Is Russia the most feminist country in the world?

Submitted by George Callaghan…

Russian women are among the most liberated in the world. Do not expect to hear that from the mainstream media which is devoted to besmirching Russia’s good name.

In 1917 the October Revolution brought the Bolsheviks to power. They immediately decreed total gender equality in all spheres. By the 1920s Soviet women were appointed to high offices. This was unimaginable in the West at the time. Women had careers open to them in the USSR that would not have been open to them in the West. There were not token numbers of women working as doctors, engineers and soldiers but serious numbers. Soviet women were the heroines who won the Second World War more so than any other nation.

In the 1960s the USSR sent the first woman into space. Soviet women won more Olympic gold medals than any other country. The peerless achievements of Russian women have continued to this day. Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova are two Russian sportswomen who have demonstrated what women can achieve in sports and other spheres.

Since the 1990s Russian women were liberated again. The Soviet era was fantastic for women in terms of educational and career opportunities. However, the austere aspect of women did not allow them to express their feminimity in the most glamorous sense. After 1991 Russian women gained access to clothes and cosmetics that were largely unavailable prior to that. There are other Russian women who prefer not to embrace consumerism and this type of elegance.

British far left feminist Laurie Penny declared ‘control of our own bodies is ground zero for feminists’. By that litmus test Russia is a very feminist country. Its abortion laws are very liberal. The ability to control fertility has enabled women to pursue high powered careers if they wish. Many Russian women are very focused on family and home. Some of them prioritise this over career progression. This is why there are not as many women CEOs in Russia as in certain other countries.

It is difficult and unwise to generalize about seventy million women. There is great variety among Russian womanhood. This is partly because so many choices are open to Russian womenfolk. There is a large indigenous Muslim community in Russia. Some Russian Muslim women choose to dress very modestly. Others dress in a more average manner. A few Russian women like to dress daringly and celebrate their sexuality. The variety of lifestyles available to Russian womenfolk is reflected in these sartorial choices.

Russians care very deeply for the advancement of women. This is why they are engaged in battle against ISIS in Syria. They are fighting for many reasons. Not hindmost among them is the upliftment of Syria’s female population. No decent person would wish the ISIS barbarians to triumph.

The situation in Russia is not paradisical. Russian women encounter some of the same challenges as women do in other highly advanced countries. However, on balance the situation for Russian women is enviable.

What is so laudable about Russia is that it has accomplished the general liberation of women. It is not about third wave feminism and the oppression of men. The inanities of the Me Too movement get short shrift in Russia. Being normal is not a crime in Russia! Admiring a woman’s appearance or asking someone on a date is not a sacking offence. Persistent unwanted attention is a different matter.