Though there is considerable variation across and within post-Soviet societies, it is fair to posit that gender has been a key element in determining status, health, and general well-being under post-Communism. Women are doing far worse than men in almost every wellness category. For example, it is estimated that 70 percent of the unemployed citizens of post-Communist states are women (Buckley 1997). The status of women in the transitional states of the southern tier of the former Soviet Union …