Text: Andreea Decean

We're used to always introducing someone already "in the spotlight" at these monthly interviews, but this year, we decided to broaden our scope a bit and talk to people closer to us.

Fortunately for me, my mother manages to run into very interesting people quite often. Recently she was telling me that a colleague of hers has a girlfriend, Andreea Voina, and I would definitely get along with her. I'm not going to tell you what my mother told me about her and convinced me that I should interview her, but I'll let her tell you the story.

Q: Andreea, to begin with, so that the world gets to know you a little better, could you tell us more about yourself?

A: I am a people person. I am an introspective man who constantly reflects on the messages and values he conveys to the world. I am a researcher and teacher at the Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences (Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca) and a doctor in political science, with a comparative thesis on the representation and discourse of female politicians in Romania and the United States of America. I already have 7 years of university teaching experience and only now am I beginning to feel what I am doing as a vocation.

Q: What made you want to pursue a female-oriented career? When did the click happen when you realized you had to do this?

A: I couldn't say that I'm laying the foundations for a women-oriented career, but rather I have a humanistic vision, I want to equip female and male students with mindsetthat they can become whoever they want to be if they harness their potential with perseverance and discipline. When I wear the "hat" of a researcher, I really show my major research interest in gender issues. Having always been passionate about the United States of America and its politics, I began to follow the public debates about its history and mentality regarding women in the political sphere. When I started thinking seriously about the PhD, I was not aware of the huge potential of this topic, which has become a passion, but also of the resistance I was going to face. The doctoral experience in the United States was the turning point, I realized that I don't need to justify or apologize for being a feminist and that if I continue on the teaching path, I need to make sure that I discuss the topics with my students - often uncomfortable – related to gender discrepancies inherent in society. I am happy that, especially among the last generations, I have partners and dialogue partners with a feminist conscience, and I overflow with pride when I see them as agents of the fourth feminist wave.   

Q: I understand that you wrote your thesis on the representation and discourse of women in contemporary politics, a comparative study between Romania and the United States of America. I'm very curious if you can give us a little summary and what was the conclusion?

A: It may seem like a chimerical comparison, but the legislative institutions of the two countries have seen similar developments in the last 30 years, due, of course, to some distinct events. In Romania, the empowerment and real representation of women in Parliament began after 1990, with the first free elections, the same trend being followed by women in the US Congress, the catalyst of this evolution being the episode of Anita Hill's hearing in an exclusively male congressional committee, in the context the Supreme Court nomination of Clarence Thomas, whom Hill accused of sexual harassment—to emphasize the moral incompatibility of the proposed position. Her callous treatment at the hearing motivated an unprecedented number of women to run for a seat in Congress. It is also interesting that the first female leaders of the lower houses of the two legislatures, namely Roberta Anastase and Nancy Pelosi, were nominated and held mandates around the same time - Nancy Pelosi is still at the head of the House of Representatives, while we we now have Anca Dragu in the Senate. 

Among the most important results until the completion of the work is the fact that the mandates of female parliamentarians in Romania are much more volatile than those in the United States (only 60% completed their mandates, compared to 90% in the USA), and their degree of training through leadership positions of parliamentary committees is numerically similar, but differs fundamentally in terms of their prestige and power (Romania – fields mostly associated with areas of female competence, and the USA – male). The average legislative efficiency of women in the Romanian Parliament is higher than that of the US, but this is due to the fact that the latter initiate 10 times more bills than the former. Regarding the analyzed discourses, the long feminist experience of the United States significantly influences the assumption of this consciousness: the Romanian political discourse shows that the private sphere is incompatible with political viability.

Q: You also ended up in America, how did you manage to start from Cluj and get to a college in the States?

A: Although I didn't anticipate the timing when I applied for the Fulbright scholarship, it was the perfect timing for my research endeavor, going during Hillary Clinton's election campaign. I decided to apply, being aware of the almost zero chance of receiving the scholarship, the competition is fierce, and the selection process is very rigorous, which lasts more than half a year. The commission decided in my favor, and then I chose a university recommended by my mentor from UBB – University of Georgia was the most inspiring decision of my life and I will always be deeply grateful to the Fulbright Commission for the trust.

Q: And I have to ask, after your academic experience both here in Romania and in the States, what conclusion did you come to? What are the differences? Where is better?

A: I think the educational systems and circumstances are completely different, regarding my research topic. The resources there are infinitely richer, we had an entire floor in the university library devoted to gender studies alone, thousands of books on women in politics, access to any scholarly article. What I found extremely valuable is the fact that you are an email away from any professor or researcher and they are very open to talking, helping you - and my mentor facilitated some professional interactions that I would not have dared to have i dream The fact that I was the recipient of a prestigious scholarship and the overseas university experience itself gave me a lot of confidence and I took advantage of all the opportunities and resources as much as I could. However, returning home, I realized that many professors at our college are just as open, just as eager to mentor - even if they have much busier positions and classrooms than those in the US - they are always involved in the international flow of knowledge and dedicated to the act of teaching. Having both perspectives and relating strictly to the two universities, I am certain that a student who wants to perform can do so in both systems, with openness, discipline and perseverance.        

Q: Being a person who wants to go abroad, what made you come back to the country?

A: My American dream may have been so beautiful because it had an expiration date attached to it. I believe that the impact I could create here, over time, through education, is more valuable than what I could have achieved there, where there are so many much stronger voices. 

Q: I've noticed that a lot of your work focuses on politics. How did you get attached to this topic? And, really, have you ever thought about getting into the field?

A: By pure chance. I loved documenting the curiosities of communication and American presidents – they have a peculiar history; legend has it that a 19th-century president stubbornly delivered the longest inaugural address on a cold day, then contracted pneumonia and died a month after the inauguration. Then I started to study Romanian politics, being a context that is more familiar to me. I also did political volunteering, I was also active in an NGO on the topic of political education, but I think that the position that suits me best is that of observer, analyst, consultant.

Q: For people who want to go into this field, what advice would you have?

A: If you are a woman and want to direct your expertise to the community, find the political platform most similar to your values, find allies and take the plunge. But I would also convey to them that they have a primary responsibility towards women in society, who have specific and exclusive interests and needs and who need a voice to articulate them and work to bring about the changes that are so much needed – see national studies on gender-based violence. 

Q: So what's next for you? You know that interview question, where do you see yourself in 10 years? =))

A: I am in the process of maturing as a researcher and trainer. I hope to develop research that is as useful and important as possible for the knowledge community and to contribute to the development of as many feminist consciousnesses as possible. If in 10 years at least 10 female or male students will tell me that something of what I told them beyond the knowledge transmitted has stayed with them and motivated them in their personal or professional development, I will consider myself fulfilled.

To wear less glass slippers and break more glass ceilings

I don't own the wording, but that's what I'd like to convey.

Q: Our community is full of young women, many of us are just heading off to college, what advice do you have for us both as a former student and as a teacher?

A: Don't accept or internalize when someone tells you that you can't be something or do something because you're female. Be curious, authentic and introspective, find out what you're passionate about and turn that into fuel to become who and how you want to be.

Q: You are not a public person in terms of your works and the experiences you might share with others. Is there a reason for this? Have you never thought of starting a blog for example?

A: I am not a public figure by default, I don't even want to be. The knowledge they produce through research, on the other hand, is public, anyone can access it. I'm interested in being part of the feminist academic community, but I never thought I could have a voice online. 

Q: Finally, what advice would you have for young women and for a 16-year-old Andreea Voina?

A: To pursue their ambitions in a non-apologetic way and to document more and more deeply about the women who fought for us to enjoy the rights we have today, because no right won is irreversible.