Chapter 22 The Rise and Fall of World Communism

When reading this chapter I was particularily interested in the communist feminism section. Communist countries set the foundation for the upcoming feminist movements in the West. Numerous laws were passed to give women more rights and freedoms such as having the choice to taking their husband's last name or easily getting a divorce. Women were also allowed to make their own decisions about abortion and were given maternal leave from their jobs. The fact that women had jobs in these communist countries shocked me because at this time the women in the US were fighting for places in the working field even though the US was supposed to be a free country. Women became a large part of the industrialization and were trained to do many of the same jobs as men. An organization called Zhenotdel was set up to establish womens' place in the world with their new freedoms and opportunities. This organization promoted women and taught classes on literacy and prenatal care. When I read how the women in this group encouraged Muslim women to take off their veils I was reminded of the oppression of women in the middle east. I find it remarkable and sad that these communist countries gave their women so much freedom back in the 1900's and today the Muslim women have little if any control over their own lives. Even the women in China progressed in spite of the strong patriarichal society. They managed to enable the Marriage Law of 1950 that allowed the women to choose their own partners, own their own property, and put an end to child marriage. The Women's Federation was created and helped women become more active in the communities outside their homes. Even though many of these women's movements did not last very long they introduced women to the idea of equality. I think it is incredible that the women of this time were able to make such an impact despite everything else that was going on in the communist countries.