Document Type

Article

Disciplines

International Law

Abstract

As the wave of democracy swept across Eastern Europe in 1989, it seemed unlikely that Romania, long a communist stronghold, could resist the promise of freedom and democracy. In December, 1989, the demand for democracy culminated when the Romanians rose up and rejected their iron-fisted ruler, Ceaucescu, in the bloodiest break from communism in Eastern Europe that the world had witnessed. The revolution of 1989 is a milestone for people in Romania, with tremendous emotional and psychological impact. Everyone I met framed their thoughts and comments around the revolution--they discussed life before the revolution and compared it with life after the revolution. And though they talked about the exhilarating moments that defined and spurred the revolution, most people realized that much work remains to be done before the country can call itself a true democracy.

The power of the Ceaucescu regime was challenged, but it was not broken. In the tumultuous vacuum left by the execution of Nicolae Ceaucescu and his wife, Elena, political insiders carried out an internal coup and seized power with promises of democracy and reform. Seven years later, however, it is clear that the new "reform" government continues to operate according to the authoritarian precepts that defined the communist regime. "Unsupervised political activity is still regarded with hostility ... and the Securitate, the secret police of communist times, continues to shadow antigovernment forces, though its name has been changed and its image freshened up."' Although nobody realistically expected the Ceaucescu regime to disappear overnight, the transition to democracy and a free market economy has been much slower than anticipated.

No one denies that everyone in Romania is experiencing the growing pains due to the enormous changes affecting the country. I maintain, however, that women are especially affected because in addition to struggling with the economic and political changes, they must also overcome the discrimination, inequality, and entrenched patriarchal attitudes and cultural beliefs that plague Romania. Therefore, prior to looking at women's progress or lack of progress since 1989, however, I will describe in Part Two the conditions of life in Romania under the Ceaucescu regime. Knowledge of these circumstances is important, and will give depth and meaning to the women's stories told to me in August, 1995. Part Three will focus primarily on the Romanian woman's perspective to evaluate the various pressures and demands she experiences, to assess the limitations that still hamper her freedom, and to illustrate the efforts being made to improve her life.

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