Haunting Impositions: Women and Reproductive Policies in Romania under Communism and After
Haunting Impositions: Women and Reproductive Policies in Romania under Communism and After

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines the issue of women’s emancipation in communism and its consequences in terms of the double burden imposed on them. The state-approved reproductive policies are analysed in terms of their ideological dimension and also of their practical consequences on the liberated women’s lives. Due emphasis is attached to the recent research and to the emerging re-evaluations of the “red century” and its impact on women. The focus is constantly dual throughout the paper: women in the Soviet Union and women in Romania where we tend to see, just like in all communist states, a replication of the Soviet blueprint, which justifies the interest attached to the condition of the Soviet women after their emancipation. A personal touch in the form of anecdotes illuminating the hypocrisy of the communist propaganda and the communist overall vision will add a distinctly real-life Romanian dimension. The personal anecdotes are intended to further validate the research findings, while also highlighting the current challenges facing women when making their reproductive decisions in the post-communist society.

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