Gender Attitudes in the Third Decade of Post-Communism: Diminishing Space for Precariousness?

When the communist system collapsed, many observers were disappointed to discover that those living in postcommunist countries often had conservative views toward gender relations. Paradoxically, a large majority living in post-communist countries seem to support more “traditional” gender roles, in which the man is the primary breadwinner, and the mother is the chief person responsible for the family. The question arises whether the surveys released in the third decade following the collapse of the communist regimes continue to reflect these differences in gender views. This is especially the case because of the multiple disadvantages women face in the labor market and society. Such developments can lead to precarious employment and weakened social positions, and consequently the overall precariousness of families since gender attitudes make up an important component of the “gender culture” and “gender order”. Using data from the ISSP (International Social Survey Project) on “Gender and the Family” from 1994 to 2012, this chapter argues that the influence of the communist legacy continues in some ways but also seems to wane over time. Data show that, as the modernization, communist legacy, and institutional approaches predict, the gap between post-communist countries and Western countries in gender attitudes is declining. In particular, an increasing portion of the population in post-communist countries agrees that children and families will not suffer. This is a positive finding, which shows that as expected from the theories about the role of gender culture and policy feedback, the space for gender inequality and precariousness of families is diminishing. Between 2012 and 2020, overall gender equality increased in all post-communist countries included in the analysis and economic opportunity gender equality. Similarly, according to the key sign of job precariousness, which is temporary employment because of the unavailability of permanent jobs, job precariousness decreased significantly between 2012 and 2021 in post-communist countries included in our analysis of attitudes.