This compelling ethnography of women working in Bulgaria s popular sea and ski resorts challenges the idea that women have consistently fared worse than men in Eastern Europe s transition from socialism to a market economy. For decades western European tourists have flocked to Bulgaria s beautiful beaches and mountains; tourism is today one of the few successful and expanding sectors of the country s economy. Even at the highest levels of management, employment in the tourism industry has long been dominated by women. Kristen Ghodsee explains why this is and how women working in the industry...

This compelling ethnography of women working in Bulgaria's popular sea and ski resorts challenges the idea that women have consistently fared worse than men in Eastern Europe's transition from socialism to a market economy. For decades western European tourists have flocked to Bulgaria's beautiful beaches and mountains; tourism is today one of the few successful--and expanding--sectors of the country's economy. Even at the highest levels of management, employment in the tourism industry has long been dominated by women. Kristen Ghodsee explains why this is and how women working in the...