Olga Avdeyeva Expounds the Significance of Women’s Advocacy Organizations in Pushing Central and Eastern European States, Adopt and Implement Women’s Rights Policies

Between 2004 and 2007, ten Eastern and Central European states became members of the European Union, marking an incredible achievement in meeting stringent EU accession requirements. While recognizing these achievements, many observers continued to doubt the sustainability of accession-linked reforms. Olga Avdeyeva undertakes a unique analysis of detailed original comparative data on state compliance with EU gender equality requirements. The book features a rigorous quantitative analysis combined with insightful case studies of reforms in Poland, Czechia, and Lithuania. The conclusions convincingly demonstrate that policy reforms succeeded in those states where women’s advocacy organizations developed coalitions with governing political parties.

“Defending Women’s Rights in Europe: Gender Equality and EU Enlargement” combines theories of international influences and domestic political actors to investigate how international conditionality, normative pressures, and social pressures interact with domestic political actors to secure progressive policy reforms. After becoming members of the EU, the governments did not abolish gender equality policies and institutions despite the costs and lack of popular support. Reputational concerns prevented state elites from policy dismantling, but only a handful of states achieved successful policy reforms. Strong gender equality institutions appeared in those states where women’s autonomous groups pressured the governing parties to enforce these policies. In those states where women’s advocacy groups were weak, governments marginalized gender equality policies and institutions after accession.

This book is highly recommended for those who require substantial material, research, and citations for policy planning, gender studies, women empowerment, and European Union-related issues and solutions. Teachers, scholars or students, and policymakers would benefit greatly from the informative and enlightening discourse provided in this book.

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Title: Defending Women’s Rights in Europe: Gender Equality and EU Enlargement

Author: Olga A. Avdeyeva

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published Date: January 2, 2016

Book Genre: Politics & Government

About the Author

Olga A. Avdeyeva is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago.