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
