quotas, party contagion, party system change, the diffusion of international norms and an increase in women's activism in some countries, coupled with the emergence of a whole array of women's policy machineries and other state institutions dedicated to promoting gender equality.