Women’s Rights and the Cold War: An Analysis of Freedom and Choice
The Cold War in its most basic sense consisted of two superpowers fighting for dominance and influence in order to spread their ideology. Both ideologies, however, consisted of the same ideal; to spread equality and freedom to all peoples. While the Soviet Union and the United States had very different ideas on how to achieve this, rhetoric emerging from both nations promised a utopia of freedom and equality under their system. Women, however, were often left out of this rhetoric, and were promised neither of these until the late Cold War, when females forced a conversation of what equal rights looked like in both states. While females fought for change in the Eastern and
…show more content…
Although, both the United States and the Soviet Union were governed by vastly different philosophies, both superpowers were hesitant to accept the changing face of Women’s liberation and rights in the 1970s due to a focus on traditional family roles, and many women not desiring strong change in the gender status quo in both the Eastern and the Western blocs. While the Soviet Union claimed to have supported female equality since its founding in the early twentieth century, it was always overshadowed by a sense of familial traditionalism seen both in mass media and official documents. In 1977, the Soviet Union passed its third condition, commonly referred to as the Brezhnev Constitution. This constitution, while vastly larger than the previous 1936 Constitution, presented many contradictions for female soviet citizens. In Article 35 women are explicitly given the same political rights as men. Women were insured these rights by giving women “equal access with men to education and vocational and professional training, equal opportunities in employment, remuneration, and promotion, and in social and political, and cultural activity .” While the beginning of Article 35, provides rights and benefits that many western feminists fought for, it is later overshadowed by a large emphasis on traditional familial roles. It is …show more content…
All three of these women’s lives focus on marriage and family, once again articulating the true role of women in the Soviet Union. Katerina’s storyline is the most interesting, is although she becomes a high ranking, wealthy, director in Moscow, she struggles to find an unmarried man who can accept her success. The climax of the film involves her love, Gosha struggling to accept that she makes more money than him and includes him scolding her for talking back to him. The most obvious example of what a woman’s role is in the Soviet Union is the film’s “happy ending” in which Katrina apologizes and ends up with Gosha . This film portrays the contrast soviet women embody, being an equal comrade and a dependent family leader. While this film was not propaganda of what a woman’s role should be, but an expose of what it is during this time, and how happiness is not granted through personal success, but through partnership and family. Although women legally were guaranteed complete equality in the Soviet Union, it is clear there was economic and social equality was lacking in contrast with the male population. Women in the Soviet Union were expected to not only hold
To understand why Hitchcock’s portrayal of female characters is crucial to fully understanding the film, it is important to consider the way society worked for women in the fifties. Women “were taught to pity the neurotic, unfeminine, unhappy women who wanted to be poets or physicists or presidents” (Friedman, 16). It was completely wrong for women to try and get male dominated jobs. They were supposed to be housewives who did not have any power in society. “They had no thought for the unfeminine problems of the world outside the home; they wanted the men to make the major decisions” (Friedman, 18). In her book, Friedman continues to explain how most of the women she had interviewed who were housewives felt dissatisfaction with their lives and were ashamed that they felt this way.
Today, women and men have equal rights, however, not long ago men believed women were lower than them. During the late eighteenth century, men expected women to stay at home and raise children. Women were given very few opportunities to expand their education past high school because colleges and universities would not accept females. This was a loss for women everywhere because it took away positions of power for them. It was even frowned upon if a woman showed interest in medicine or law because that was a man’s place, not a woman’s, just like it was a man’s duty to vote and not a woman’s.
Document 7, a letter to the First Lady of a Romanian Communist dictator known for a lavish lifestyle urges for changes in the country. Written by an anonymous women's group, the document shows the harsh differences between the working class and the upper class. The letter speaks of a life where after spending hours toiling in factories or building sites, women can not find a source of food despite the strenuous work they give to the country daily. It clarifies the desperation for change in a time where women are the least of concerns of leaders, and where one woman is living a life of luxury, another mere miles away may not find food for days on end to support her family which leads to hunger and misery. Document 2, written by a woman Soviet official demands that a member of the Komsomol should not allow the necessary veiling of a female family member. This statement was groundbreaking in a time where women, especially Muslim women, were treated like nothing more than objects. Document 2 pushed boundaries and enforced strict repercussions for anyone who would argue the mandatory veiling being abolished in the communist Soviet Union. This document proves that women were mistreated through the veiling, and is written by a woman for other women. Lastly, Document 1 validates this same mistreatment in Russia
As the issue is examined from the view of social justice, it appears that women are still not at the equal level that Mills proposed in this bill in Parliament. While women are entitled to the basic human rights of employment, land and business ownership and voting, there remains an inequality in expectations for an adult female. These expectations are garnered from long-standing traditional views held by a large portion of society that will take many years to eradicate.
Most traditional societies and until recent times, women generally were at a disadvantage. Their education sometimes was limited to domestic skills (“Women’s rights” n.p.). After, there was revolutions, and working women in the former soviet union intended to hold low paying jobs. They were also represented in party and government councils (“Women’s rights” n.p.). The late 1960s and early 70s active feminists organized numerous women’s rights group (“Women’s rights”n.p.). Women encountered discrimination in many forms. In 1960 equal opportunities were given to women (“Women’s rights” n.p.). During the women’s movement certain social institutions and traditional values, were questioned (“Women’s rights” n.p.). Else where in the world the women’s rights movement has also made progress in achieving its goals. In nearly every nation, women have the right to vote and hold public office (“Women’s rights” n.p.). Women’s rights movement made progress in achieving goals in nearly every nation after that (“Women’s rights” n.p.). Major unsponsored conferences on women were held in 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1995 (“Women’s rights” n.p.).
However, Europeans women were very segregated and under man control during the colonial times; but little by little women fight for their rights and become free of man domination. Today the status of women’s civil rights varies dramatically in different countries and, in some cases, among groups within the same country, such as ethnic groups or economic classes. In recent decades women around the world have made strides in political participation, as for example women acquired the right to vote, the right to become part of political issues, the right to marriage who they want, and the right to be free as an individual.
Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and commercial objectification.
Throughout the centuries there have been many groups pursuing equal rights for themselves. These groups feel that they are excluded from privileges others possess and are subject to injustices that others are not. These groups feel they deserve better and that their presence in the world is unequal to others’. In the United States a large percentage of women started to feel they warranted equal rights to men. Margaret Fuller was among the supporters of the movement and published ground-breaking article called “The Great Lawsuit.” In “The Great Lawsuit”, Margaret Fuller tries to stop the great inequalities between men and women by describing great marriages where the husband and wife are equal, by stating how society constricts the women’s true inner genius, and by recording admirable women who stand up in an effort for equality.
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...
Through the 20th century, the communist movement advocated greatly for women's’ rights. Despite this, women still struggled for equality.
In conclusion, women throughout the decades have strived, from protesting to going on trials, to point out their rights. “Will women soon be treated equally as men?” A day when women and men having the same rights is still under way and has a far way to go as from the antebellum period. However, what makes women so unique, especially during this era is the numerous of contributions these respectful woman played a part of in order to see dramatic changes in America’s society. Some of the extraordinary ideas developed by them explains the success leading into what we call America today. Therefore, it is proven that women are certainly not helpless species, but are useful citizens who aroused much commitment for their “race” and nation.
Since the beginning of the Soviet Union period, equality between men and women in the country has not yet been granted. One of the central points of the Bolshevik revolution and the Soviet Constitution gave women guaranteed equal rights, thought Russian government still has not kept up with its promises to women along with many other issues. Male citizens in Russia still have the majority of the rights in the country. Failure to resolve this matter, the Russian government has drafted laws that prohibit gender discrimination in the Russia workforce, which never were passed.
The equality between men and women is an integral part of human rights, it is also a prerequisite for democracy and social justice. Any democratic state seeks to promote gender equality in all spheres of life. Despite the creation of a strong legal framework to ensure the principle of equality of both sexes, the gap between men and women about their capabilities remains significant (Pomeroy, 72).
Also, the film revealed women empowerment and how superior they can be compared to men. While demonstrating sexual objectification, empowerment, there was also sexual exploitation of the women, shown through the film. Throughout this essay, gender based issues that were associated with the film character will be demonstrated while connecting to the real world and popular culture.
In the past, many people believed that women’s exclusive responsibilities were to serve their husband, to be great mothers and to be the perfect wives. Those people considered women to be more appropriate for homemaking rather than to be involved in business or politics. This meant that women were not allowed to have a job, to own property or to enjoy the same major rights as men. The world is changing and so is the role of women in society. In today’s society, women have rights that they never had before and higher opportunities to succeed.