ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the wider economic and development context, describing trends over the time period since the fall of the communist regimes in 1989–1990, in economic growth as well as in economic inequality and in human development. It focuses on crucial labour market variables from a comparative perspective. The chapter provides a brief overview of the wider economic context and changes over time for a set of key variables for which consistent data for the earlier period can be presented with a degree of confidence. The extent of gender inequality in the labour market during the totalitarian period was also determined by recognition of the need to industrialize what had been traditionally rural societies: female participation was therefore required with the promise of equal pay for equal work. The gender pay gap in transition economies has been the subject of many studies.
