Authors

Discussion

What is the role of female deputies in authoritarian legislatures? This study demonstrates that Soviet municipal councils played a crucial role in maintaining regime support. Furthermore, women occupied a unique position in this dynamic due to their responsiveness to the everyday needs of their constituencies. Utilizing extensive archival data, interviews with Soviet municipal deputies, and a Soviet magazine focused on municipal affairs, I illustrate that, in the Soviet Union, women were responsive to their communities despite the lack of electoral and career-based incentives. My analysis reveals the local foundations of authoritarian regime endurance and stability, highlighting the state's reliance on women's responsiveness to deliver essential welfare services to citizens. This research primarily focuses on women's representation in the post-Stalinist USSR from the late 1950s to the collapse of the USSR in 1991.