ocr: At the last census, held in 1989, Azeris made up 83% of the population. Today the proportion is even greater thousands of Armenians,Jews and Russians have left as al result ofr rising nationalism among Azeris. Racial hostility against those that remain is increasing. Women, once prominent within the ruling party, have lost their position in political life, and their general status is also declining. The once-ettective social security system has collapsed.
