"It's a female disease"

Hoping for quotes for the GADFly’s new column, “Ukrainians Speak,” I asked my Adult English Club what they thought about feminism in Ukraine. An 11th form girl asked what that was. That does seem to be the question here. Everyone has heard of it, but no one can say what it means. Many people—men and women, Americans and Ukrainians—mention something to the effect of “a notion conjured up by a mob of angry bra-burning lesbian man-haters.” The men in my club—people I consider my friends, and generally rational human beings—gave the following responses: “It’s a female disease”—Pasha. “I think feminism is when unlucky women try to guilt men with their problems”—Slava. “It’s not a problem in our country”—Andrei. All of them adamantly denied the possibility that men could be feminists, seemed insulted, even, by the suggestion.

When I defined feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes,” the 11th form girl said it was an issue in Ukraine, because employers assume women will want children, and may therefore be less likely to hire them, since maternity leave is so long here. Even that fact illustrates the peculiarities of the status quo in Ukraine. I think Soviet influence and economic necessity made it less revolutionary for women to go to work than it was at the same time in America (or maybe it was just as revolutionary, but Soviets were in the business of being radical), but domestic responsibilities did not keep pace with the changes in the working world. Often women now have two full time jobs, one at work and one at home, which is reflected in the global statistic that, “Women do two-thirds of the world's work but receive only 10% of the world's income.” To pass the time while my school’s technology teacher was fixing my electricity, I asked his opinion. He replied, “If a man isn’t married, is he a feminist?”—Eduoard. Granted this was in Ukrainian, but what I think he meant was, if that single man has to do all the household chores that wives usually do for men in Ukraine, by necessity he believes in the equality of the sexes, or at least is begrudgingly forced to submit to such a reality.

One of my 9th formers, in her application to attend GAD’s summer leadership camp, wrote, “In my opinion, young modern women should be independent and can do a lot by themselves. I know a lot of young women who want to get by in this life without anyone’s help.” And yet when I go to my Adult English Club, the same Pasha who said feminism is a disease insists on helping me take off my coat, and all three of them walk me the five blocks back to my apartment after the club. Chivalry or chauvinism, endearing or annoying, neither or both? Iryna Krupska (our Training Coordinator) finds feminism in Ukraine perfectly compatible with such courtesies, and I remember an article in our Cross-Cultural Reader stating something to that effect as well. I like how Krupska moves away from formal rights and talks instead of the “possibility for self-realization,” because she also points out that laws, as well as formal gestures that have lost their meaning (I loved getting flowers and chocolate on Woman’s Day, but my friend noted bitterly that many men prioritize liquid celebration over the congratulation of their womenfolk), can coexist with ingrained attitudes that prevent their full realization.