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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