Abstract
The democratic system of government offers many benefits to the citizens living within states that utilize democracy: free and fair elections, equal opportunity, freedoms including speech and the press, as well as a multitude of other rights. However, the transition toward democracy in countries that have previously been under the reign of communism has proven difficult. In various eastern European countries, democracy has been implemented in hopes of bettering the state; in many cases, the result of the conversion has not drastically improved the lives of the citizens, specifically women, as scholars and government officials alike had hoped. This essay will examine the hesitance of the Eastern European Bloc to accept the and embrace the new and unfamiliar ideals that democracy has brought. Specifically, the objective of this essay is to consider the understanding of gender issues in post-communist Romania, and examine the effects of democracy on women’s rights.