Russian Women Are Leading the Underground Protest Against Putin’s War Europe

In today’s Russia, feminist activism varies depending on organization type and how the different organizations deploy technology to achieve their goals. Newer forms of activism are more adaptable and make full use of social media, while some of the long-standing organizations are disappearing as a result of the country’s conservative turn and loss of international funding. There is significant modern public sentiment that opposes the presence of women in Russian politics. The findings of a 2017 independent research study reveal a culture “not ready” for female leaders. In 2017, one in three Russians “do not approve of women in the political sphere.” In 2016, only twenty percent of respondents felt this way. The same study also concluded that the 2017 response against gender equality among the “high echelons of power” was stronger (38%), comparatively, than in 2016, when only 28% of respondents submitted these sentiments.

  • Were Russia to offer equal resources in agriculture to all genders, it could raise food production by 30%.
  • In 1999, there were only four women named as part of the Nezavisimaya gazeta’s monthly ranking of influential Russian politicians, the highest-ranking being Tatyana Dyachenko, Boris Yeltsin’s daughter.
  • Elmatava chose the image of a bride in a black veil to represent the thousands of Russian and Ukrainian widows who will exist because of the war.
  • Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author.
  • The findings of a 2017 independent research study reveal a culture “not ready” for female leaders.

] women generally are the first to be fired, and they face other forms of on-the-job discrimination as well. Struggling companies often fire women to avoid paying child-care benefits or granting maternity leave, as the law still requires. In 1995 women constituted an estimated 70 percent of Russia’s unemployed, and as much as 90 percent in some areas. Merchant class women also enjoyed newly granted freedoms to own property and manage it; with this new right upper-class women gained more independence from their patriarchal restrictions. Wives of merchant class men had more independence than wives of the nobility or peasants because of the nature of their husband’s work, especially when their husbands were away from home on government service, as they were frequently and for long periods of time. The rights of married women from the nobility and merchantry to own and manage their own property offered them an opportunity to become involved in commercial and manufacturing ventures.

The Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens was founded in 1764, and a year later, it opened a division for maidens belonging to burgher families. Throughout the 1850–1870s, Russia was among the first countries to introduce higher education for women.

Women in the Russian military today

Arguably the most important legal change that affected women’s lives was the Law of Single Inheritance instituted by Peter the Great in 1714. The law was supposed to help the tax revenue for Russia by banning the allowance of noble families to divide their land and wealth among multiple children. This law effectively ended the practice of excluding women from inheriting patrimonial estates.

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But it is certainly more difficult and requests patience and respect from both husband and wife. The reason behind this frame of mind is because Russian patriarchal traditions, which we have already mentioned above, also make men used to being the head of the family and, sometimes, men take for granted all the love and care that Russian women make available to them. The lack of respect from some Russian men is the reason for Russian women to seek a romantic partner abroad, hoping for a match who can provide for the family and care about the children.

Important Tips on Dating Russian Women

On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. For many Russian women cooking is a way to show their love, so be prepared https://thegirlcanwrite.net/russian-asian-girls/ for food experiments. At first the cuisine might seem absolutely normal and even a little boring. But when you get to eat Russian food more often than during occasional visit to her parents, you will have more and more questions. You might hate most of the meals, but occasionally there will be something great (e.g., my boyfriend loves Russian salad. He says it is because there is no cabbage there). A Russian woman truly believes that her partner is the best person on the planet, the most talented, the strongest, the smartest — and she is sincere about that, because she values herself highly too. And if she believes she is the queen, she’d only choose the king and treat him like the king – with the respect, care, love and support.

Citing a belief that strenuous jobs pose a threat to women’s safety and reproductive health, the government has barred women from occupations like aircraft repair, construction and firefighting. While the country passed reforms in 2019 to reduce the number of restricted jobs from 456 to 100, they will not come into effect until 2021. However, some of the largest industries, like mining and electric engineering, remain in the barred category.

In the few cases where women have served as pilots or in other restricted roles, they have had to petition the government for special permission, even sending hand-written notes to Shoygu. At the same time, it seems these women are disproportionately highlighted in Russian media, inflating the perception that female representation is robust and unrestricted. Fears of gender-based violence may also play a role, as reports of rape and sexual assault even against men in the Russian military are common. An extreme practice of violence, bullying, and hazing, known as dedovshchina is acknowledged as a severe issue in the Russian military.

Despite facing arrests and threats, activists and organizations are persisting in getting the message of gender equality out to the public. Innovations in technology and social media make information more accessible to the Russian people and change the perception of feminism from a dirty, Western word to something necessary to Russian society. For example, Cafe Simona in Saint Petersburg is a woman-only workspace and event space that allows women to go about their days without experiencing harassment. NGOs like Human Rights Watch also strive to inform both the domestic and international communities of the issues facing Russian women.