Women and Men in the Project of Reform

Abstract

Are there politically relevant differences between female and male local government officials in postcommunist Poland? In structured interviews with 485 local officials in two provinces, the authors explored differences in terms of ethical reasoning and attitudes toward anomalous groups. Women more strongly favored a model of ethical reasoning characterized by a concern for abstract principles of social cooperation than did their male counterparts. On attitudes toward anomalous groups, women were more temperate than men on the issues of participation by former communists in contemporary government and men had a less favorable view than women on participation of women in politics generally. Based on this study, gender may make a difference in the practice of government in contemporary Poland.