2008 August | Awesome Russia

Its amazing that Russia exists as a country at all. It is so large that its borders span two continents and one sixth of the worlds surface.

Within its borders it of course has hundreds of small micro-cultures, but at the same time it contains a surprisingly cohesive and similar Russian culture.

There are however some very broad distinctions about Russians that I think are very useful for a foreigner to know before visiting or getting to know or dating any Russians.They can be very useful in getting a rough idea of a persons background and beliefs.

These distinctions have been told to me numerous times by Russians, and my own experience certainly backs their existence.

1. The Moscow and St Petersburg Russia

“Moscow isn’t Russia”. People have told me this many times, and it is certainly true. Broadly speaking, Moscow and St Petersburg are cities that are comparable to those in Europe – they are fundamentally similar. A lot of the time Moscow feels to me like being in Berlin.

2. The rest of Russia. The real Russia.

90% of Russians live in other cities, towns and villages and in these you couldn’t really mistake yourself for being in Europe.

3. Soviet Russians

Those born in Russia before or around 1970 have a fundamentally different view of life and of Russia. Growing up in the Soviet era, how could they not?

4. Post-soviet Russians

Those Russians 35 and under are a curious bunch. Comfortably modern and confident, they have an intriguing mix of optimism for the future and old-fashioned Soviet pessimism. With infinitely more opportunity, they expect so much more from life than their parents did yet are reluctant to plan to far ahead, Russias traditional instability ever at the back of their minds.
Nonetheless I expect this generation of young Russians making a big mark on the world this century.

My soon to be mother in law explained to me once ‘Perostroika was a very bad thing. Before it I was an engineer, now I work as a cleaner.’ Fair point, you have to say. My fiance added though ‘Our parents all think like that, us young people see things differently and for us it was a good thing’.

Is a Russia Woman More Traditional?

August 14, 2008 russian brides

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As a broad generalisation, a typical Russia woman tends to be a lot more traditional than western women in terms of gender roles in the family. i.e. She will expect you to do most or all of the breadwinning and will herself do most or all of the homemaking.

This doesn’t mean for a moment that a Russia woman are meek or expect not to have a career. Like in any country, some women are meek, some not. It is also normal for Russian women to have a career.

One thing that annoys me is when people assume that having more traditional gender roles means Russian women are somehow victims or unenlightened, That if only they could be shown the feminist way they wouldn’t have to put up with it any longer. Try telling that to a Russian woman and you’ll be either scorned or mocked out of the room.

Remember Russian women have for decades been way ahead of the west in a lot of aspects of feminism. For example the proportion of women to men in fields like medicine and engineering has been (and still is) far higher than in the west. So in many ways equality between men and women is more enshrined in Russia than in the west.

Also as part of my job I visit a lot of different companies here in Russia. In my experience the proportion of women to men in technical and senior roles is far higher than in the west, and far, far higher than in Japan.

Cosmonaut Nadezhda Kuzhelnaya

However a strong part of Russian culture and identity is that men and women are different, and that for a family to be successful there are masculine and feminine roles to play. Russian women are very feminine – more so I think than in the west, and don’t feel they need to prove they are ‘equal’ to men. They know they are already equal – and different.

Be prepared. If your Russian girl is 24 you may think she will be happy to wait a few years before having children. Chances are however she’ll already consider herself past the time when she should have become a wife and mother.

Motherhood and family is incredibly important to any Russia woman, and to be a bride then a mother at a younger age than is normal in the west.

The 4 Kinds of Russians

Is a Russia Woman More Traditional?

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