Women's Role In Russian Women In Film

There is no better display of a society than in film. Women’s role in Russian society was paralleled in films produced during the day. Since the turn of the 20th century, Russian women have seen a drastic change in their societal roles. Pre-revolution, the role of women was that of second class citizens. However, with the introduction of Communism, women started to gain independence which continued into the Stalin Era. This quickly changing belief system created a gap among generations, which is quite prominent in the films. With each coming generation, women had more of a voice. Nonetheless, even after being fully incorporated into the Russian economy they still never equaled men. Even as they gained independence outside the home, inside they faced inequality, as a result of generations of repression. To achieve complete gender equality, the ideas and thoughts of the people must be changed. Before the revolution in 1917, women were often considered second to their husbands. This was especially relevant in the traditional merchant and peasant class. In the film Merchant Bashkirov’s Daughter, the merchant father arranged a
To create a society where everyone was equal, women played more of a role. They spoke their mind and thought for themselves. However, they still were controlled by men. For example, in the film Bed and Sofa, Liuda falls in love with another man who was living with them due to the housing shortage at the time. Whichever man was not the “husband” at the time, had to sleep on the sofa. This control by a woman was especially radically for the day. However, men still had control. Women, while making progress outside of the home, were still expected to do all the housework because that is a woman’s place. When Liuda became pregnant, both men insisted she gets an abortion. After arriving at the clinic, she decided not to and left them both to become an independent