Russian Women’s Rights in the Post-Soviet Context Vladimir Putin’s Russia is not a place for a thriving feminist movement. Feminists like the members of Pussy Riot have constantly tried to find their voice within the oppressive patriarchal system that is rampant throughout Russian society and government where women struggle to find a voice and representation. According to Holmgren (2013), “the Putin government has repackaged the patriarchy as conventionally and commercially masculinist, combining misogynistic posturing…with sentimental paternalism” (Holmgren, 537) which has had grave consequences for women in government and in a broader social context. After the downfall of the soviet regime, the transition to a more capitalist society …show more content…
This shows the patriarchal agenda of Putin’s government, as the lesser protections for women in the government lead to serious consequences for women’s rights. Even women senators in the Duma were for cutting back the minor restrictions that were written into law in 2016 against violence in the household. In an interview with Russian senator, Yelena Mizulina, stated “that one of the main problems in the country is not so much violence in families, as the rudeness, the cause of which she sees in the absence of "affection and respect, especially from women." (Human Rights Watch, 2017) which shows the patriarchal system that defends abusers and the government that supports them. Mizulina is the chairman on the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs, which means that she is the main voice for women’s issues in the Duma. (Wilkinson, 368) Mizulina is a consistent voice of conservatism in the Duma, and her department has consistently made attempts to restrict women’s rights. In particular, the Duma Committee on Family, Women, and Children Affairs of which Mizulina is a member, made a “State Concept of Family Policy until 2025” which lays out the clear conservative values of the state in regards to women. For example, the plan propositions more restrictions on abortion, imposes taxes on divorce, and supports the church’s role in making decisions about familial matters. (Wilkinson, 369) This emphasis
Women have always been fighting for their rights for voting, the right to have an abortion, equal pay as men, being able to joined the armed forces just to name a few. The most notable women’s rights movement was headed in Seneca Falls, New York. The movement came to be known as the Seneca Falls convention and it was lead by women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton during July 19th and 20th in 1848. Stanton created this convention in New York because of a visit from Lucretia Mott from Boston. Mott was a Quaker who was an excellent public speaker, abolitionist and social reformer. She was a proponent of women’s rights. The meeting lasted for only two days and was compiled of six sessions, which included lectures on law, humorous
The eighteenth century brought about a great deal of change and a new-found interest in science and reason. Because of this, many great inventions, ideas and innovative theorists arose from this time period. Among them was a forward-thinking essayist by the name of Mary Wollstonecraft. In her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft preaches her belief that the oppression of women is largely due to lack of female education. Although the term "feminism" wasn’t coined until decades later, Wollstonecraft paved the way for future women’s rights movements by advocating equality in education for women. She believed men and women should be equal in the very basic aspects of life, such as in loyalty in marriage. Wollstonecraft
The struggle for women to be treated equally as humans never ends. In fact, great strides have been made since the mid-19th century: the first organization to advocate for and draw the world’s attention to females’ equality – namely the International Council of Women – was formed by the U.S and several countries in Europe. And, fortunately, dedication to pursuing women’s rights is still unchanging even at present. Hillary Clinton, a well-known American politician, has devoted her career to supporting women: selected as the first chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, she aimed to provide all women equality and to secure their full and equal political participation in democracy. At the U.N. 4th World Conference on Women’s Plenary Session, held in Beijing, China, in 1995, Hillary Clinton’s effective use of repetition in her speech, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights,” calls the general public’s attention to the importance of women’s equality, emphasizing women’s worldwide contribution and the violence from which women have suffered.
She was a mother, a moral and political philosopher, a writer, and a feminist. Mary Wollstonecraft was the ideal image of what represented the push towards modern feminism. Some may even consider her as the founding mother of modern feminism itself. Much of Wollstonecraft’s literature is influenced by her own life experiences. In 1785, Wollstonecraft took on an employment opportunity as a governess. While spending most of her time there, she had a moment of epiphany where she realized that she was not suited for domestic work. Soon after, she returned to London and became a translator and wrote for a well-known publisher and discovered her love of writing. Eventually, years later she was then able to publish her most notable work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is still a very popular book which can be seen as a guide to becoming a better citizen and understanding feminism in a critical context. This essay will argue that Mary Wollstonecraft is still relevant to the feminist cause today as her views portrayed in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman are still relatable to many of the feminist issues that currently exist around the world. This essay will do so by comparing how her views in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman can still be used as guiding principles to tackle feminist matters.
Ukrainian, Elena Grigorievna Ponomarenko and Russian Vera Ivanovna Malakhova shared one inevitable thing in common and that was the USSR, formally known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This spread of communism would take a place in these women’s lives affecting their ideology. Elena allowed communism to be the foundation of her life, while Vera used to advance in the education system and become a physician. Despite the views these women had on communism, communism helped both Elena and Vera achieve their social status as well as privileges.
Russia is a leading example of case studies examining feminism and its role in the Eastern hemisphere. Though feminism is apparent across the globe and is often affiliated with the western hemisphere, the concept of female empowerment differs greatly in Russia. In Feminism in Russia by Linda H. Edmondson, she explains that Russians are considered to have a “backwards society,” because of their special status and recognition of women. Backwards societies such as Russia’s are considered this in comparison to Western societies, as Western societies are considered to be the ideal society.
Even as far back as the United States independence, women did not possess any civil rights. According to Janda, this view is also known as protectionism, the notion that women mush be sheltered from life's harsh realities. Protectionism carried on throughout the general populations view for many decades until the 1920's when the women's movement started. Women finally received the right to vote in the Nineteenth Amendment. The traditional views of protectionism, however, remained in people's minds until the 1970's (Janda et al, 2000: 538-539).
Feminist’s forces support the political aspirations of women. They are interested in the actual participation of women in power structures and in social life in general (and not just formal equality). They examine the phenomenon of masculinity, a change in stereotypes of masculinity, as well as changes in the relations between the sexes. Partnership between women and men in politics is not only possible, but necessary. Politics is too serious and common cause to trust it only to men.
One of the most influential writers Adrienne Rich once said, “She is afraid that her own truths are not good enough.” Adrienne Rich talks about women’s role and issues in her essay called “Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying”. She describes how women during the 1977 lied about everything. They lied about their appearance, their job, their happiness, and even about their relationship. Adrienne Rich is one of the most powerful writers, who identifies herself as lesbian feminists. Her work has been acknowledged and appreciated mainly in her poems. Throughout her decades of work as a writer-activist, Rich uses essays, speeches, and conference papers, magazine, articles book reviews, and personal reflection to articulate with
Annette Bair and Marilyn Friedman have opposing views on whether women have distinct moral perspectives. Like Friedman, I believe that women have no different moral perspectives than men. Some people, like Bair, think that women base their moral perspectives on merely trust and love and men base theirs on justice. Friedman points out that care and justice coincide . People use justice to decide what is appropriate in caring relationships and care is brought into account when determining what is just. Since these two moral perspectives correspond, gender does not distinguish different moral perspectives.
The response to the way women are dealt with, radical scholars agree that women turn to substance abuse and criminal activity. Marxist women's activist conjecture bridges patriarchy into the elements of free enterprise when female offenders are sentenced for property or sexual criminal activity. Socialist feminism strives to create equal roles for women as, child bearers, servants, and homemakers, so they can assume their licit place in society. Socialist feminism is a two part theory on the basis that it increases the scope of Marxist's theories and the radical women's activist theory .The extent of perception in women's activist criminology focuses on merging both society and private sectors of a woman’s livelihood and an end to the financial and the social continual pattern of a woman’s abuse.
The word “feminist” has caused turmoil wherever it is uttered. It has gained a negative connotation, and is often mistaken with misandry. While these claims may be true for a minimal number of feminists, the truth is that in order to get an accurate representation on what feminists actually believe one would have to go to the source. The two main problems with that, are that first of all, it is “not rigidly structured or led by a single figure or group”, and most importantly there is not just one kind of feminism, there are hundreds in each aspect of our life (Tavaana, 2014). The most under represented group within feminism is the kind that is in the government. Not all have the same theories, and therefore, do not have the same
In the 1800’s a women was suppose to have four things Piety, Purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. These principles shaped the “Cult of True Womanhood” an idea that women were to be seen but not heard. Women had no say when it came to politics, they couldn’t own property, they were not allowed to do many jobs, and they couldn’t even speak in front of men. They had the duty to be a mother and raise their children but even thought they had this responsibility it was the husband who had the complete control and guardianship of the children. Because of these ideas it was very difficult for change to happen. When women started to receive more education they began to ask questions about why they were being denied these rights, which began the
Some of the first things that may come to mind when people think of Sweden are Ikea, strong ice hockey traditions and the musical group “Abba.” Stereotypes of Swedish people often describe hard-working, polite and reserved individuals who prefer to avoid conflict. While overlooking history over the last one hundred years, one can see that the country’s foreign policy had always consisted of pursuing a policy of neutrality, including during World War II. Perhaps it is for this reason that the current Swedish government raised eyebrows in some corners of the globe when it introduced its feminist foreign policy in October, 2015.This essay will present the principles driving Sweden’s feminist foreign policy and argue why other countries can benefit from joining Sweden’s example by proactively pursuing a foreign policy that makes the treatment of women and girls a central focus in foreign relations. First, it will explain why the Swedish government decided to take an aggressive stance on feminism in its approach to foreign policy. It will then provide evidence to show why other foreign states should endorse its approach and develop similar policies, because it will help promote human rights globally if more states follow Sweden’s example. The essay will then discuss the women’s suffrage movement and how this is related to contemporary feminist policies. Finally, it will look at and critique Canada’s policies on
In the past 3 decades, women made great advancements in the workforce. First, they have become an integral part of the labour market; they have access to higher education and consequently to traditionally male dominated professions such as medicine, law and business. While statistics show that women are equal to men in terms of their numbers in the law profession, it is not clear however, whether they have achieved equality in all other areas of their employment. In this paper, I will examine women’s experiences in the law profession; whether women are earning equal salary compared to the male lawyers, do they still face barriers that are gender related and whether they have broken the glass ceiling in a profession that is supposed to be