In August 2016, a Russian human rights group released a report detailing the practice of
female genital mutilation in a relatively remote mountain region of the country.
Despite the practice having been condemned by the UN and WHO, Russia has no law expressly
prohibiting it.
Moreover, one religious leader in the region called female circumcision a quote “healthy
custom”, with another religious leader saying that the real problem was “feminism”.
Russia is not known for its record of women’s rights, so what is life really like for women
in Russia?
Well, as with many other countries, Russia is predicated on a patriarchal society, and
women have shockingly few legal protections from their husbands.
Reports by human rights groups show that more than half of all Russian women are threatened
with violence or are victims of violence, and roughly a quarter of them suffer sexual
abuse as well.
Unfortunately, rape is seriously underreported in Russia, largely due to stigma, victim blaming,
and legal inefficiency.
According to a 2013 report by the Russian government, roughly 40% of all violent crimes
occur within the family.
And despite efforts to introduce a bill criminalizing domestic violence, all attempts have been
shut down.
Within Russian culture, domestic abuse is more of a private matter than something discussed
or dealt with by law enforcement.
Surprisingly, one female member of parliament, famous for introducing a law banning quote
“gay propaganda”, proposed a new bill which would actually decriminalize domestic
violence.
Moreover, women suffer from the same lack of representation, both financial and political,
that can help change their situation.
Russia ranks 75th in the world for gender inequality according to the World Economic
Forum.
World Bank notes that while Russia has one of the highest rates of female participation
in the workforce, just 4% lower than their male counterparts, women only make about 60
to 70% of what men make.
And although women in Russia are legally allowed maternity leave, some women are forced to
sign contracts which effectively waive their rights to work in case they get pregnant.
This is in spite of the fact that article 19 of the Russian Constitution guarantees
equal rights for men and women.
And without greater representation, the situation will not get any better.
Although there are women in the Russian parliament, their proportion is low.
According to World Bank, from 1990 to 2015, the percentage of women in parliament dropped
from 16% to 14%.
In Russia women are marginalized, see violence perpetrated against them, make less money,
and have less power than men.
Although women’s rights groups are making some strides in legislature to try and change
the situation, the long standing male-dominated culture has little room for rapid improvements.
In 2012, feminist punk band “Pussy Riot” was arrested for “hooliganism” after performing
an anti-Putin prayer in an Orthodox Church, with the lawyer defending the church calling
feminism, “a mortal sin”.
Clearly, Russia is still not a great place to be a woman.
Be sure to watch this next episode on Seeker Stories to get an inside look at Russia’s
popular “womanhood” schools, which teach women how to navigate their love lives.
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