The participation and representation of women in decision-making bodies is an important factor in evaluating the level of political culture and the quality of democracy in a country. In the Czech Republic, and in post-communist countries in general, the representation of women in decision-making is imbalanced when compared with the representation of men. This fact is indicative of patterns of governance and the attitudes and values of citizens and suggests a generally passive citizenship in post-communist countries. In reaction to this development, there have been a number of analyses on women in politics in recent years. In general these studies concentrate on the barriers facing women entering politics and actively involved in political life. In recent years there has been a tendency in the media to give space to women who have left politics and have them look back and evaluate their career and the nature of politics. In this respect the academic sphere is lagging behind. The authors of this article aim to fill in this gap. They examine the following question: why do women leave politics after having struggled so hard to get in? They focus on the experiences of women who, in most of the cases, spent more than a decade in politics. They look at the women’s retrospective evaluations of their political careers, at life-work balance in politics, and the women’s experience of departing from politics. The article concludes that the key factor behind entry into politics, and behind maintaining a political career, is the relationships within political parties. Stereotypes and strategies continue to influence the strategic choices of actors, who assimilate into the existing political culture and choose not to generate considerable pressure for change in gender relations in political life., Petra Rakušanová, Lenka Václavíková-Helšusová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The paper addresses the problem of growing uncertainties in the Czech labour market over the past 20 years with regard to the specific conditions of unskilled women struggling to integrate their paid work and unpaid work. The economic uncertainties and growing levels of global competition in production increase pressure for a transformation and flexibilisation of workforce. Actors occupying marginalised positions in the labour market tend to have lower levels of social capital and lower levels of work experience and education. At the same time, these people, including mothers caring for young children, find it difficult to cope with the increasing pressure for productivity and flexibility. The socioeconomic marginalisation of unskilled mothers is further strengthened by measures of the state’s social policy. The analysis at hand is based on three biographic interviews on the work trajectories of women whose highest level of education is vocational or lower. A biographic approach makes it possible to analyse the impact of structural and institutional conditions and social and cultural processes on the work and life trajectories of respondents. Their testimonies reveal the mechanisms of gender discrimination, social exclusion and subordination that unskilled mothers have to face in their personal lives and careers, and the strategies and resources they employ in order to cope with their situation., Lenka Formánková, Alena Křížková., Obsahuje bibliografii, and Anglické resumé