Women Flashcards
(15 cards)
What was Lenin’s initial view on bourgeoisie marriage and the traditional family, and how did this influence early Bolshevik policies
-Lenin viewed bourgeoise marriage as a form of slavery,tying women to male domination institutions
-he saw a woman’s role as a housewife as suppression
-legalised abortions
What legal and economic rights did women gain under Lenin’s early decrees (1917-1918)?
Women no longer needed husband’s permission to work or study.
Principle of equal pay for men and
women passed into law (Dec 1917).
Maternity leave granted.
1918 Soviet Constitution declared men and women equal.
How did the Civil War (1918-1921) affect women’s participation in the workforce under Lenin’s leadership, and what were the limitations?
Over 70,000 women fought in the Red Army.
However, driven by necessity more than ideology.
Social provision for childcare was inadequate.
Many women lost jobs or reverted to unskilled work when male soldiers returned.
Why was Zhenotdel closed down in 1930 under Stalin’s rule, and what did this signify for women’s issues?
The party claimed women’s issues “had been solved.”
Reflected the male-dominated party’s half-hearted support for women’s liberation.
Marked a shift away from earlier radical feminist ideals and towards more traditional family values.
How did collectivisation and industrialisation under Stalin impact women in rural areas and towns, respectively?
Rural: Many men left for towns, increasing women’s labor burden in agriculture (low wages).
Towns: Women’s participation in industry became a “socialist duty”; numbers rose substantially (3m in 1928 to 13m in 1940).
Women entered light industry and increasingly male-dominated fields like construction and engineering.
Describe the status of women in higher education and professions like healthcare and education during the Stalin era.
20% of higher education places reserved for women in 1929; by 1940, over 40% of engineering students were female.
Women comprised a high percentage of healthcare and education workers.
However, top positions in these sectors were largely male-dominated, and pay was often low.
What was the impact of World War II on women’s roles in the Soviet Union under Stalin?
Women took on jobs previously held by men in industry.
Approximately 800,000 women served in the armed forces (medical, pilots, gunners, tank crews)
Similar to post-Civil War, many lost jobs or reverted to unskilled roles after men returned.
Despite increased workforce participation, what traditional expectation for women persisted strongly during the Stalin era?
Women were still expected to play a key role in looking after the home and children, in addition to their work.
This marked a return to more traditional family attitudes.
How did the status of rural women change during the Khrushchev years?
Status improved slowly as social provisions (e.g., maternity benefits, healthcare) were extended to the countryside.
This was a gradual, rather than revolutionary, improvement.
What was a notable political advancement for a woman during Khrushchev’s leadership?
Ekaterina Furtseva became the first woman to become a full candidate of the Politburo (renamed the Presidium in 1957).
She was a favourite of Khrushchev.
What significant “role model” achievement involving a woman occurred during Khrushchev’s time?
Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963, a major propaganda success for the Soviet Union.
How did the extension of the internal passport system to collective farmers in 1974 impact rural women during the Brezhnev years?
It provided freedom for women to move to towns in search of jobs with greater status and pay.
However, this opportunity was often taken by young males, exacerbating the trend of women being left with low-status agricultural work.
What was the general trend regarding women’s participation in politics during the Brezhnev era?
Political power remained overwhelmingly in the hands of men.
Despite women having the vote since 1917, their active role in high-level politics was limited.
Name two prominent female role models celebrated in Soviet propaganda during the Brezhnev era, and their respective fields.
Figure Skating: Irina Rodnina (10 successive world championships, 3 Olympic titles).
Gymnastics: Ludmilla Tourischeva (9 Olympic medals).
What did the common Soviet propaganda image of the male industrial worker and female peasant reflect about the perceived status of women, even by the Brezhnev era?
It reflected that the industrial worker was always male, while the peasant was female.
This symbolized the subsidiary role agriculture, and by extension women, took compared with industry and men, indicating a persistence of traditional gender roles despite apparent equality in the workforce.
