The 'Woman Question' in the Age of Perestroika

THE COLLAPSE OF 'really existing socialism',l and its eclipse as an economic and political altenative to liberal capitalism, has many implications for the populations of the affected countries, not all of them positive.* For the half that is female, there will be both losses and gains. As the state retreats from its self-designated role as 'emancipator of women', to be replaced by market forces, civil society and new ideological configurations, vulnerable social groups such as women are threatened by the abandoning of old commitments, and by a deepening of existing social divisions and political tensions. At the same time, such groups are now able to form their own organisations and challenge the limited conceptions of citizenship that prevailed under the old state structures. Although it is too early to predict the outcome of these epochal changes in some Communist countries it is still possible to talk of 'reforms' under Party rule, while elsewhere it appears that a wholesale move to the free market is in train the implications for women are momentous. Feminists might view these changes with a degree of ambivalence: on the one hand, welcoming fresh opportunities for debate as state control is relaxed and civil society emerges as a new political terrain; but on the other, fearing that the 'transition from socialism' will lead to a worsening of women's social and economic position, at least in the short to medium term. Although at this stage any analysis must necessarily be provisional, it is nevertheless possible to discern some changes in the definition of women's social position within this new context. This article will examine the three most pertinent issues: how those Communist parties that remain in power, or remain competitors for power, have redefined their policies with respect to women; how the socio-economic and political situa tion of women is likely tobe affected by the aban doning of part or all of the orthodox Communist policy package; and how far these new conditions favour the emergence of feministand women's movements. Whilst the main focus of the discussion will be the Soviet Union where the Communist Party has remained in power, some of the problems and possibilities that can be identified there