HOW ACCURATE IS IT TO SAY THAT WOMEN IN THE SOVIET UNION EXPERIENCED ONLY LIMITED
CHANGES IN THEIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE YEARS 1918-64?
TO WHAT EXTENT DID THE LIVES OF WOMEN IN THE USSR IMPROVE BETWEEN 1917 AND 1964?
Introduction
Although in theory, women and men became equal in 1918 in the soviet constitution, it was a long
time before women received the same opportunities in work and received provisions which would
impact their life. It was even longer before there was representation of women in the party system,
especially in the upper sections of it. Furthermore, it took time for women in towns and the
countryside to have the same improvements on their lives, especially with events and policies
such as WWII and collectivisation severely impacting them.
Overall, the lives of women as a whole did improve between 1917 and 64. They were given
opportunities and welfare that impacted lives, however it was an extremely slow process with the
slightly uncaring attitudes of men in the party as well as di erent approaches of leaders impacting
this.
Lenin
- Lenin had written about the ‘bourgeois’ nature of marriage where the man was dominant to the
woman
- Established a woman’s branch of the central committee (zhenotdel) to promote equality
- Rushed through a series of decrees to raise the status of women -
- Divorce made easier, abortion legalised, laws that made a woman obey, live with and take
last name of husband abolished
- Equal pay for men and woman law passed in 1917 and maternity leave granted
- Soviet constitution of 1918 declared women and men were equal - however this doesn’t mean
women’s status had automatically improved - rise in divorce rates didn’t help women support
their children as few received nancial support from the father, 70% of divorces were nitrated
by men whose wives had become pregnant, and the laws giving equal pay and rights in
employment were slow to have an impact
- Gave women the vote
- Impact of the civil war:
- Despite increasing employment opportunities, women lives changed for the worse.
- Over 70,000 fought in the red army but very few held high rank. Millions were recruited into
factories but social provision for children was inadequate. The regime wanted to provide
creches but didn’t have enough resources
- long term impact of the civil war on women meant women were generally more likely to be
unskilled and many lost their jobs when soldiers returned to civilian life, traditional attitudes that
women were unsuitable for heavy manual work persisted as did attitude that women were
unreliable due to pregnancy and maternity leave. War and famine left many homeless and
destitute = rise in prostitution
- Bolsheviks attempted to break down traditional attitudes in muslim areas by using young
female activists who encouraged unveiling, explained contraception, personal hygiene and
childcare
- Opportunities for muslim women increased
- One campaign against unveiling was met with success. However the traditional islamic attitude
was hard to change- in one case a Zhenotdel meeting was attacked by men with dogs and
boiling water. Women who refused to wear traditional dress were sometimes killed in ‘honour
killings’. So during the 1930s the government took a softer approach
- family seen as an outdated institution . Calls for ‘free love’ shocked older bolsheviks
- Divorce rates highest in Europe
- By 1926, 50% of all marriages in Moscow ended in divorce, and abortions outnumbered love
births 3;1. Increase in orphans who roamed the streets and low birth rate
-
- overall: did improve the lives of women as they were awarded plenty of rights that would have
been unheard of under the tsar. However there was still a way to go and often the policies
created to help women eg easier divorce were exploited by men
-
fi ff
CHANGES IN THEIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE YEARS 1918-64?
TO WHAT EXTENT DID THE LIVES OF WOMEN IN THE USSR IMPROVE BETWEEN 1917 AND 1964?
Introduction
Although in theory, women and men became equal in 1918 in the soviet constitution, it was a long
time before women received the same opportunities in work and received provisions which would
impact their life. It was even longer before there was representation of women in the party system,
especially in the upper sections of it. Furthermore, it took time for women in towns and the
countryside to have the same improvements on their lives, especially with events and policies
such as WWII and collectivisation severely impacting them.
Overall, the lives of women as a whole did improve between 1917 and 64. They were given
opportunities and welfare that impacted lives, however it was an extremely slow process with the
slightly uncaring attitudes of men in the party as well as di erent approaches of leaders impacting
this.
Lenin
- Lenin had written about the ‘bourgeois’ nature of marriage where the man was dominant to the
woman
- Established a woman’s branch of the central committee (zhenotdel) to promote equality
- Rushed through a series of decrees to raise the status of women -
- Divorce made easier, abortion legalised, laws that made a woman obey, live with and take
last name of husband abolished
- Equal pay for men and woman law passed in 1917 and maternity leave granted
- Soviet constitution of 1918 declared women and men were equal - however this doesn’t mean
women’s status had automatically improved - rise in divorce rates didn’t help women support
their children as few received nancial support from the father, 70% of divorces were nitrated
by men whose wives had become pregnant, and the laws giving equal pay and rights in
employment were slow to have an impact
- Gave women the vote
- Impact of the civil war:
- Despite increasing employment opportunities, women lives changed for the worse.
- Over 70,000 fought in the red army but very few held high rank. Millions were recruited into
factories but social provision for children was inadequate. The regime wanted to provide
creches but didn’t have enough resources
- long term impact of the civil war on women meant women were generally more likely to be
unskilled and many lost their jobs when soldiers returned to civilian life, traditional attitudes that
women were unsuitable for heavy manual work persisted as did attitude that women were
unreliable due to pregnancy and maternity leave. War and famine left many homeless and
destitute = rise in prostitution
- Bolsheviks attempted to break down traditional attitudes in muslim areas by using young
female activists who encouraged unveiling, explained contraception, personal hygiene and
childcare
- Opportunities for muslim women increased
- One campaign against unveiling was met with success. However the traditional islamic attitude
was hard to change- in one case a Zhenotdel meeting was attacked by men with dogs and
boiling water. Women who refused to wear traditional dress were sometimes killed in ‘honour
killings’. So during the 1930s the government took a softer approach
- family seen as an outdated institution . Calls for ‘free love’ shocked older bolsheviks
- Divorce rates highest in Europe
- By 1926, 50% of all marriages in Moscow ended in divorce, and abortions outnumbered love
births 3;1. Increase in orphans who roamed the streets and low birth rate
-
- overall: did improve the lives of women as they were awarded plenty of rights that would have
been unheard of under the tsar. However there was still a way to go and often the policies
created to help women eg easier divorce were exploited by men
-
fi ff
