Lithuanian Women Research Articles

Lithuanian women in Ravensbrück concentration camp

In the Lithuanian historical memory, imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps (the best known to Lithuanians is Stutthof concentration camp) is entrenched as a largely male experience. This led to the fact that not only the experience of women prisoners has faded, but also the memory of other concentration camps. The most important of these, in researching women’s experiences in Nazi captivity, is Ravensbrück concentration camp. The aim of this paper is to analyse the information available in the memorial’s internal database and online archives about Lithuanian women in Ravensbrück, not only on the basis of statistical data but also by presenting at least partially reconstructed biographies. The results of the research showed that most women of Lithuanian and Polish origin (often this origin was difficult to distinguish) related to Lithuania, the majority of whom were imprisoned in Ravensbrück, were young workers, born between 1920 and 1926, voluntarily or forcibly deported to Germany for works, having committed a certain offence. Also, women of Jewish (9), East Slavic (5), German and (2) Latvian (1) origin, born or having Lithuanian citizenship were imprisoned in Ravensbrück. Thus, a large number of women were brought to Ravensbrück not directly from Lithuania or another place of residence, but already while being in Germany. The fate of only a few women whose records of death from alleged exhaustion or murder at the end of the war have survived is known. Many women survived not only Ravensbrück but also other concentration camps and prisons, where the remaining information (prisoner cards) and post-war documents of German authorities about foreigners who came to Germany during the war have already helped to reconstruct the biographies of some women and can be used in the future while conducting research on prisoners from Lithuania and in other concentration camps.

Wives, Daughters and Sisters: Noble Women in Medieval Lithuania (13th–15th Centuries)

The history of medieval women in Lithuania a little-known topic. This is due to two reasons. Firstly, the long-dominant research tradition, which has given the main role to the history of “great men”, has undoubtedly left women on the margins of studies. Secondly, the state of research has been, and continues to be, largely determined by the availability of the sources. Of all the rulers of Lithuania during the pagan period, only the names of Mindaugas’ wife and both of Algirdas’ wives are known with certainty. Sensing this gap, some of the rulers’ wives were “given” names by later chroniclers.The situation concerning the sources regarding the wives and daughters of the nobility is similar. For example, of the 26 most influential nobles of the time of Grand Duke Vytautas, in 14 cases, we do not know the name or origin of the wife. Nevertheless, the processing and compilation of the rather scattered material on the Lithuanian noble women allows us to draw some conclusions about the political and social system of the Lithuanian medieval state.Women played an important role in the world of the nobility. As wives, daughters, and sisters, they established and maintained ties between relatives, both at home and (in the case of rulers) abroad. Successful marriages often determined the trajectories of men’s careers, and sometimes even of individual families. However, they mostly remained in the silence of the sources and, thanks to the conjuncture of the sources, they appear before us first of all as pious foundresses, preservers of the memory of the family, and guardians of children.

Translation and Validation of the City Birth Trauma Scale With Lithuanian Postpartum Women: Findings and Initial Results.

The childbirth experience and birth-related trauma are influenced by various factors, including country, healthcare system, a woman's history of traumatic experiences, and the study's design and instruments. This study aimed to validate the City Birth Trauma scale for Lithuanian women post-childbirth. Using a descriptive, cross-sectional survey with a nonprobability sample of 794 women who gave birth from 2020-2021, the study found good validity, reliability, and presented the prevalence of birth-related stress symptoms. A bifactor model, consisting of a general birth trauma factor and two specific factors for birth-related symptoms and general symptoms of PTSD, showed the best model fit. The Lithuanian version of the City Birth Trauma scale can be effectively used in research and clinical practice to identify birth-related trauma symptoms in women after giving birth.

Terapiniai tradicinio muzikavimo aspektai nėštumo, gimdymo ir pogimdyminiu laikotarpiu

The purpose of this study is to reveal the benefits of traditional music for women’s psychosocial wellbeing and its applicability in music therapy during the birth-transition, i. e. during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. Some Lithuanian women use traditional music for self-help during their own birth-transition or working with pregnant women and mothers. On the other hand, we still lack interdisciplinary research on the therapeutic value of traditional music. This article analyzes a previously unexplored phenomenon of employing traditional music to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of pregnant women and mothers. The study presents experiences, insights and testimonies of the young mothers and doulas who assisted them regarding the value of traditional music while expecting the baby, giving birth, and raising the child. For this study, we deliberately selected educated women who are members of the folk singing groups and practice folklore in their everyday life.
 In the article, pregnancy, childbirth and the first weeks after it are regarded as a transition period between different stages of a woman’s life. It is characterized by the sense of liminality, identity transformation, and the related emotional peak. The research has shown that the interviewed women practiced folk singing, listened to the traditional music or music performed on the traditional instrument kanklės, danced to traditional dance music during pregnancy in order to creatively release tension, improve emotional state, reduce anxiety, prepare for the childbirth, or simply make everything easier. Meanwhile, singing folksongs and lullabies to the baby during pregnancy and the postpartum period was a natural way to establish a relationship, to express motherly love, to convey values and a certain worldview.

History in Lithuanian Women’s Creative Documentaries: Critical and Personal Approach

Over the last two decades, documentary has become an important tool of communication for Lithuanian women filmmakers since their number and visibility on national and international screens has grown significantly. Better gender balance in documentary-filmmaking noticeably increased the exposure to greater stylistic and thematic diversity, as well as paved the way for the new cinematic approaches to national and world history, politics, warfare, collective identity, and other issues traditionally assigned to men. This article examines creative documentaries directed by Giedrė Žickytė, Jūratė Samulionytė and Vilma Samulionytė, Martina Jablonskytė and Ramunė Rakauskaitė. First, it investigates how these films combine subjective, analytical, and critical approaches to examine and mediate complex phenomena in Lithuanian history. Second, it discusses how these women documentarists engage with the past and in what ways their approaches and languages differ from conventional historical documentaries.

Savęs atstovavimas moterų lyderystėje STEAM srityse Lietuvoje: diskursas, lyties tapatybė ir vaidmenų suderinamumas

Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are fields substantially crucial for innovation and development. Nevertheless, the gender gap in these areas is significant also in European countries. Considering the underrepresentation of STEAM women’s leadership, we provide insight into the common characteristics that led Lithuanian women to become referents in their fields. We identify elements of leadership in discursive social representations, professional ideologies, gender identity and role congruency in connection to power structures from a gender perspective within organisations, considering the mediations of the social context. We conducted the research in two phases: an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews. We performed a critical discourse analysis of Lithuanian Women’s testimonies to understand gender social representations. Parenthood highly influences building leadership and choosing STEAM careers, whereas self-efficacy and creativity are essential elements. High co-responsibility at home confirms that family context is vital. In STEAM careers, a male-centric perspective still constrains female leadership. There is still work to be done regarding active politics, programs, and law enforcement to create equity and social justice relationships between men and females, especially in STEAM areas.

Lip morphometry and morphologic pattern variation by ethnicity.

The aim of this research is to document and classify common lip print patterns and lip measurements, to evaluate their variations in Polish, Russian, Lithuanian women populations. 371 women (151 Lithuanians, 145 Poles, 75 Russians) from Vilnius University participated in this research. A questionnaire and lip print collection were administered. Each lip print was divided into six sextants, examined and classified. 120 women were photographed by Vectra M3 3D (Canfield Imaging Systems, USA) camera, lip morphometry was analyzed. In all lip print sextants, Type I was the most common among Lithuanians, Type III - among Polish and Type V - among Russian women. A statistically significant difference was found between Type I lip print pattern and Lithuanian ethnicity (p = 0.001) and Type III and Polish ethnicity (p = 0.015). The values of medial vertical height of cutaneous upper lip (p = 0.045), height of upper lip (p = 0.034), philtrum width (p = 0.020), height of lower vermilion (p = 0.015), upper lip vermilion area (p = 0.022), upper lip volume (p = 0.034) and total lip volume (p = 0.05) statistically significantly varied between the ethnicities. Morphometric findings were similar to other morphometric research on Caucasians.

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged Lithuanian women in different body mass index and waist circumference groups

Background and aimsThe aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged Lithuanian women in different body mass index and waist circumference groups. Methods and resultsData selected from the Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk (LitHiR) primary prevention program between 2009 and 2016. This community-based cross-sectional study comprised 53,961 women aged 50–64 years old. We compared the prevalence of arterial hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and metabolic syndrome in different body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) groups. The most prevalent cardiometabolic risk factor was dyslipidaemia (91.71%, n = 49,488). The prevalence of arterial hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome was greater in those with higher-than-normal BMI and WC. Smoking was the most prevalent in women with low BMI and normal WC (24.00% and 13.17% respectively). ConclusionThe analysis showed that all risk factors, except smoking, were significantly more prevalent in women with higher-than-normal BMI and with increased WC or abdominal obesity. The prevalence of dyslipidaemia was surprisingly high in all BMI and WC groups. Obesity measured by WC was more strongly associated with an adverse metabolic profile.

Behind the curtain: How did women's work history vary across Central and Eastern Europe?

AbstractThis paper investigates the differences in female work experience across Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). We use retrospective SHARELIFE data to analyse women's work history from 1950 to 1990. We provide descriptive evidence that women's work experience varied across CEECs. Furthermore, we argue that comparing the former provinces of the Russian Empire in Lithuania and Poland provides a natural experiment, allowing us to disentangle the effect of the differential implementation of the Soviet regime from the pre‐existing differences. We find that during communism, Lithuanian women worked 2 years more by age 50 relative to their Polish counterparts. This effect is one‐third of that found in the East–West Germany comparison. We propose several potential mechanisms behind this finding: the degree of land collectivization, the Church's influence and the sectoral composition. Accordingly, this study's findings highlight the importance of country differences in CEECs.

Postnatal Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Risk Following Miscarriage.

The experience of miscarriage is an important population-level problem that affects approximately 10–25% of pregnancies. The physical consequences of miscarriage have been researched extensively, but psychological sequelae less so. First-person accounts show that women who have experienced miscarriage feel pressured to stay silent, to grieve, and to fight intense physical and psychological challenges alone. There is ample scientific evidence on the links between miscarriage and physical and mental health disorders, such as complicated grief, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, suicidal risk, psychosomatic disorders, sexual health disorders, etc. However, there is a lack of deeper understanding of the specifics of psychological morbidity after miscarriage, as well as of the information on vulnerability and resilience factors. This study aims to assess the risk of postnatal depression and post-traumatic stress following miscarriage. A total of 839 Lithuanian women who had one or more miscarriages were asked to complete an online questionnaire, including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R). Of the women, 59.1% were found to be at increased risk of postnatal depression and 48.9% at high risk of postnatal depression; 44.7% of the women were considered to be at increased risk of post-traumatic stress. An impaired relationship with one’s body and childlessness has been the strongest predictors of psychological morbidity risk.

Strategies and Tactics of the Lithuanian Women’s Movement: Retrospective Analysis

The strategies and tactics of the Lithuanian women’s movement helped to change the attitudes of society, political parties, altered political, educational and legal systems and expanded the field of relevant issues on the international level. However, the state’s existence period (1918–1940) was too short for women to be able to fully realise them; thus, most of the formed strategies are relevant today and are realised. The examples of strategy implementation ways show that women’s actions were important for the society and the state and had direct impact on their development. The second strategic period is very important; during this period, Lithuanian women were granted political rights. Novelty of work. The article provides the correct date of women being granted suffrage based on historical sources, i.e., 20 November 1919, the law on election of the Constituent Assembly of Lithuania. It does not coincide with the notion established in the Lithuanian historiography that the date is 2 November 1918. The author proves that this error emerged due to incorrect interpretation of the article in the 2 November 1918 Lithuanian Temporary Constitution on the person’s (citizen’s) rights. Moreover, the researcher takes on a new approach towards the Lithuanian women’s movement through the prism of implementation of strategies and tactics. This approach towards the history of the Lithuanian women’s movement is new. The methods of descriptive, analytical and comparative research. The sources studied are: historical sources, including state documents, archival materials, monographs, survey studies, biographical studies, memoirs, private letters, press, etc.

At the Roots of the Tree of Life: Marija Gimbutas among the Family Women

At the Roots of the Tree of Life: Marija Gimbutas among the Family Women

Women’s pains of punishment: Experiences of female offenders serving community sentences in Lithuania

Using the concept of ‘pains of punishment’, the article analyses the experiences of Lithuanian women serving community sentences. Our study demonstrates that women experience the universal pains of punishment associated with stigmatisation, shame, and the inconveniences caused by punishment, as well as constraints and anxieties about impending imprisonment. Furthermore, the complex context of their social environment (relationships with partners, children, and other loved ones) contributes to these pains. In contrast to some previous studies, the Lithuanian women’s experiences do not fall under the category of ‘demanding clients’ since the research participants do not think of the Probation Service as an institution that could meet their needs and provide them with assistance.

Lietuvių moterys Didžiojoje Britanijoje Pirmojo pasaulinio karo metais | Lithuanian Women in Great Britain during the First World War

The Great War had a devastating impact on some Lithuanian immigrant families living in Great Britain. In 1917, after Britain and Russia signed a military agreement, the mobilisation was announced of foreign men living in Britain who were former subjects of the Russian tsar. The Lithuanians had to decide quickly whether to join the British army or return to Russia and fight on the Russian side. For disadvantaged immigrant families, the mobilisation of men and the loss of the main breadwinner were a major misfortune, and the British government had to provide benefits to the families of the mobilised soldiers. After the war, only a few of the Lithuanian men who had been transported to Russia were able to return to Britain to rejoin their families. The repatriation of these families to Lithuania was organised through the efforts of the British government and the Lithuanian Embassy in London. This article uses historiography and the Lithuanian weekly newspaper Išeivių draugas, published in Scotland from 1914, to describe the Lithuanian community during the Great War, and to analyse how the outbreak of the war, and in particular the Convention of 1917, affected the families of Lithuanian immigrants. The author focuses on the situation of Lithuanian women, their activities during the war, and their concern for the fate of their mobilised men and their families.

IL-6 597A/G (rs1800797) and 174G/C (rs1800795) Gene Polymorphisms in the Development of Cervical Cancer in Lithuanian Women.

Our study aimed to evaluate the distribution of genotypes and allele frequencies of IL-6 597A/G (rs1800797) and 174G/C (rs1800795) polymorphisms in HPV infected and uninfected healthy women and cervical cancer patients. A PCR based Multiplex HPV genotyping test kit was used for in vitro detection and differentiation of high risk HPV genotypes. Genotyping of two polymorphisms, IL-6 597A/G (rs1800797) and 174G/C (rs1800795), was performed using the KASP genotyping assay kit. Cervical cancer patients were more likely to be HPV positive than control patients. Allele C of IL-6 rs1800795 was associated with a higher risk of cervical cancer by 2.26-fold and genotype CC by 5.37-fold. Genotype CC of IL-6 rs1800795 was more frequent in the HPV positive group compared with the HPV negative group (p = 0.002). Allele G of IL-6 rs1800797 was more frequently found in women with HPV16/HPV18 compared to other HPV types (p = 0.045). Women with AA genotypes of IL-6 rs1800797 were less frequently infected with HPV16/HPV18 compared to other HPV types (p = 0.045). The major finding of the study is the significant association of C allele and CC genotype of IL-6 1800795 gene with cervical cancer in the Lithuanian population. Genotype CC of IL-6 rs1800795 has a significant association with HPV infection as well.

The Investigation of Associations between TP53 rs1042522, BBC3 rs2032809, CCND1 rs9344, EGFR rs2227983 Polymorphisms and Breast Cancer Phenotype and Prognosis.

Breast cancer is one of the most common oncological diseases among women worldwide. Cell cycle and apoptosis—related genes TP53, BBC3, CCND1 and EGFR play an important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. However, the roles of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes have not been fully defined. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the association between TP53 rs1042522, BBC3 rs2032809, CCND1 rs9344 and EGFR rs2227983 polymorphisms and breast cancer phenotype and prognosis. For the purpose of the analysis, 171 Lithuanian women were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood; PCR-RFLP was used for SNPs analysis. The results showed that BBC3 rs2032809 was associated with age at the time of diagnosis, disease progression, metastasis and death. CCND1 rs9344 was associated with tumor size, however an association resulted in loss of significance after Bonferroni correction. In survival analysis, significant associations were observed between BBC3 rs2032809 and OS, PFS and MFS. EGFR rs2227983 also showed some associations with OS and PFS (univariate Cox regression analysis). However, the results were in loss of significance (multivariate Cox regression analysis). In conclusion, BBC3 rs2032809 polymorphism was associated with breast cancer phenotype and prognosis. Therefore, it could be applied as potential markers for breast cancer prognosis.

Trends in cardiovascular risk factor prevalence in 50-55-year-old Lithuanian men and women

Background and Aims: Cardiovascular risk assessment has become the cornerstone of cardiovascular prevention. Reducing the impact of health risk factors could prevent at least 80% of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. This study aimed to estimate trends and differences in CVD risk factor prevalence among 50-55 years-old men and women who participated in the Lithuanian High Cardiovascular Risk (LitHiR) primary prevention program between 2009 and 2016.

For Peculiarities of Representation of Women's Roles and Their Changes in Women's Magazines: Case of the Magazine Moteris

For a long time, the patriarchal tradition of portraying a woman as stereotypical has been established, confining her to traditional roles in the family and society. Media publications often become the main source of constructing attitudes and beliefs in society. The peculiarities of portraying women in the media are an important means of constructing women's self-awareness. The purpose of this article – to introduce the research conducted to investigate the peculiarities of representation of the women‘s roles in the women's magazines and their transformation. For implementation this research it has been chosen the largest monthly magazine for the Lithuanian women „Woman“ and the issues have been chosen published in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2018 to fulfill the qualitative and quantitative content analysis. The transition from the Soviet system to the capitalist society is characterized by transformation of values, the search for national identity, the establishmen the new models of relations in the society, the establishmen to the lifestyle characteristic to the capitalist society, etc. The images presented in the media draw the attention of individuals and shape the public's perception of what a woman should be and what responsibilities are assigned to her.

Gender inequality in an “Equal” environment

AbstractLithuania, as a part of the former Soviet Union, has a long‐standing history of perceived equality for women in the workplace. Women played an equal role in economic production as it was a constitutional expectation that all citizens had both a right and an obligation to work. Consequently, at the time of independence in 1990 the levels of participation of women in the workplace including at managerial and professional levels were much higher than other western European countries. In architecture, women achieved parity in terms of numbers, but this equality did not transfer into all aspects of economic activity. Drawing on qualitative survey and interview data from 31 Lithuanian women architects, our findings show, despite the historical emphasis on equality, the existence of a “critical mass” of women in the profession and the adoption of EU gender equality policy, the position of women remains poor with clear evidence of sex discrimination, harassment, and lack of opportunities for career advancement.

Between Shame and Femininity: The Experience of Lithuanian Women Who Have Left the Industry of Prostitution. Ethnographic Field Research

This paper focuses on women who have left the industry of prostitution and is based on ethnographic field studies conducted in several cities in Lithuania. Four women have agreed to share their stories of entering and leaving the industry of prostitution and in all their narratives the core accent was the experience of shame. During the interviews, each of these women had an urge to express the importance of moral virtues in their lives and, as all of them claimed, they felt ashamed because “they have lost their femininity.” It was very important for these women to emphasize that they are not “easy going” or “loose women,” but women who have high moral standards and that entering the industry of prostitution was never the idea of their own, it was rather the consequence of several different factors varying from manipulations of their pimps to their poor social and financial circumstances. It is evident that these 4 women understand femininity as opposed to the work which women in prostitution do (providing sexual service). According to their narratives, women in prostitution, due to the aspect of providing sexual service to many male clients, lose the virtue of femininity, and that is the main factor generating the experience of shame. Due to experience of shame, all these women could not share their traumatic experiences with their families or even close friends.
 The construction of femininity in Lithuania is heavily influenced by the cult of Mother Mary and the doctrine of innocence. Therefore, the division of women into the categories of the Madonna and the Whore is still very much prominent in the Lithuanian society today. According to the Code of Administrative Offenses, prostitution in Lithuania is categorised as a crime against morality, and both the client and the sexual service provider must be fined. Nevertheless, the data shows that disproportionately very few clients get punished compared to the sexual service providers, mainly women. While non-governmental organisations are putting their efforts to focus the attention of society and the law institutions onto the client and in that way to put an end to the stigmatisation of women in the industry of prostitution, since both the client and the provider of sexual services are needed for the act of prostitution, in reality no social rehabilitation programs in social politics exist for these women in Lithuania today, apart from the help they receive from non-governmental organisations. Therefore, they are left to cope with the traumatic experience on their own, while the stigmatisation of women in prostitutions persists.
 Empirical material confirms the hypothesis that the experience of shame, which is based on the construction of femininity and the system of moral virtues in the society, reflected in the law defining prostitution in Lithuania, creates certain psychological and social configuration. Due to this configuration, these particular women experience social isolation. Therefore, their rehabilitation from the trauma period is prolonged and new obstacles in achieving well-being in their lives emerge.