Why we must continue to advocate for gender equality in Russia, despite positive change elsewhere

By Nasiliu staff (Abigail Kneal)

Some degree of gender inequality has been the norm since humans began developing societies thousands of years ago. Most of the time, women were the homemakers, the gatherers and the educators. Although there is some history of women starting to fight for equal rights starting back in ancient Rome, modern-day, first wave feminism is said to have started less than 200 years ago at the United States Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. But in the 5,000+ years humans have been civilized in societies with rules and traditions, less than 1% of that time has been spent advocating or even just talking about women’s rights. And while many of us modern-day feminists think countries like the United States are behind schedule in tackling women’s rights, other countries, like Russia, are decades behind them. And gender inequality encourages a horrible normality of domestic abuse in Russia, a major issue that grassroots organizations like Nasiliu seek to fix.

Russian gender inequality stems from the top, down. Feminism isn’t just new or considered unusual — it’s a threat to the powers at be. Valerie Sperling, a professor of Political Science at Clark University, has said: “In my view, [feminism] is dangerous at least in part because feminism undermines the legitimation of strategy of the regime; Putin’s political legitimacy […] rests on a socially constructed distinction between male and female, between masculinity and femininity […]. Without that framework of understanding, you can’t use the kind of political legitimation strategy that the Russian regime has been using under Putin. And feminism is dangerous precisely because it explicitly reveals and questions that patriarchal hierarchy where masculinity is valued over femininity.”

Putin’s Russia has carefully constructed gender roles in its society based on Soviet Union traditionalism. Only 54% of Russians think it is “very important” that women have the same rights as men in their country. The pay gap between men and women is one of the widest among developed nations — Russian women still earn almost a third less than men. In some industries, pay isn’t the only issue — women can’t hold the same jobs men can. This gender inequality fuels domestic violence, a considerable concern for women in Russia. According to the Borgen Project, “In January 2017, Russia decriminalized domestic violence that does not cause serious injury — meaning broken bones or a concussion — for first-time offenders. Since most victims do not report their abuse, most “first-time offenders” are actually long-time abusers.”

Education can be one piece of the puzzle in challenging the norm. On the topic of young women exploring STEM and nontraditional careers, Ksenia Busehva, a Russian tech entrepreneur, has said: “I think it goes deeper than just encouraging women to get into tech in later life, it should be something that governments take initiative on in the early years in promoting certain subjects in school.” And although gender equality doesn’t need monetary incentive, encouraging STEM subjects in school has a major return for organizations long-term — companies with equal men and women earn 41 percent higher revenue (BuiltIn, 2021).

But it’s unlikely that Russian governmental officials will change their opinions and policies based on their current trajectory, so we need to take matters into our own hands. As shared on our website, Nasiliu.net: “International experience shows that large-scale educational campaigns and the activities of public women’s organizations gradually lead to the creation of an atmosphere of intolerance towards domestic violence in society, and have a certain influence on the government so that, finally, measures to counter violence are taken.”

At Nasiliu, we work to do just that, by helping women facing domestic abuse in Russia. Oftentimes, people will say victims of domestic abuse are silenced and don’t have a voice. But we don’t like to say that we’re speaking for women who don’t have a voice. These women have voices, they just need them to be uplifted by others who can help them, and those who are able to educate and lobby for equality. Unlike other agencies and support groups in Russia, we work with the abused women themselves in telling their stories, in order to give them a way to heal and inspire other women to get help if they need it. We tell their stories to stop pushing domestic violence under the rugs of each Russian home.

Share the stories of our young girls and women in Russia with your friends and family, and on social media, to give voices to women fighting gender inequality and domestic abuse in Russia. Or, consider supporting Nasiliu financially, as our organization is always endangered because of government oversight. Donations to Nasiliu fund our education projects, which teach young women interpersonal and technical skills, which in turn increases likelihood of them entering the workforce.

Follow us at @nasiliu.net.centr on Facebook and @nasiliutochkanet on Instagram. Together, we can encourage change.

SOCIAL MEDIA POST:

Copy: Domestic abuse can show itself in many forms — not just violence toward you. Find confidential resources to get help, or donate to Moscow’s only domestic abuse assistance center, at https://nasiliu.net/. #MeToo #EndtheStigma