Gender Norms and Values in the Black Sea Region

Around the globe, societies differ by their gender culture. Pfau-Effinger (1998, p. 150) uses this term refers to norms and values underlying a “certain uniform assumptions about the desirable, 'correct' form of gender relations and of the division of labor between women and men (in a specific society). These are institutionalized as norms and therefore remain relatively constant”. “Gender norms” refer to those norms and values guiding people in their behavior about gender relations and providing gender role expectations. These dynamics do not take place only in daily interactions between individuals, but also between individuals and the social context wherein they live. At the societal level, gender cultures are considered as the result of the historical pathway that intertwines socio-economic progress with political, social and cultural development, including processes as secularization (Pfau-Effinger, 2004; Voicu & Tufiş, 2012). While gender cultures are typically discussed at the country level, scholars also explored gender cultures at the regional level, for example considering European areas, Middle-East or North African regions (Aboim, 2010; Lomazzi, 2020; Lomazzi & Crespi, 2019; Rahman, 2012; Teigen & Wängnerud, 2009). In this perspective, this contribution aims at exploring to what extent countries in the Black Sea region present similarities or relevant differences in their gender cultures and wonders whether it is possible to argue of a regional gender culture. The study considers gender norms at the transnational, national level, and at the individuals’ level, by considering policies, legislation, and public opinion as collected by the European Values Study/World Values Survey (EVS/WVS). The study underlines the heterogeneity in the Black Sea region, not only regarding the current gender norms prevailing in each country, but also in the role that gender norms and values play in the process of nation building and in the international political scenario. While the Black Sea region displays a common trend towards greater gender equality, the situation appears fragmented and finding common traits across the whole region is hard. Instead of a common path of transition, the region appears characterized by multiple transitions with specific challenges regarding the current EU membership, Aspiring Europeanization, Post-soviet transition, Authoritarianism and traditional backlash.