1) to what extent were the lives of women impacted by Lenin and stalin

attitudes to equality (Lenin)

• traditional views

• feminists in bolshevik primary tried to improve status of women

• zhenotodel- women branch of central committees

• communist ideas of ideology

education

• zhenotodel worked with commissariot of education to introduce co-education

• established womens reading room

• quotas to ensure women represented in all levels of education

number of uni students

1930- 28% of uni students were women

legal rights/ sexual rights

• 1919: womeb given legal rights to equal pay for equal work and equal voting right

• 1926: legal for divorce by sending a postcard

• laws that made women obey husbands, live with him, take his name was abolished

• maternity leave arrangements granted

• lesbianism not crominalised

• prostitution legalised- worked to offer medical support for prostitutes

impact of civil war

• increase in number of women of work force- reality of needing industrial workers during war

• millions of woen recruited into factories

• social provision for childhood bad

• unskilled and lost job after war

• war/famine left women homeless

number of women in red army

over 70,000 women fought in red army but few had high rank

impact

• political equality meaningless- democracy abolished

• men divorcedafter women pregnant

• laws slow to have impact

• 1926: marriage code reflected official beliefs traditional family

• soviet laws did not recognise sexual harrassment as a crime

number of divorces

1917-1928: 70% of divorces initiated by men

the stalinist period- “the great retreat”

• 1930s- zhenotdel closed down as party belived sexual equality had been achieved

• traditional gender roles and sexual attitudes reasserted across russia

propaganda

• men presented as responsible for breaking up family

• women described as noble and responsible

• aim was to stress importance of family

impact of collectivisation/ industrialisation

• work was a socialist duty

• women dominated force in light industry, e.g textiles

• entered construction industry/ lumbering/ engineering

• number of women in skilled jobs and management remained low

• wives of soviet elite: “social work”- classes on hygein/ cultural production

number of women working

1928: 3 million working

1940: over 13 million working

higher education reserved

govt reserved 20% of higher education for women

female engineering students

1914: over 40% of engineering students female

women in heavy industry

1940: 41% of women in heavy industry

allocation of education

1940: increased allocation of higher & technical education to 40%

income

income only 60% of mens

making babies

• rewards for mothers with large families

• 7 children= 2000 roubles a year

• discouraged abortion- only allowed to save life of women

• two years of imprisonment for doctor who did it/ husband who forced it

making homes

• spent 5 times longer on domestic responsibilities than men

• common to higher nannies

• party wives: help ill children, set up schools, charitable work

marriage

• reintroduced marriage

• 1936: wedding rings no longer banned

• printing marriage certficates on high quality paper

• divorce made difficult/ expensive

• fathers required to pay 1/3 of income to wives to support children

sex under stalin

• 1934: campaign to promote sexual abstinence

• “medical virginity checks” on women

• against contraception

• 1936- ended all birth contron resources

• 1936: incest, bigamy, adultery, male homosexuality recriminalised

women in politics

• number of women limited

• under-represented in all level

• alexandra kollontai first women to become peoples commisar

women party membership

1932: 16% of party membership female delegates