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Conference “Women’s Movement in Russia: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” took place in YABLOKO’s Moscow office

Press Release

March 1, 2010


Conference “Women’s Movement in Russia: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” took place in YABLOKO’s Moscow office on February 26. 75 heads of leading women’s organisations and experts from Moscow, St.Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg and Perm participated in the conference. The conference was broadcasted life via YABLOKO’s web-site.

Galina Mikhalyova, moderator of the conference, Chair of the Gender faction of the YABLOKO party and Co-Chair of the Council for Consolidation of Women’s Movement in Russia stressed the difficulties in the development of women’s movement in the situation of increasing discrimination of women in Russia in all spheres of life and the need to consolidate efforts of public organisations, expert community, journalists and political forces for realization of the gender equality principles. YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin noted that YABLOKO is the only Russian party fighting for gender equality and proclaiming equality of rights and opportunities for men and women.

The speakers – leaders of women’s organisations and key experts, such as Nadezhda Shvedova, head of the Centre for Social and Political Studies of the Institute of the USA and Canada, Tatyana Troinova, chair of the Council Women and Information, Irina Yukina, head of the Chair of Gender Studies of the Neva Institute of Language and Culture, Svetlana Aivazova, head of the Committee for Gender and Political Studies of the Russian Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, Natalya Dmitriyeva, Co-Chair and Coordinator of the Council for Consolidation of Women’s Movement in Russia – analysed successful performance and failures of women’s movement in Russia. All the speakers expressed their concern with discrimination of women on the labour market, gender stereotypes imposed on women by the mass media and lack of anti-violence measures.

The stories of successful women’s initiatives and involvement of men into fight for the rights of the women, especially in St.Petersburg, were met with great interest.

Summing up the results of the conference Nadezhda Azhgikhina, Secretary of the Union of Journalists of Russia and Co-Chair of the Association of Women Journalists, noted that women’s movement shared the destiny of other public organisations, as the authoritarian governments do not bear with independence and initiative of the citizens, and authoritarian regimes have always been hostile to women.

The conference ended by adoption of a resolution where the participants expressed their concern with increasing androcentric trends in Russia and lack of a state policy targeted at gender equality in Russia. “We are certain that modernisation and democratic development in Russia are impossible without gender equality and balance,” runs the resolution. The resolution set the following priority goals for women’s movement:
- lobbying and adoption of the federal law “On National Mechanism for Gender Equality”;
- joining of the efforts of women’s organisations;
- fight against discrimination of women;
- protection of political, social and labour rights of women;
- promotion of civil initiatives and the state policy for provision of equal rights and opportunities of men and women;
- balanced participation of men and women in decision-making on all the levels of the state power;
- increase of social and financial aid to mothers;
- development of partner family relations, raising of the role and protection of fathers’ rights;
- promotion of gender education.

See also:
Women’s Movement in Russia


 


 

 


Press Release

March 1, 2010