동구 사회주의 국가의 여성정책

The State Policy on Women in Estern Europe

The purpose of this paper is to study the relation between socialist state and women through the state policy toward women in Eastern Europe. It helps us to understand the socialist patriarchy and to grasp the condition of women's liberation in Eastern Europe. Most of socialist societies have officially defined the sexual equality on their program and law. But we have to reexamine the definition whether it includes sexual equality and women's liberation ideology or how it has the effectiveness to change the woman's condition. In employment policy, Eastern Europe has supported the entrance of women's wage labor. But the integrating women into the workforce is not a sufficient condition for women's emancipation. Women workers in Eastern Europe are concentrated in female industries such as textile, garment and electrical assembly, and women earn on the average 70 percent of what men earn. And these countries seem to be not intended to resolve these problems. Childcare policy is essential in socialist countries if women and men are to have an equal opportunity to participate in the labor force. Despite the drop of birth rate, it is a fact that childcare facilities are generally increase and the isolation of women in home are institutionally supplemented. But the childcare policy of these countries is a consistent traditional sexual identity which assumes that women will be responsible for children. In the system of maternity protection, the primary method of birth control in Easern Europe has depended on abortion. And the state has actively intervened in pregnancy-dilivery process. Easern Europe has placed the women's pregancy under the protection of the state. It has to be evaluated quite positively in better health for both mother and child. And it has involved social evaluation about women's pregnancy. But there is the question of women's control ability over reproduction. It has to be discussed the right of women themselves over reproductive capacity. The existence of social service and the law of maternity protection in Eastern Europe makes the position of women somewhat easier. But it has to be considered that the material barriers and the general standard of living and intention of the state policy have affects on the interests of women. Eastern Europe emphasized the importance of women's paid labor and the state's obligation to free women from domesticity and childrearing. Therefore these countries seem to support women increasing social and economic independence. Nevertheless, women in Eastern Europe remain oppressed as many ways as women in the West. It has provided that socialist countries have not completely spoken of women's interests today. Women's interests and state interests are complicated in socialism.