WOMEN IN THE LEAGUE OF YUGOSLAV COMMUNISTS - PARTY MEMBERSHIP AND OCCUPATIONAL ATTAINMENT

In light of women's declining participation in politics in Eastern and Central Europe since 1989, it is important to determine the fuller ef fect of this change on women's life chances, including the influence o f political participation on occupational attainment. We examine membe rship in the League of Yugoslav Communists (LYC) as a factor in women' s occupational attainment in the former Yugoslavia. Using survey data gathered in Croatia from 1994-95, we examine three hypotheses: that LY C Party membership is not a significant advantage nor does it invest h er educational qualifications and first job position with greater forc e in her occupational attainment; that membership substitutes for and negates the liability of her status as female; and that membership ben efits her above similarly qualified women. We find little support for the second or third hypothesis. The first hypothesis has considerable, though not complete support in our analysis. Conversely, men in the P arty do benefit from LYC membership to a degree not found among women in the Party. The strong influence of education on occupational attain ment for women in the former Yugoslavia means that system changes, whi le they may not expressly support women, may be less costly if women c an continue to acquire higher education, and this accomplishment remai ns salient in the new countries of the former Yugoslavia.