Alec Dietz

GS-335
Travel Assignment
11/3/14

Gender Roles in 21st Century Russia

In a country that did not even recognize or incorporate the word
gender into their vernacular until the 21st century, Russia is an
extremely interesting case study in terms of their conceptualization
what it means to be a proper man or woman in society. While visiting
St. Petersburg, I was able to observe and analyze multiple social
spectrums of Russian society and even had the pleasure of discussing
gender norms and the overall sense of masculinity and femininity with
Russian students. In comparison to America in the 21st century (my
dominant country of comparison while studying in Europe), I would
argue that Russia produces a stronger sense of gender inequality when
it comes to male and female roles and furthermore expectations in
society. This reality of general inequality between men and women is
facilitated through multiple social, historical, and economic factors
which influence and continue to mold the perceptions behind
masculinity and femininity in Russian society today.
Historically, women in the majority of European and western
societies began to fight for their rights surrounding education, work,
sexuality, and general emancipation beginning in the late 19th century.
Russia was the first nation to grant women access to secondary
education, and in 1859 allowed the first Russian women into the male

dominated sphere of the university (class notes). Moving into the 20th
century, Russian womens rights organizations were lead by influential
women such as Nadezhda Krupskaya, who published literary work
including The Woman Worker which explicated upon the inequality of
respect, rights, and salary Russian women faced in the male
dominated working world. This work amongst others inspired many
women to question their respective roles and burdens laid upon them
by Russian society. Alexandra Kollontai was a leading member of the
feminist socialist party in Russia and is credited for helping women
gain the right to divorce and attain abortions in the 1920s (White).
These newfound rights granted to women under Lenins Russia were
giant leaps foreword in the name of equality and progress, however did
not last long in the grand scheme of time.
Even with these advances in womens rights surrounding
sexuality, emancipation, and work, Russian women soon found
themselves back into an era of traditionalism with the formation of the
Soviet Union and rule of Stalin, who stressed the importance of the
patriarchal family and called for traditionalist gender roles (Kosterina).
The Soviet constitution claimed that men and women had equal rights
surrounding education, employment, political activity, sexuality, etc
(Kosterina). However, this equality promised on multiple spectrums
was rarely if at all achieved, and women continued to experience
unequal pay and employment opportunities that bound women to their

homes and husbands, essentially making emancipation and overall

equality a distant dream. This long history of inequality of the sexes in
Russian society continues to influence gender norms in the present day
even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and provides a strong
foundational base to understanding Russias conceptualization of
masculinity and femininity in Russia society in the 21st century.
After understanding that Russian women have historically been
known and contemplated as virtually second-class citizens, we can
begin to analyze how gender roles have been internalized and
contemplated in 21st century Russia. In a recent sociological survey
conducted in Russia in 2013 pertaining to the roles of Russian women
in society, 78% of the Russian population considered the role of a
woman to be a mother, friend, or housewife. In terms of politics, 75%
of the Russian population condones female participation however only
45% of the population believes that the president of Russia could be a
woman (Zheleznikova). All of these statistics are extremely
concerning, however shed light upon the general augmented reality
surrounding the Russian attitudes towards gender. Essentially, the
womans role and major responsibilities in society are still vastly
isolated inside the domestic domain as a mother or caretaker, while
Russian men are the breadwinners and leaders of the family, workplace
and the general political climate.

In St. Petersburg we had the pleasure of visiting a secondary

education institution and meeting multiple Russian students who were
close in our age. After listening to an hour a half of Putin propaganda
(delivered by a PhD) on how wonderful, successful, and perfect the
country of Russia is, we were given the opportunity to ask questions to
the Russian students and vice versa. Andie asked the Russian students
about the standards of masculinity and femininity and gender roles in
general in Russia society today. A male Russian student replied with a
basic response, saying essentially, women should do whatever they
want to do, if they want to be independent then they should be, they
can do whatever they want. This extremely simplistic however telling
response presents us with the current status of gender roles in Russian
society as being rather outdated. The comment women should do
whatever they want to do is ironic because even though it is obviously
true in theory and principle, the truth is that the Russian social and
economical system denies this notion to become a reality. In Russia
there are over 450 occupations in which it is illegal to hire a woman,
and furthermore when it comes to job cuts, Russian women are far
more likely to be let go or terminated from a job position than a man
(Kosterina). Russian women should obviously do whatever they want
to do, but the system and those who follow it make this merely an ideal
rather than a reality.

A Russian male student then asked us what do you think of

Russian women? We think they are very beautiful and we want to
know what you think? This question is extremely enlightening and
perhaps informative as to how Russian society defines women more as
objects of beauty rather than actual human beings with rights and
needs. Researching further upon this idea of the importance of looks
in Russian women, I uncovered multiple articles that stressed the
cultural importance of female physical beauty in Russian society. One
article related how women in Russia are considered the prettier sex
and in their everyday lives they must always strive for beauty and to
look attractive (Buck). This cultural ideal of the prettier sex in itself
permeates gender inequality as it provides this notion that an ugly
woman is simply less. Is the only role of a Russian woman to look
pretty and in turn find a man? This kind of ideology is what binds
Russian women to their respective roles as second-class citizens whose
only purposes include mother and homemaker in 21st century Russian
society.
Researching even further upon the importance of a womans
physical beauty in Russian society, I found a interesting however rather
disturbing website called masterrussian.com, which explicated what an
average Russian woman was like and her role in society. According to
the website, the major roles and responsibilities of Russian women are
being well-groomed, cooking and cleaning for the family, and loving

her husband who provides all tangible resources for the family.
Furthermore, the website explicitly states that because historically
Russian women have been brought up according to patriarchal
traditions, Russian women are acquiescent with men being the
authority (Russian Women). The content included in this website
sounds like it could have been written anytime before the 20th century.
Clearly this website should not be taken seriously, however the very
principle of the matter that someone would produce this information
seems to say a lot about certain sentiments regarding men and
womens roles in contemporary Russian society.
Out of the group of around fifteen Russian students that we were
able to talk and ask questions with, only two of the students were
women. After the male Russian student answered Andies question
regarding gender roles in Russia, another IES student (I cant
remember who) followed up by asking do the female students agree
with this idea, that they can do whatever they want? Both female
Russia students simply nodded, and that was the only form of
participation both of them contributed during the entire forty-five
minute question and answer session. Something about the whole
experience of watching these two perhaps insecure or maybe
intimidated female students, really gave an interesting however
disturbing insight into Russian culture. I felt that the two female
students felt intimidated to participate, because of interjection from

the Russian males students, and in turn sat idly to the side and listened
without ever voicing a thought or opinion on any subject matter
discussed. Maybe the two female students were shy, but the vibe and
overall atmosphere in the classroom makes me think that there were
cultural norms and understandings being carried out.
The ideals surrounding and pertaining masculinity and femininity
are what conceptualizes gender norms in 21st century Russia. After
centuries of social, economical, and political inequality amongst men
and women in Russian society, one can clearly see how the sentiments
of the past have truly made its mark upon the present. After traveling
to Russia and conducting research about gender norms and
expectations in Russian society, I would argue Russia is extremely far
behind in terms of gender equality and womens rights in general. The
primary factors that contribute to Russias gender gentrification are
unequal rights in the workplace, objectification, and the strong
hierarchy family structure which is so prevalent in Russian culture.
However, with time and cultural change, I feel that gender roles and
conceptualizations of masculinity and femininity in Russia will improve
and adapt to a more modern and equal perspective.

Sources
1. Buck, A. (2012, October 1). The Prettier Sex: Understanding Gender
Roles in
Russia. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from
http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/letters/the-prettiersex-understanding-gender-roles-in-russia

2. Zheleznikova, Y. (2013, April 1). Role of Women in Modern Russia.

Retrieved
November 3, 2014.

3. Kosterina, I. (2011, February 1). The situation of women in Russia An

introduction. | Gunda-Werner-Institute. Retrieved November 3,
2014, from http://www.gwi-boell.de/en/2011/02/16/situationwomen-russia-introduction

4. Feifer, G. (2014, November 1). The Iron Ceiling: Sexism Still Strong
In Russia.
Retrieved November 3, 2014, from
http://www.rferl.org/content/The_Iron_Ceiling_Sexism_Still_Stro
ng_In_Russia/2

5. White, A. (2005, May 1). Gender Roles in Contemporary Russia:

Attitudes and
Expectations among Women Students. Retrieved November 3,
2014, from
http://pvhs.fms.k12.nm.us/teachers/aspencer/downloads/Russian
2.pdf

5. Russian Women. (2013, May 1). Retrieved November 3, 2014, from

http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/russian_women.htm