Recently, I visited Armenia to assist in the production of a documentary film about the business experiences of women in rural and urban areas of the country. I went with an unwitting preconception on the role of women there. As part of the Soviet Union, women in Armenia were numerous and prominent in movements for social and political change, as they were in other parts of the bloc. And that image of greater emancipation has stuck in my mind when I think of the role of women today in post-Communist countries. But I was surprised to discover that today’s Armenia is very different.

Despite the prominence of women in political life in the Soviet Union, the Communist system, using its political and social power, managed to largely cover up the depth of inequalities for women’s opportunities.

So, when Armenia became independent in 1991, the illusion remained that equal opportunities for women were already well established... — blog.adb.org/blogs