The "Women Question" and National Identity: Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia

Abstract

This chapter explores the formation of social identity in post-communist societies through an explicit focus on women in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. Certainly research has documented powerful commonalities among women in the former Soviet bloc: women throughout Eastern Europe have suffered disproportionately in the transition period. An increased feminization of unemployment a decline in family support and child care services and a decline in womens presence in politics seem to be occurring in all post-Soviet regimes. At the same time freedom to organize has helped precipitate independent womens movements distinct from statesponsored organizations. These commonalities invite some easy generalizations about the region; but such generalizations also obscure the very profound differences within Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Differences in culture religion language and social history all remind us that it is misleading to generalize about women and national identity in this region. Therefore the anaylsis in this chapter is focused on Russian women. (excerpt)