Review by Choice Review
Corrin draws on her ethnographic research to present a descriptive account of Hungarian women's experiences since the end of WW II. This book is difficult to assimilate because it lacks the structure of a theoretical perspective and the author tends to draw conclusions about causes and outcomes of women's social, economic, and political status without providing documentation. Nevertheless, Corrin provides an overwhelming amount of new information about Hungarian culture and the socioeconomic and political transformations of its citizens' public and private lives. The chapter on health care and Hungarian women's health emphasizes the hardships of pregnancy because of inadequate equipment and shortages of physicians. Moreover, Corrin debunks the idea that participation in paid work liberalizes women in socialist nations. She accomplishes this by showing the extent to which Hungarian women work in monotonous and often dangerous occupations for lower wages than their male counterparts, while doing double duty in the household as well. Graduate; faculty. A. S. Oakes; Idaho State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
