RUSSIA: Politics Not Women’s Business

By Kester Kenn Klomegah Reprint | | Print |

Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW, Sep 7 2006 (IPS) - Russian women are turning increasingly to business given the new economic opportunities but keeping away from politics, social leaders say.

“The economic tide has changed, bringing more women into the economic sphere,” Tamara Mironova from the Municipal Council’s Committee for Women’s Business told IPS. “This can be attributed largely to the changing liberal reforms and flexible polices consistently pursued by the ruling authorities, combined with women’s interest in economic ventures.”

It is now becoming psychologically easier for women to adjust to the new social and economic situation, she said. “It’s not just the fight for gender equality but for economic freedom and gaining access to an admirable employment status in society that is comparable to that of their male counterparts,” Mironova said.

“Despite the fact that few women are found in politics, many are comfortable with their businesses and many more are learning western strategies of managing private business ventures that form the basis of the economy and its structure today.”

That success has not spread to other fields.

Women have held on to their positions in education and employment, but they do not have equal access to political power, communications analyst with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Victoria Zotikova told IPS.

“Any woman can start her own business and be successful,” she said. “But in Russia men are still more powerful and in control of the politics.” Male-dominated bureaucracy rarely allows women into politics, Zotikova said.

The Russian population is nearly 60 percent female, and yet the decision-making process in the political sphere is dominated by men, chairperson of the State Duma’s Committee on Women, Family and Youth Yekaterina Lakhova told an international conference on women and democracy in Moscow.

Of the 450 deputies in Russia’s lower house of parliament, only 44 are women, and the 180-member Federation Council (Upper Chamber) has only nine women. The only female governor is Valentina Matviyenko in St. Petersburg.. She was the former deputy prime minister in charge of social affairs.

Scandinavian countries and Germany reached the 30 percent target of parliamentary seats for women by the end of 2002, along with Argentina, Costa Rica, South Africa and Mozambique. But despite these gains women still account for only about 9-10 percent of members of parliament worldwide, according to the UNDP.

“Both genders, especially female, should be adequately represented in politics but this is not the case, and female politicians do not have strong influence in political processes,” Lakhova said. “They (women) are much better presented in science and business.”

She urged representatives of all public organisations make use of conditions emerging from the current reforms to promote the involvement of women in political processes.

Zotikova also said women need to think differently.

“One way to change mentality is by disseminating information – enlist the help of media, look into school textbooks, and see how women are portrayed. Awareness is needed among women themselves and the population at large as well as throughout organisations,” Zotikova said.

“Planning mechanisms such as quotas should be considered as a short-term strategy to promote women in the political arena. An appropriate gender policy in the country is also needed, which should be aimed at modification of traditional norms of behaviour and gender stereotypes in Russia.”

Russia is bound by a commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Beijing Platform for Action to develop sound gender-based policies, she said.