1.4b To what extent did the role of women and the family change between 1917 and 1985? Flashcards
Give the Russian proverb showing how women were treated badly in early Russia
“The more you beat your wife, the better your soup will taste”
What did Lenin describe marriage as?
A form of slavery
Why did women’s status start to change in the first place?
It was forced through war and industrialisation
Why was the change in status of women from the civil war only a short term change?
The returning men simply took back their jobs and retained their attitude
What was the name of the women’s branch of the Central Committee that the Bolsheviks introduced called?
Zhenotdel
What 3 things did the Bolsheviks push through to improve the status of women
- Divorce made easier
- Abortion legalised
- Removed the law saying a woman had to obey her husband
At the women’s congress in 1918, Lenin was cheered for the banning of which derogatory word towards women?
Baba
When was the principle for equal pay between men and women introduced?
1917
What was declared in the 1918 Soviet Constitution concerning women?
That men and women were equal
What percentage of divorces were initiated by men?
70%
How many women fought in the Red Army in the Civil War?
70,000
How did women in the countryside especially have a rough time?
Many men left them to find work in the city and so they were left alone to work the farms
When was Zhenotdel closed and why?
1930 because they claimed all women’s issues had been solved
Why did many women in the 1930s work?
There was little choice, it was seen as their socialist duty
Number of female workers:
1928 - __ million
1940 - __ million
Number of female workers:
1928 - 3 million
1940 - 13 million
Which industries did women dominate?
Light industry
Textiles
Parts of what famous structure were built by women? (Mentioned earlier in the course)
The Moscow underground
Which woman was used as a role model for all women?
Praskovia Angelina - tractor driver
In ____, __% of higher education places were reserved for women
1929
20%
By 1940, __% of ______ graduates were women
40%
Engineering
What did the ‘Wives of the Soviet Elite’ do?
Social work like making curtains or organising workplace productions
Why did women suffer in the countryside during WW2?
All of the men and horses were conscription into the army and many never returned
How many women served in the armed forces during WW2?
80,000
How many women won the ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ award?
89
What was the ‘double-burden’ put on women after WW2?
They were expected to both work and look after the children
How did Khrushchev and Brezhnev attempt to improve the status of rural women?
Healthcare and maternity benefits
Extension of the passport system to allow them to move to the cities
How did Khrushchev and Brezhnev’s attempt to improve the status of rural women actually hinder some?
The passport systems were just used by the men to leave and abandon the women
1932-33, women comprise almost ___% of new workers
100%
How did the Bolsheviks try to break down traditional Islamic attitudes? (2)
- Using female activists who encouraged unveiling
- Explaining contraception and personal hygiene
How did the attempts to change the status of Islamic women go?
Traditional attitudes were slow to change
Give an example of violence against the government trying to change attitudes towards Islamic women
A bunch of male Muslim turned up to a Zhenotdel meeting with boiling water and dogs
What sometimes happened to Islamic women who refused to wear traditional dresses?
Often killed by their families in ‘honour killings’
When did the government begin to soften their approach towards changing Islamic attitudes towards women?
1930s
Who was Alexandra Kollontai?
The first woman to become a People’s Commissar
Who was Nadezhda Krupskaya?
Lenin’s wife and a member of the Central Committee
Who was Ekaterina Furtseva?
The first woman to become a full member of the Presidium
Who was Alexandra Biryukova?
A member of the Politburo in 1988
Who was Natalia Bessmertnova?
A famous ballerina at the Bolshoi Ballet
Who was Ludmilla Tourischeva?
A 9 time Olympic gold medalist
Who was Valentina Tereshkova?
The first woman in space
Do the few examples of successful Russian women show that the status of women improved?
No, they are very rare examples
When was the ‘Family Code’ introduced?
1918
What did the ‘Family Code’ do? (2)
- Made divorce easier
- Remove the hold of the Russian Orthodox Churches hold on family life
In what year were marriages and unregistered marriages given equal weight?
1927
In what year were ‘Postcard Divorces’ introduced?
1926
In the mid-1920s, the USSR had the highest divorce rate in ______
Europe
By 1926, __% of all marriages ended in divorce
50%
What was the ratio of abortions to births?
3:1
What was the 1936 ‘Great Retreat’?
An attempt to raise the status of marriage
Because of the 1936 ‘Great Retreat’ the cost of divorce rose from __ roubles to __
From 4 roubles to 50 roubles
Because of the 1936 ‘Great Retreat’, maternity leave was extended to how many weeks?
16 weeks
Because of the 1936 ‘Great Retreat’, from 1928-30, the number of creches _______
Doubled
Because of the 1936 ‘Great Retreat’, what happened to men who didn’t pay child support?
They received 2 year prison sentences
Because of the 1936 ‘Great Retreat’, what happened to mothers of over 10 children?
They were awarded
What was the main downside of the 1936 ‘Great Retreat’?
People were forced to stay part of a family when they didn’t want to
By 1960, women made up __% of the workforce
49%
How did Khrushchev reduce the cost of government care for the elderly?
Encouraged their use in the family unit for queuing for food and doing housework
How did Khrushchev try to reduce the financial strain on families? (2)
- Increased social provisions
- Legalised abortion again
Did the change from Khrushchev to Brezhnev have much impact on social policy?
Not really
In the 1970s, what was the average number of children per family?
2.4
By 1982, the average Soviet was consuming __ litres of spirit per year
18 Litres
In 1968, in what case was divorce illegal?
If the woman being divorced was preganant
