Gendering the Costs of the Political Economy Transition in Russia

Russia is an important global player that has witnessed the pressures and challenges of globalization, international economic liberalization and privatization. Since the early 1990s, Russia has been charting new paths towards democracy and market-oriented institutions. How did Russia's integration with the global economy reshape its power in internal political and economic gender frameworks? To answer this question this article maps out the gender impact of political and economic reforms under Yeltsin. We argue that some of these reforms fueled a conservative turn in social attitudes that legitimized gender inequalities in the political economy of Russia, marginalizing women both as workers and as political actors. Our findings suggest that the transition to a new political economy created new social risks with far-reaching consequences for gender equality.