Does Russian Feminism Have a Future?

"The characters of Gray's book were successful and professional women who talked a lot about their burdensome living conditions, the horrible conditions of Soviet maternity hospitals, about their 'emancipation fatigue.' They dreamed of hiding behind a reliable and strong man, whom they often missed from their lives. As a matter of fact, this was indeed the yearning of many women in the Perestroika years."

"Over the past thirty years, Russian women became the subject of dozens of books and hundreds of articles on both sides of the Atlantic, of newly created university centers, and of dozens of scholarly events and conferences. Unfortunately, most of them are known only to a narrow circle of specialists. At present, academic contacts with Russia are virtually frozen, and dialogue is barely maintained, even though not completely extinguished."

Soviet-era women often combined professional success with difficult living conditions, inadequate maternity hospitals, and widespread 'emancipation fatigue.' Many expressed longing for security in a reliable, strong man despite formal equality. Perestroika-era exposure to Western media generated hopes for an 'American dream' that largely evaporated amid the 1990s' chaotic transition to market capitalism. Post-1990 collaborative research produced dozens of books, university centers, and scholarly events focused on Russian women, but most findings remain familiar only to specialists. Contemporary academic contacts with Russia are largely frozen, limiting dialogue. Ongoing scholarship aims to foreground the lives of Russia's 145 million citizens beyond political leadership.

Read at The Nation