Water-in-oil polymer emulsions

A water-in-oil polymer emulsion which contains a water-soluble or water-swellable polymer finely distributed in a continuous, water-immiscible organic phase, a water-in-oil emulsifier and, optionally, a wetting agent, wherein the continuous organic phase consists of an oil of vegetable or animal origin and contains, as a water-in-oil emulsifier, a compound which is obtainable by

• (A) reacting a C.sub.10 -C.sub.22 -fatty alcohol with epichlorohydrin in a molar ratio of from 1:0.5 to 1:1.5 to give a glycidyl ether,
• (B) reacting the glycidyl ether with (1) a saturated C.sub.2 -C.sub.6 -alcohol containing from 2 to 6 OH groups or (2) the monoether thereof with a C.sub.10 -C.sub.22 -fatty alcohol, in a molar ratio of glycidyl ether to (1) or (2) of from 1:0.5 to 1:6, in the presence of an acid or base and
• (C) alkoxylating the reaction product from (B) with one or more C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 alkylene oxides in a molar ratio of from 1:1 to 1:6,
• optionally, from 5 to 95% by weight of the stated water-in-soil emulsifier being replaced with other water-in-oil emulsifiers.