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Guestbook
Гостевая книга


ROMIR, an independent polling agency in Russia, did a poll in September 1999 about the rights and problems of Russian women. There were 2,000 respondents, at 204 locations across 41 regions of the Russian Federation.

Poll results
(question/statement, followed by answers as % of respondents):

1. Women and men in the Russian Federation have equal rights.
Agree: 55.4% Disagree: 39.6% Unsure: 5%

2. Husbands and wives should contribute equally to family finances.
Agree: 87.1% Disagree: 10.5% Unsure: 2.4%

3. Education is more important for boys than for girls.
Agree: 22.6% Disagree: 75.4% Unsure: 2%

4. When a woman says no to sex, sometimes she really means yes.
Agree: 47.4% Disagree: 17.5% Unsure: 35.1%

5. A woman needs to give birth in order to be completely fulfilled.
Agree: 71.2% Disagree: 21.1% Unsure: 7.8%

6. When there aren't enough jobs to go round, men should have priority.
Agree: 56.3% Disagree: 38.3% Unsure: 5.4%

7. In general, men make the best politicians.
Agree: 49.4% Disagree: 41.2% Unsure: 9.4%

8. Women in the developed world should demand more rights for women in the developing nations.
Agree: 59.1% Disagree: 17.3% Unsure: 23.6%

Original text of these poll results (in Russian).


Further Reading

Gender, State and Society in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia (edited by Sarah Ashwin; Routledge, 2000)

The Man Question: Loves and Lives in Late 20th Century Russia (Anna Rotkirch; University of Helsinki, 2000)

Marriages in Russia: Couples During the Economic Transition (Dana Vannoy et al.; Praeger/Greenwood, 1999)

Post-Soviet Women: from the Baltic to Central Asia (edited by Mary Buckley; CUP, 1997)

Women's Voices in Russia Today (ed. Elina Haavio-Mannila and Anna Rotkirch; Dartmouth, 1996)

Dehexing Sex: Russian Womanhood During and After Glasnost (Helena Goscilo, UMP, 1996)

Women in Russia and Ukraine (edited by Rosalind Marsh; CUP, 1996)

Gender, Generation and Identity in Contemporary Russia book review (edited by Hilary Pilkington; Routledge, 1996)

No More Heroines? Russia, Women and the Market (Sue Bridger, Kathryn Pinnick, Rebecca Kay; Routledge, 1995)

Perestroika and Soviet Women (edited by Mary Buckley; CUP, 1992)

more books...

    Russian Feminism Resources
Life & Work

Links on this page lead to English-language resources.
Эти ссылки ведут к материалам на английском языке.

Loyal Wives, Virtuous Mothers
Overview article on women in Russia past and present, by Katherine E. Young; from Russian Life magazine, March 1996.

Women 2000: Russia [Acrobat PDF file, 122Kb]
The Russia section from a book by the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. Covers women's legal rights, education, employment, women and the family, reproductive rights, participation in politics and civil society, violence and abuse against women, homosexuality, women in prison, women and the Chechnya conflict.

One Day for Women
An editorial in The Russia Journal on March 11, 2001 contrasts the attention women receive on March 8 with their experiences during the rest of the year.

Women's day in Russia: showers of flowers
The celebration and significance of March 8, International Women's Day, in contemporary Russia. It is still a public holiday, and an occasion to give women flowers. (Christian Science Monitor, March 8, 2001)

Three Views of Women's Day in Russia
All from March 1999: a man shares his impressions in the Hindustan Times; Fred Weir gives the general background; and Andrei Zolotov reports on growing opposition to Women's Day celebrations from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Post-Soviet International Women's Day: From Mainstream to Margin
A critical look at Women's Day celebrations in Moscow's straight and queer cultures, by Kevin Lamb. (from a student publication at the University of Texas, 1997)

Give dyevs a chance
An editorial in The Russia Journal on May 29, 2000 looks at the problems of Russian women and proposes some solutions.

Women as Presented in the Russian Media
By Nadezhda Azhgikhina, 1995: "Ordinary working women, who make up the majority of the female population, and their lives and interests, are not adequately reflected in Russian mass media today."

In Russia, make way for the new Italians
Catherine Merridale looks at fashion, lifestyle, and consumerism in Russia. (New Statesman, October 9, 2000)

Cross-Cultural Comparisons
Marina Lakhman considers some of the differences in outlook and lifestyle between young women in Russia and the U.S. "In America I am Russian. In Russia I am American. And as a woman I straddle the fence..."

Concluding Observations on the Russian Federation, 1995
from the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

Women in the Labor Market in Russia
Paper by Elena Y. Meshcherkina in Moscow gives figures and trends as at 1998.

Neither Jobs Nor Justice: State Discrimination Against Women in Russia
Full text of Human Rights Watch report from 1995: covers discrimination in the workplace, domestic violence, and sexual assault.

Bye Bye Babushka: More Russian Women are Boss
Some success stories of Russian women starting their own businesses. (Christian Science Monitor, February 19, 1998)

"Harder for Women"
Yelena Vlasova, who runs her own dog training business, talks about being a woman in a man's world. (The Russia Journal, July 8, 2000)

A Woman's Place is in... Protection
Yelena Andreyeva has built up a successful network of security service firms, employing over 1,000 male security guards. (The Russia Journal, April 17, 2000)

Working Women at War - Chechnya
Yevgenia is a successful journalist, who has been to Chechnya to investigate conditions for civilians during the war. She talks about her background, and about feminism. By Laura Bicker (Working Woman, May 5, 2000)

Earthly Obstacles: Training of a Female Cosmonaut
There have been three women cosmonauts; will there ever be a fourth? At least one courageous woman hopes so. (Space.com, January 26, 2001)

Women in Russian Radio Astronomy [Acrobat PDF file, 82Kb]
Reflections by two Russian radio astronomy women: Vera Izvekova and Svetlana Suleymanova. Comments on general attitudes to women in the sciences. Paper presented at a meeting on the status of women in astronomy, September 1992.

First Woman Enters Russian Naval Academy
Lyudmila Yolshina: the first female naval cadet in Russian history. (St Petersburg Times, 1998)

Wise Beyond their Pre-Teen Years
Two gifted sisters, aged 12 and 13, become the youngest students to enter the Russian Government Financial Academy. (The Russia Journal, June 29, 1999)

Women, the Police and the Humane Approach
Policewomen's conference in St Petersburg, March 1995.

Eastern European Women Battle for a Better Workplace
Overview of the main challenges faced by working women in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. (Christian Science Monitor, August 8, 1997)

Economic Crisis Hurts Women and Families First
Looks at the impact of the August 1998 crisis. (The Russia Journal, March 8, 1999)

Dangerous Times
"economic collapse hits Russia's women hardest". Short article from Mother Jones online archive, 1995.

U.S. aid can translate into success for Russian women
a faintly patronizing note runs through this article from the Lexington Herald-Leader, November 5, 1997, reporting on US-AID's program for women in Russia.

Russian Women Enter the Export Market
Some women make an informed choice to work abroad and send money home; this article focuses on Russian dancers in Egypt. (The Russia Journal, September 6, 1999)

Immigration humiliation
Two men are arrested for bringing Russian women and girls to Alaska to work as strippers. (Salon, January 22, 2001)

Traffickers' New Cargo: Naive Slavic Women
how women from Ukraine, Russia and other parts of the former USSR are tricked into sex slavery abroad (New York Times, January 1998)

Sexual Trafficking from Russia
The Miramed Institute offers an introduction to the extent of the problem and the issues involved.

The World's Oldest Profession is Still Lucrative in Russia
Examines the nature and extent of prostitution in Russia. (The Russia Journal, April 12, 1999)

Roadside Girls of Russia
Unemployment in rural Russia drives young women into prostitution (The Independent, August 1999)

Russian Cities Weigh Legalization of Prostitution
New York Times, March 3, 1998

Legalization of Prostitution Would Legitimize Abuse
Donna Hughes from the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women writes on the traffic for prostitution from East European countries.

Teenage Prostitution in Vyborg
A reports from the trade center on the Finnish border (St Petersburg Press, 1995)

Random Russia Experiences - Feminism
This page archives an article from Moscow News about Russian women, femininity, feminism, and cross-cultural marriage; plus two responses to it from a Western woman and a Western man, debating the issues raised.

From Russia, With Love
"The mail-order bride business is booming, but critics question what it delivers." A range of opinions is presented in this article by Julie Bailey (PopPolitics.com, June 2000)

For Better or Worse, Russian Brides Not Boring
Lyn Visson looks at Russian women and American men. (Moscow Times, June 17, 1998)

Growth of single mothers poses new set of problems
Survival strategies of single mothers in Russia. (IPS, March 6, 1995)

Sexual Harassment, Russian-Style
"It's hardly news to say that sexual harassment is a problem in Russia. In fact, it is so commonplace that it is hardly discussed, often accepted as the natural course of relations between men and women." (St Petersburg Times, March 9, 1999)

Sexual Harassment in Russian Workplaces
Some legal facts and figures from Dr Zoya Khotkina, April 1997.

Close encounters of the Moscow kind
Tatyana Matsuk gives some examples of everyday harassment. (The Russia Journal, December 2, 2000)

Too Little, Too Late: State Response to Violence Against Women in Russia
Full text of Human Rights Watch report from December 1997: a comparison of actual practice to Russia's obligations under international law.

Cultural Roots of Domestic Violence
article by Marina Pisklakova-Parker traces the history of men's attitudes and women's subordination in Russia. (Give and Take, Summer 2000)

Violence Against Women in Russia Grows Worse
article from the LA Times, December 6, 1997.

Families Under Siege: Domestic Violence on the Rise in Russia
Conclusions of a parliamentary committee. (The Russia Journal, March 29, 1999)

Russia: Domestic Violence Persists
A cross-section of opinions about causes and prevention. (RFE/RL, March 7, 2001)

Domestic Abuse: Russia's Tragic, Hidden Secret
"It is estimated that 60 percent of the women murdered in Russia every year are killed by their husbands. Domestic violence occurs in 25 percent of Russian families. Yet it is rarely discussed." - CNN report from March 1997.

A Witch-hunt in Modern Russia
In February 1997, one woman was killed and another injured in a southern Russian village, after some neighbors came to believe they were witches.

Women in the Reindeer Herding Communities of the Russian Far North
research report from Bulgaria, about women on the Kola Peninsula in Russia

Bye-Bye Babushka
Rebecca Feig's 1997 documentary: changes in Russia from the perspective of older women.

Russian Tough Times
RealAudio. NPR broadcast about women in a Siberian town; May 24, 1998.

Women prisoners suffer, report says
50,000 of Russia’s 920,000 prisoners are women. (The Russia Journal, March 11, 2001)

Female inmate numbers surge in Russia's decaying prisons
the Interior Ministry opens a women's labor camp to journalists. CNN, January 31, 1996.

Women in Russia: what the research shows
Irina Glushchenko summarizes a report on varying conditions for women in Russia's regions. (Green Left Weekly, 1994)

Back to the Stove
Russia's Academy of Sciences finds out that unemployment hits female population hardest. Article by Tatiana Kliatchko; archived newspost on gen.women, November 1994.

Silent Sisterhood
A look at Soviet women's lives and views in the perestroika period. By Linda Feldmann (New Internationalist, December 1988)

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This page updated on May 4, 2001. Feedback to elleon@oocities.com