Political Participation of Women in the USSR and Russia with Valeria Umanets

What happens when women’s political quotas are implemented in non-democracies? Valeria Umanets focuses on understanding the political and social meaning and manipulation of gender in the Soviet Union, which held informal women’s political quotas for almost 75 years. Specifically, this talk focuses on the political engagement of women in the Soviet legislative bodies and local councils and their consequences today. Valeria Umanets argues that the effects of women’s quotas should be considered through the lens of how authoritarian states see and control representation and uncertainty. - About the Speaker: Valeria Umanets is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research interests include women’s representation and political participation, political parties, post-Communist states, and Russian politics.