29th Annual Student Research Conference
Czech Women Under the Soviet System
Devon Torrence
Dr. David Robinson and Dr. Sally West, Faculty Mentors
Although women have played an important role in social movements and public life in Soviet communism, their historical significance is underrepresented. This presentation examines the role of gender in communist Czechoslovakia compared to the role of the woman in the Soviet Union. The ideals of Soviet womanhood were quickly imposed on Soviet-occupied territories, including Czechoslovakia, and defined the duties and responsibilities of women. Theoretically, communism achieves equality of the sexes, but economically and socially, women were anything but equal to their male counterparts, experiencing even worse oppression and discrimination. This presentation reviews Czech women?s movements, participation in the workforce, and their challenges in everyday life. Despite thousands of kilometers of separation between the two states, the vision of ideal Soviet womanhood infiltrated Czechoslovakian gender norms, limiting women in both public and private spheres.
Keywords: Czechoslovkia, Soviet Union, communist gender roles, women, discrimination
Topic(s):History Senior Seminar
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -4
Location: MG 2090
Time: 10:15