Posts by Masha:
Russia: Doubling The Labor Of Modern Women
September 10th, 2013RUSSIA: DOUBLING THE LABOR OF MODERN WOMEN
By Masha Egupova.
Women! Learn the Means of Production! Replace Workers who have gone to the Front! (1941) Photo by IISG on Flickr (CC licensed)
Only once a year do all the major news sources, magazines and TV programs talk about women. On March 8, many Russian women will be excused from household duties. This day men storm flower stores and buy other presents for their ladies. It’s very unfortunate that people discuss the value of women in modern society only once a year and ignore it completely for the remaining 364 days.
When I was a university student in Vladivostok, most of my classmates were women. It’s no secret that the majority of university graduates are women. Statistics indicate [ru] that 31% of Russian men and 44% of Russian women aged 27-31 have taken a university degree. Yet at the same time, Russian women are paid [ru] 30% less than men in similar positions. Why does this happen? Why do women get treated this way in Russia and yet no one really talks about it? Neither society nor the media acknowledge the problem that women are extensively discriminated against in terms of salaries, wages and rights.
The historical perspective
The Soviet Union was one of the pioneers of equality between men and women. State-supported women’s organizations such as the Soviet Women’s Committee offered a variety of career options for women in the party.
It was both political and economic reasons that forced the Communist party to seek equality between the sexes. At that time, more and more women were starting to enjoy their freedom to get education and jobs. The period 1917 – 1930 was an important cornerstone in the history of women’s equality as women became an active part of the labor force in the country.
During World War II, women became a driving force of development when they took over traditionally male-dominated industries and occupations while men were away at war. Then the gender ratio shifted as 20 million USSR soldiers never returned home. Women had fewer chances of finding a husband in a post-war country with a scarcity of single healthy men. A married woman was considered lucky; she had to hang on to her often abusive and alcoholic husband and cherish him no matter what. At the same time, women still needed to go out to work and take care of the house thus shouldering a double work load. These expectations remain the same today.
Standards of women rights have been discussed at state level but are ignored by the current set of leaders. Gender-based discrimination in the workplace still prevents many brilliant women from succeeding in their careers.
Sexism as a norm
Many Russian women have to live in a world where the word ‘feminist’ is considered an insult. A perfect modern woman has to be a professional cook, skillful lover, business lady and a mother. These qualities come with a price tag. How can you be a superwoman and not be criticized if you fail?
Right now the country is slowly rolling back from the gender norm that ensured broader equality. There are only a very few bright women politicians and top-managers. This does not mean that men are smarter than women; on the contrary, Russian women are more highly educated than men. Social exclusion is the real problem. Women have less access to the highest circles in politics, economics, cinematography, and other prestigious spheres.
Why does this happen? It happens because sexism is lurking round every corner. Several days ago I read an article in one of the most reputable newspapers Kommersant that encouraged readers not to underestimate the harm that women do to the economy. It put the blame for economic hardships and the rise of house prices on women (yes!) due to the fact that a lot of women have started working and thus encourage prices to rise. Such outrageously sexist articles and comments are commonplace and surprise nobody any more. They are in line with current social viewpoints, even though women still have to double their efforts at work and at home.
This article was published on Future Challenges web site. You can find it here.
Loon Internet By Google
July 3rd, 2013
By Masha Egupova.
Here comes a new exciting project by Google aimed at connecting to the internet as many people as possible. It seems that Google is trying to dent the monopoly of the state as the sole internet provider. Imagine a situation when the government cuts off the internet in a crisis or war zone to block people’s access to the social networking sites, Google may provide an alternative to it.
Here is what Google says about this initiative: “Many of us think of the Internet as a global community. But two-thirds of the world’s population does not yet have Internet access. Project Loon is a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to connect people in rural and remote areas, help fill coverage gaps, and bring people back online after disasters.”
Balloons may be a cheaper option than satellites. They can make internet accessible to everyone if there will be more internet balloons. Such projects can help a lot of people around the world
On the other hand, there are a lot of people in Africa, Asia and South America who have no means to buy a computer. They don’t really need to have the stable internet connection. This dynamic might change with time, when cheap laptops would become more accessible.
What do you think about it?
Navaly Case: The Offline Effect Of Online Activism In Russia
May 13th, 2013By Masha Egupova.
There are times when you think that everything is hopeless and your country is going to hell. You lose faith in social activism and non-violent protesting. You think that the regime will always win and people will be ruled in accordance with some authoritarian set of rules. Watching the news or reading some updates from the internet would only make you feel depressed.
Modern Russia has to go through a clash between an outdated system of old-fashioned rulers and its liberal opponents. The country and its citizens are bound to stay together. Nonetheless, there is no visible compromise between the two sides. In a situation when the society is far ahead of its redundant bureaucratic state the citizens are left with three choices: to leave the country, ignore the situation or fight back. A lot of educated and ambitious young people have already left the country, yet they keep monitoring the news from abroad. Many activists, who decided to stay in the country, use modern communication tools to fight back. Online activism is on the rise.
Some critics of the online activism point out that offline effect of such action is insignificant. Indeed it is easy to be politically active online and never attend a single demonstration. It is easy to share and “like” some news on Facebook or retweet something. And it is incredibly difficult to actually get out of your comfort zone and go on a protest when you know that you may get arrested.
Sometimes you don’t need to leave your living room to achieve a change – all you need is some dedication. Russian political scene has one bright persona who is able to use online technologies to achieve viable offline changes. One of the most prominent opposition leaders in Russia, Alexey Navalny, is known for his successful political escapades against the regime. He particularly uses online activism to reveal dirty secrets of Russian politicians and their corporations.
Navalny and his team of lawyers simply use open access to information in different databases in Canada, the US, Israel, Russia and other countries. Russian authorities have to declare all the properties they own. These declarations are publicly available. Many prefer to ignore this requirement, as it would only raise unnecessary questions. The fact that politicians get kickbacks to buy luxurious property abroad surprises no one. Russian officials are not allowed to hold a dual citizenship or own property of suspicious nature. Officials should also provide a proof that their properties is of a legit nature. Alexey Navalny does not do anything extraordinary, he simply searches for undeclared houses and business of Russian politicians abroad.
Most recently, he exposed MP Vladimir Pehtin, who failed to declare several items of expensive property in Miami. Navalny found documents confirming that Pehtin purchased a house worth $1,275,000 in April 2012, yet he never indicated this and other properties in the annual declaration. That’s why Navalny called attention to this fact in an attempt to initiate legal proceedings against Pehtin. Clearly, Pehtin denied these accusations and claimed that these houses belong to his son. Nonetheless, Navalny provided a scan of Pehtin’s signature on the ownership papers to refute his claims.
Bloggers and netizens found this news amusing – they started reposting Navalny’s posts, thus causing an online avalanche. Vladimir Pehtin received a massive media attention and had no choice but to resign, even though United Russia party backed him up. This unprecedented case encouraged other activists to investigate politicians and expose their secrets. It basically proved that online activism has viable offline change if you know how to use and search for data.
Navalny’s persistent nature forced him to go after other politicians. He denounced senator Vitaly Malkin for having dual citizenship and undeclared property in Canada. Navalny found documents confirming the fact that Malkin has changed his name to Avihur Ben Bar when he got an Israeli citizenship. The senator also owns an apartment block in Canada and was declined an entry visa to Canada due to allegedly illegal nature of his income. Navalny provided a list of official documents proving his point. As a result, this news went viral and led to the resignation of senator Malkin.
The blogger was able to expose politicians and uncover their secrets with the help of journalists and lawyers. The great thing about these cases is that anyone can double-check the authenticity of the provided documents and replicate the same process. Simple access to public data can make miracles if an activist knows what he’s looking for.
In some cases you don’t even need to leave your house in order to tickle the nerves of the government. You can still be politically active even if you live abroad. Navalny and his team know how to make the Kremlin nervous. It is obvious that corruption cannot be eradicated in one day, yet Navalny’s initiatives help in tackling this disease. These small victories make people believe that things are not as bad as they may seem and the regime can be affected by these campaigns
Russia: The Vanguard of Authoritarian Democracy
October 1st, 2012By Masha Egupova.
Russia has never been a big supporter of democratic freedoms, prefering to draw on its imperial past and on the idea that the country pursues its own path in history. Russia is a democratic state according to its constitution, but it is ruled by an authoritarian leader, which in my view turns the country into an authoritarian democracy. Putin’s famous “stability” course relied on high oil prices and the support of the popular majority. The economic recession proved that both “stability” and the support of the population are off the table. At the same time, the gap between rich Moscow and the poor periphery is widening. Total governmental control over public media and a vast disinformation campaign only enhance the general lack of democratic rights and freedoms.
The Russian parliament has reached a productivity pinnacle this summer passing various crucial pieces of legislation in record time. MPs did not consider any opinion from outside stakeholders or experts and this is not surprising. Why? Because these laws were fast tracked expressly to limit the freedom of NGOs, protesters, internet activists, journalists and liberals.
Most of these adopted laws are in direct contradiction with the constitution and even with other laws. The Law on Demonstrations seeks to impose substantial penalties on protesters. Dmitry Medvedev repealed a Libel Law while he was still president; right now this law is back – this time with much stricter penalties and fines. Many journalists and bloggers fear that the new Criminal Libel Law will substantially limit freedom of expression, put an end to any kind of investigative journalism and enhance self-censorship.
The brain drain increases every year as more and more educated people prefer to leave the country and the repressive regime of Mr. Putin. Most of my friends are either already living abroad or planning to leave Russia at some point. Young and talented Russians feel more appreciated abroad despite all the hardships they face in getting a work or residence permit in Europe or the USA. The mass protests in Bolotnaya Square last winter encouraged a lot of young intellectuals in their belief that a gradual transition to democracy was possible. Yet it was not too long before the courts pressed charges against the protesters, forcing many of them to flee the country and seek asylum elsewhere.
During this year’s mass protests most of my friends living abroad wanted to be in Moscow to express their support. Failing that, they organized various protests in Budapest, London and many other European cities against Putin and his regime. This new awakening of civil society in Russia is able to destabilize the foundations underpining Russia’s “Putinization” as the inflexible regime is no longer able to react fast enough to the changing environment and changing demands.
Pussyriot Action in Brussels by maitea6 on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The trial of the singers from the punk band Pussy Riot has torn the country apart. Three young women were arrested after their “scandalous” performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior last February. This case is no longer religious but rather political in nature and will definitely redefine the value of freedom of speech and expression. Last Friday the court sentenced them to two years imprisonment for “hooliganism on the grounds of religious hatred.” As a result, no one is a winner: the girls will go to prison, while Vladimir Putin has now to deal with a vocal and growing civil society.
The ruthless behavior of the authorities has already forced people to extremes, such as emigration or “siding with the devil” as when nationalists and liberals found themselves on the same side during the major protests that took place last winter in Moscow. Even though the state tries to tighten the screws, civil society in Russia keeps on growing. To give only one example, this year an apparently benign civil society action – self-organized volunteers using the Internet to coordinate aid delivery and services in the severely flooded region of Krymsk – triggered the government to adopt restrictive laws for volunteerism (which is seemingly more effective than the state itself in public service delivery).
The crisis of legitimacy in Russia is difficult to ignore. Corruption, kickbacks, low levels of accountability and religious bigotry can blend to form a potent Molotov cocktail that will set civil society ablaze.
This article was published on Future Challenges web site. You can find it here.
Russia: College Education in Distress
July 17th, 2012By Masha Egupova.
Is Education the Key? by Bohman on FLickr
Education is something many people seek and work hard to get. They believe that school competitions, student loans and best grades will give them better chances for a good job and a better life in the future.
I agree with the claim that “that governmental inefficiency in any sector makes the private sector grow.” However, my thesis is: if the free education provided by the state fails to be effective, then private education just becomes elitist and expensive – thus increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. The educational system in Russia has experienced a slow transition from a system of free public education in the USSR to a modern day system of private schools and universities.
Corruption and inequality dominate higher education in Russia
There are many children with great potential and limited financial options in Russia. The end goal for many students from remote regions is to obtain a state-funded place at a good university. The competition for these places is incredibly stiff: departments have different quotas for them, but they normally do not exceed 16% of the overall intake of students.
Student loans are not popular and also difficult to get. Getting a student loan is close to impossible and the practice is not as widespread as it is in the West. Only a few banks provide such loans while credit rates are too high for people to afford them. While the US government takes responsibility for credit risks on student loans, in Russia the banks bearall the risks which is why they cannot offer lower and better rates. The average rate for a student loan varies between 15-20%.
Some experts believe that the quality of both school and university education in Russia is declining. Experts claim that state schools are free, yet unable to provide quality education due to a lack of funding. On the other hand, private schools also fail to provide proper education, as teachers are scared to give bad grades to rich kids whose parents are payrolling the school.
Unlike in the Soviet Union, university education in Russia is no longer free, while the field is rife with cooruption. As the prominent journalist Yulia Latyinina points out, students bribe professors in order not to study and professors get bribed in order not to teach. A lot of students are not interested in acquiring knowledge, all they want is the degree. Furthermore, you can buy a fake diploma down a passageway in Moscow with the peace of mind that no employer will bother to check on it.
The value of education?
Most of the non state-funded students do not seem motivated to learn at university; after all, their parents paid money for their education and they don’t really need to worry about any financial aspects. At the same time, if someone fails to pass an exam it does not mean that this person will be automatically expelled from university. “If you want to be expelled – better quit yourself” was a famous saying during my university years in the remote city of Vladivostok in the far east of Russia.
Academic excellence does not have any significant value on the labour market, as most students are aware that they will not get a job in the field they trained for. I graduated from my university in 2008 and only a small percentage of my peers work in the field of international relations; most of them are now working in the business sector. So you might be justified in asking why universities accept so many students in departments that have such low employment potential? Given this situation, the private sector has no choice but to employ people and reeducate them at the workplace.
Clearly, not all students have scant respect for education. On the contrary, there are a lot of talented young people who believe that their education is a valuable asset for the future. Young, ambitious people who are fluent in English or any other language prefer working and living abroad rather than staying in Russia. This trend poses a major problem for the Russian employment market as more and more people try to escape the country, its bureaucracy and its inflexible political regime. If students choose universities abroad, their chances of returning to Russia diminish.
The Russian education system is at the crossroads at the moment. A lot of people still believe in the high performance of the USSR system of education. However, this assumption no longer holds water: Russian diplomas have lost their value both at home and abroad. After all, only good connections now seem to guarantee you getting a good job – no matter how good your diploma or personal merit might be.