The fight for women's rights in the ex-Soviet Union

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women who assume the predominant share In 1986, the Twenty Seventh Congress "In the stores, shoppers have to go of the housework. They do 70 percent of of the Communist Party of the Soviet the shopping, 80 percent of the cooking, Union decided that by the year 2000 every through three lines—one to choose the 64 percent of dishwashing, 90 percent of family should have an apartment or house the laundry, and 87 percent of the ironing. of their own. Home building was to be merchandise, one to pay for it, and one (These figures are from the 1960s. Since officially promoted, since having your then, the situation may have improved own home "makes for strong and big famislightly.) to pick up their purchases. Shopping In the big cities, in particular, especially In the countryside, grandmothers often in Moscow, 20 percent to 25 percent of still assume a part of the burden of rearing for a family of three takes an hour families are crammed into shared-housing their grandchildren. In the cities, families arrangements. Today, the per capita living depend on public institutions. space is 15.2 square meters (in the United Motherhood laws in the ex-USSR have States it is 40 sq.m.). made it easier for mothers to care for their Large dwellings may accommodate two, children in the first stage of their lives (the basis during working hours. there is a genetic difference between men three or often even more families. Young fathers are not mentioned in these laws). In the stores, shoppers have to go and women. If men have to spend too couples often live with their parents, so To care for infants, mothers were granted a through three lines—one to choose the much time in the kitchen, they will lose that five or six people are sharing two year's part-paid leave, which could be merchandise, one to pay for it, and one to their masculinity." rooms, and cooking and washing facilities extended for another half year. They were pick up their purchases. Shopping for a What this little difference means for have to be shared with even more people. guaranteed a job to return to. In 1990, they family of three takes an hour and a half. women can be counted up as follows.

were accorded three years unpaid maternity The number of labor-saving appliances Women have to work eight and half hours leave. in households looks considerable. Accord- (with a break), spend one to two hours A special complaint of women in ing to 1983 statistics, 90 out of a 100 traveling to and from work, an hour and a Moscow, however, is that the daycare cen- households had refrigerators, 70 had wash- half shopping (this has to be done every ters usually are neither near their homes or ing machines, 36 had vacuum cleaners, 95 day, since storage is a problem and you their workplaces. Women-and sometimes had a TV and 93 a radio. However, the have to hunt for scarce goods everyday). To this, you have to add an hour and a men-have to make hour-long journeys appliances often need repairs, and the serhalf to two hours for preparing meals, twice a day on overcrowded public transport vice sector is quite inadequate. to and from the daycare centers. As a result, Nikolal Ignatlev/Network-Matrix Driving women out of workforce single women in particular place their charges in children's homes and see them In order to lighten the burden of child only on weekends. raising and housework on individuals, more Many women have a low opinion of the attractive, cheaper and efficient service cenkindergartens. Mothers complain that the ters would be needed. However, all public statements and interviews make it plain children are always sick, especially with colds. Class size is often 25 or more. that there is a strong promotion of the The 1986-1990 five-year plan provided nuclear family. The rediscovery of the famfor 3 million more places in pre-school ily has been carried so far that it is believed institutions. In 1983, there were places for to offer a solution to the problem caused 14.4 million children in such institutions, by laying off workers. as compared with only 4.4 million in For example, Tatyana Zaslavskaya, a member of the Academy of Sciences, has On the basis of population increases, it said "I think that a section of women in can be estimated that there are 33 million work should give up their jobs and give children of pre-school age, of whom four to priority to housework, if their husbands' five million are being looked after at home. incomes increase as planned."

Thus, only about half of children in this This begs the question of whether age group can find places in public institu- women with qualifications will be prepared to leave their jobs just like that. It is hard In general, shopping is women's work. to believe that women will take seriously Often groups are formed in the plants, who such remarks as the following by a woman send women to do shopping on a shift professor of medicine: "In the last analysis, IseIted ive las viet 'om i as for Jarsed esia lin' of lay. 3, it ugs 1ly, this riet r iS ible gislent g a ark age nticial of Che per lOSt by IUS" is 1 in g is dulies." DS exon. stiDus nan IS a obs ally upthe 1960. tions. Ther such wom socia be th main Th Sovi seen tion the ( raisi expl have Th consi law dem: cal a The "WO dens hous and ( time.

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women's rights since ready-made meals are rare. organization. But in many regions, women On top of this, women often have founded local groups. It is hard to see have to spend an hour or two any real change coming from the former caring for clothes, since some official women's organizations. children's clothes have to be It is true that in November 1990, a washed every day because they women's union was founded in Russia by are in such short supply.

A woman worker with chil- and clubs, with the objective of protecting dren then needs at least another "the interests of women and the family." half hour to make herself up, However, the latter formulation precisely since she has to be attractive. reveals that women's interests were not Then, of course, she has to sleep. After really the central concern. These women such a day, it is easy to understand why also started off from the idea that women's women do not usually have the time for problems had to be dealt with in collaborasocial or political activity. Saturday might tion with "the state and legal organs." be the time for such activities, but it is Only in some cases, has the work of the mainly washing day. women's councils [set up under the Law on The laws that were passed in the ex- Enterprises] been independent.

Soviet Union to protect women can be In the Zukowski district in Moscow, seen in reality as laws that protect the posi- there was an attempt to put up two indetion of men. The legislation spared men pendent women's candidates for the the discussion of their responsibility for Congress of People's Deputies. But it raising children. Here also, as in a more seems to have come to nothing. There were explicit sense under capitalism, women similar attempts for the 1990 elections to have been part of the reserve army of labor. the local Soviets.

The 1919 program of the Bolsheviks Among women in the creative profesconsidered equality in marriage and family sions, networks have formed going back law to have been achieved. The next for a longer time. In 1989, the Lotos Instidemand in the program concerned "ideologi- tute was founded in an institute of the cal and educational work" within the party. Academy of Sciences in Moscow. There, The Bolsheviks demanded that in order for women can pursue studies of gender issues "women to be freed from the material bur- and the daily life of women. dens of outdated housework, communal In March 1991, a women's congress was housing, public restaurants, wash-houses held in Dubno. It was built by 15 women from various organizations, and 200 and daycare centers should be set up at this women attended. All were from Russia, Raquin/AP time."

including from the far east of the Russian Deifying the family Federation.

Recent policy in the ex-USSR has not The participants were not only feminists but also women from the power structures measured up to this demand either materialand journalists. The congress took place ly or in concept. To be sure, the under the motto "Democracy without 1986-1990 five-year plan called for an women is not democracy." increase in the quantity, and above all in The congress took up such themes as the quality, of services available. More- "Women and the Market," "Women as over, the Law on State Enterprises of June Subject and Object of Politics," and "Patri1987 explicitly takes up the social tasks of archy and Violence Against Women." The enterprises. But the axis of all this is greatest interest was in economic ques"strengthening the family" tions.

At the Eighth Congress of the Writers Most of the new democratic or less Union, the secretary talked in his keynote democratic parties show no awareness of speech about the complexity of the mar- the need to address women's issues. Only riage problem, and decided to strike a in Ukraine has a feminist written for a ess "In the stores, shoppers have to go positive note: "There are also happy, to a democratic party. iet certain extent, even exemplary families, There are feminist periodicals with a cerery through three lines—one to choose the welded together by a present and enduring tain audience. But none are well known use love." It is suspicious to say the least, that except Eva, which is published in Lithuaour be merchandise, one to pay for it, and one a prize was awarded to a story entitled: The Warmth of a Cosy Home. nia. It presents itself as Christian feminist. It takes up such questions as abortion, the mi- to pick up their purchases. Shopping CPSU [February 1986], Mikhail Gor- At the Twenty-Seventh Congress of the lence against women. It is interesting that situation of unmarried women, and vioing ten for a family of three takes an hour bachev said: "We have to organize the practical activity of the state institutions and Russian. this periodical appears in both Lithuanian jes and social organizations in such a way that As in most of the countries of former they strengthen the family and its underpin- "actually existing socialism," there has ive nings. ...This is necessary to assure that been no critical reappraisal of feminist liteir dynasties of workers become rooted far and erature and discussions. the basis during working hours. there is a genetic difference between men wide, to promote good family traditions, Since the early forms of the women's In the stores, shoppers have to go and women. If men have to spend too and to educate the younger generation in movement were embalmed by a statethrough three lines—one to choose the much time in the kitchen, they will lose the experiences of their elders." ordered policy for women, it is very hard be merchandise, one to pay for it, and one to their masculinity." The first signs of an independent now to promote the women's movement as pick up their purchases. Shopping for a What this little difference means for woman's organization could be seen in the an independent movement. ley family of three takes an hour and a half. women can be counted up as follows. 1979 samizdat publication Women and This makes it all the more important to ity The number of labor-saving appliances Women have to work eight and half hours Russia. This collection presented the situa- defend the rights for women that exist in households looks considerable. Accord- (with a break), spend one to two hours tion of women in essays and poems, and today and not to give up a single inch of in ing to 1983 statistics, 90 out of a 100 traveling to and from work, an hour and a also dealt with the conditions they faced in ground. Only on this basis will it be possihouseholds had refrigerators, 70 had wash- half shopping (this has to be done every jail. ble to defend and extend women's rights. Or had a TV and 93 a radio. However, the ing machines, 36 had vacuum cleaners, 95 have to hunt for scarce goods everyday). day, since storage is a problem and you obstructed by the authorities, and they The work of the women involved was "coped with" at the expense of women. Furthermore, economic poverty will be 'ys les appliances often need repairs, and the ser- To this, you have to add an hour and a either left the country or became religious. This is a worldwide problem that conort vice sector is quite inadequate. half to two hours for preparing meals, Today, there are no signs of feminist self- fronts all of us. Ilt, Nikolal Ignatlev/Network-Matrix Driving women out of workforce eir In order to lighten the burden of child raising and housework on individuals, more he attractive, cheaper and efficient service cenhe ters would be needed. However, all public ith statements and interviews make it plain that there is a strong promotion of the ed nuclear family. The rediscovery of the famLily has been carried so far that it is believed for to offer a solution to the problem caused ns, by laying off workers. in For example, Tatyana Zaslavskaya, a member of the Academy of Sciences, has it said "I think that a section of women in on work should give up their jobs and give to priority to housework, if their husbands' le. incomes increase as planned." lis This begs the question of whether women with qualifications will be prepared to leave their jobs just like that. It is hard rk. to believe that women will take seriously ho such remarks as the following by a woman ift professor of medicine: "In the last analysis, SOCIALIST ACTION APRIL 1992 11

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"In the countryside, grandmothers often still assume a part of the burden of rearing their grandchildren. In the cities, families depend on public institutions."

various women's committees, associations Soviet Union