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Sat, Feb 11 2012
New York Times: Borissov favours women for high office
Yordanka Fandukova, the mayor of Sofia, is one of many women who have risen to the top in the Borissov administration.
Photo: Anelia Nikolova
An article in the New York Times by Dan Bilefsky comments on the ascendancy of women in Bulgaria under the leadership of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, noting that, although the "thick-necked former karate instructor, bodyguard and onetime fireman may seem an unlikely feminist", many women have been appointed to high office since his ruling party GERB came to power in July 2009.
The newspaper quotes Borissov as saying that "women are more diligent than men, and they don’t take long lunches or go to the bar". The article also notes that Borissov's professed role models are his mother and chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
"Women have stronger characters than men because when they say 'no' they mean no, and they are less corruptible," Borissov is quoted as saying.
Bilefsky notes that Bulgarian women in high places include the Justice Minister (Margarita Popova), the mayor of Sofia (Yordanka Fandukova), the Speaker of Parliament (Tsetska Tsacheva) and the nominee to lead the European Union’s humanitarian aid (Kristalina Georgieva).
Significantly, the article goes on to point out that although Bulgaria is supposedly "notorious" for its corruption, there have been no criminal cases of corruption against a woman in Bulgaria and that female applicants to the Prosecutor’s Office consistently outperformed men on polygraph tests.
The writer broadens out the alleged incorruptibility of women. "A 1999 study published by the World Bank claimed that women were more trustworthy and public-spirited than men and concluded that greater representation of women in Parliament in a sample of 150 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia led to lower levels of corruption."
In Bulgaria's case Bilefsky notes that sociologists believe that the rise of women in politics can partly be traced back to the equality of the communist era, noting that in the late 1970s Bulgaria had the highest percentage of working women in the world. "During communism, women in Bulgaria were represented in almost every walk of life, from plant managers to medicine," Tatyana Kmetova, director of the Center of Women’s Studies and Policies, is quoted as saying.
The article also quotes leading political commentator Evgenii Dainov who says that Bulgarian men suffer from having been "spoiled" by their mothers. "Boys are the stars of the family, and when they grow up, they don’t have enough stamina to stand on their own two feet. Meanwhile, under communism, women would have to work all day at their jobs and then come home and clean the house, and take care of the lazy men. This made them twice as strong," Dainov says.
The New York Times piece, however, ends by saying that not all Bulgarians agree on the merits of appointing women to senior jobs. The article quotes Minko Gerdjikov, the deputy mayor, as saying that promoting women to powerful positions could prove a liability at a time of crisis. "The big problem is that women are moodier than men and rule based on intuition rather than facts. During a crisis a woman can transform very quickly from being a politician to being a human being, and this can be bad," Gerdjikov says.
The newspaper quotes Borissov as saying that "women are more diligent than men, and they don’t take long lunches or go to the bar". The article also notes that Borissov's professed role models are his mother and chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
"Women have stronger characters than men because when they say 'no' they mean no, and they are less corruptible," Borissov is quoted as saying.
Bilefsky notes that Bulgarian women in high places include the Justice Minister (Margarita Popova), the mayor of Sofia (Yordanka Fandukova), the Speaker of Parliament (Tsetska Tsacheva) and the nominee to lead the European Union’s humanitarian aid (Kristalina Georgieva).
Significantly, the article goes on to point out that although Bulgaria is supposedly "notorious" for its corruption, there have been no criminal cases of corruption against a woman in Bulgaria and that female applicants to the Prosecutor’s Office consistently outperformed men on polygraph tests.
The writer broadens out the alleged incorruptibility of women. "A 1999 study published by the World Bank claimed that women were more trustworthy and public-spirited than men and concluded that greater representation of women in Parliament in a sample of 150 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia led to lower levels of corruption."
In Bulgaria's case Bilefsky notes that sociologists believe that the rise of women in politics can partly be traced back to the equality of the communist era, noting that in the late 1970s Bulgaria had the highest percentage of working women in the world. "During communism, women in Bulgaria were represented in almost every walk of life, from plant managers to medicine," Tatyana Kmetova, director of the Center of Women’s Studies and Policies, is quoted as saying.
The article also quotes leading political commentator Evgenii Dainov who says that Bulgarian men suffer from having been "spoiled" by their mothers. "Boys are the stars of the family, and when they grow up, they don’t have enough stamina to stand on their own two feet. Meanwhile, under communism, women would have to work all day at their jobs and then come home and clean the house, and take care of the lazy men. This made them twice as strong," Dainov says.
The New York Times piece, however, ends by saying that not all Bulgarians agree on the merits of appointing women to senior jobs. The article quotes Minko Gerdjikov, the deputy mayor, as saying that promoting women to powerful positions could prove a liability at a time of crisis. "The big problem is that women are moodier than men and rule based on intuition rather than facts. During a crisis a woman can transform very quickly from being a politician to being a human being, and this can be bad," Gerdjikov says.
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"women are more diligent than men, and they don’t take long lunches or go to the bar".
^ Listen to this man, he knows what he is talking about :)
So Gerdjikov is an idiot , and not quite human in a crisis? His mother definitely spoiled him. :))
I have read the article in "The New York Times'. It is interesting right at one point - the author is try to apply the western view to the topic "Policy and Women in Bulgaria". So the article is a good example how I should present me in Western Europe or America, but, sorry for the notice..., some comments seem a bit strange and out of the historical development. May be next time the author will examine the facts better or throw awat all western approaches.
I enjoyed that, Valeri. Thanks for the humorous but insightful piece. When sharing our observations, my colleagues and I concluded that BG mothers spoil their sons. A wide generalization, to be sure, and to be taken with a grain of salt. But your exlanation of said phenomenon was very insightful.
" ...who says that Bulgarian men suffer from having been "spoiled" by their mothers. "Boys are the stars of the family, and when they grow up, they don’t have enough stamina to stand on their own two feet."
So true in many cases.
Lets examine in depth as it were.
Moms:
women worked - so true, I was astonished by the traditional role playing in the US when I first went there in the 80s - they also do the household work and take care of the kid [...]
Read the full comment (one in most cases).
Taking care of the kid, of course is a figurative expression, and it constituted mostly in being dropped off and picked up from the ubiquitous government run day-cares.
Results:
Women stretch themselves thin, and gradually built resentment towards their husbands - it really doesn't help the fact that pre-business crazy BG, women and men made similar money, therefor the unequal division of responsibilities was felt all the more acutely.. That resentment, in a society where social psychology and awareness was in its infancy, tends to be embodied in re-directing their passion and love for the opposite sex, towards their sons - nothing sexual of course, just the psychological needs in term of closeness and connection.
Sons:
Growing up in day care has its life long effects to be sure. Government run day cares (staffed with uncaring government employees - speaking as a proud product of those day cares) can be very character building propositions. It's (was at least) often about learning to fight, take, keep, and generally graduating to be the beat-er as opposed to the beat-ee;) It often makes you ruthless and unemotional in stressful situations - personally that was my big lesson from there and it's been helpful in business. But of course I was the beat-er.
The beat-ees, however had a different pov. They went home to a guilty mom, who showered him with border line unhealthy love - in stark contrast of the kid's "day at the office" - an ordeal he was too glad to have survived for another day.
My guess is that Boyko is a combination of some sort. Nothing is a better indication of stressful childhood, than a subsequent obsession with martial arts, to start with. Love and trust for women is probably the other side of the coin for him, which would make him the perfectly predictable, and dysfunctional product of our Socialist past, that I can relate to;)
As far as the other guy, essentially saying that women are too emotional in crises - he's just a dinosaur .