Can women succeed? Is women's work appreciated equally to men's? Do women's salaries reflect the quality and quantity of work they do? Does gender make a difference? These questions, which often emerge even in democratic societies and free-market economies, are much more acute in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. Gender has been an issue thus far neglected in transition economies. Drawing on official statistics, an international multidisciplinary team of sociologists, economists, demographers and geographers examines how women have been affected by the labor market reforms in Poland in the transition period of the 1990s. The issues discussed include occupational segregation, the social mobility of women, demographic change, the power and participation of women in public life, women's organizations, and labor market reform.

This highly topical book discusses the potential enlargement of the EU to embrace the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the enormous challenges, opportunities and threats this poses for parties on both sides. Understanding of the diversity of the issues raised, even by an experimental expansion, is limited and rarely extends beyond the concerns voiced in a particular policy arena. This volume brings together contributions from specialists across the spectrum of the social sciences who consider the possible outcomes of expansion per se. The authors consider the countries to which membership might rationally be extended, and discuss the future of a Union that continues to be exclusive, but which must advance in the context of the overall march of globalisation. The contributions from numerous disciplines are complementary and include both macro- and micro perspectives. EU Expansion to the East is designed to be accessible to all scholars of European affairs, as well as those interested in transition and policymakers at national, regional and local levels.