The Long Shadow Cast by Communism over Women’s Political Representation

Why do democratization and gender quotas help to empower women politically in some countries, but not in others? This article addresses the question both theoretically and empirically by recognizing the role of historical legacies, and it contributes to the literature by analyzing the contested legacy of communism in women’s political representation. The main theoretical argument of the article focuses on post-communist politicians’ and citizens’ hatred toward everything that reminded them of the communist era after the collapse of the system, including the “woman question.” These politicians and citizens resisted legislative quotas and other pro-women democratic measures, viewing them as Soviet artifacts and symbols of top-down, state-forced women’s liberation. Therefore, ceteris paribus, exposure to communist rule in the past might reverse or nullify the otherwise positive effect of democratization and gender quotas on women’s political empowerment. This hypothesis is tested empirically using a comprehensive sample of 116 countries spanning the years 1991–2015. The findings indicate that the communist past does indeed overshadow the well-established positive influence of democratization and gender quotas upon female political empowerment. A comparative exploration of post-communist Poland and the Czech Republic illustrates the argument further and allows consideration of additional explanatory factors.