This article discusses gender and employment in 10 central
eastern European countries: eight new EU member states and two candidate
countries. The context is set with demographic, economic, and labour-market
trends, including population, GDP, and gender disaggregated employment,
activity, and unemployment rates. Changes in horizontal and vertical gender
segregation are then addressed, especially the uneven gender effect on
employment patterns of sectoral restructuring during capitalist
transformation. Lastly, the gender pay gap is examined, and compared to
patterns in western Europe. The article concludes with a discussion of the
advances, but also the limits of harmonization through EU gender-equality
legislation.