ABSTRACT
It would be difficult to overemphasize the depth of the crisis which has afflicted the Russian Federation and the former Soviet republics from 1985 onwards, intensifying in the early post-Soviet era. This period, which has witnessed the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the fall of communism, and a troubled transition to a more pluralistic political system and a market economy akin to early capitalism, has been interpreted as nothing short of a ‘second Russian revolution’. This chapter will provide an overview of the main implications for women of the deep divisions in the societies of Russia and the Soviet successor states during the perestroika and post-perestroika periods, concentrating on certain key issues such as women and nationalism, women’s role in politics and the economy, the social position and cultural representation of women, and the influence of the women’s movement. Although this has been a traumatic period for men as well as women in Russia and the post-Soviet states, many social divisions have had a disproportionately harsh impact on women (a fact rarely admitted in these societies themselves). The discussion will focus primarily on the Russian Federation, although occasional reference will also be made to similar problems affecting women in other post-Soviet states. This chapter makes no claim to be comprehensive, but simply to complement and update previous research (Buckley 1992: Corrin 1992; Marsh 1996; Posadskaya 1994; Rule and Noonan 1996), and to stimulate debate on some vital questions.
