Russian women dissatisfied with their role in politics

Moscow, Mar 8 (UNI) Russian women today expressed dissatisfaction on their ''very thin'' participation in the national politics, despite the Constitution granting them equal rights with men.

On the occasion of the International Women's Day, they said Russia ranks 80th in the world as regards number of female members in the parliament's lower house, the State Duma. Women represent only 10 per cent of the 450-member lower house of the Russian parliament.

Women occupy a meagre five per cent of seats in the upper chamber, the Federation Council.

There are no women among leaders of major political parties, except Irina Khakamada, who was one of the leaders of the Union of Right Forces, a liberal opposition party, and later on started her own party.

There are only 20 per cent women among the 126 members of the Public Chamber, which was set up as an institute of the civil society.

According to the senior research associate of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Comparative Political Studies, Svetlana Aivazova, women's negligible role in politics has absolutely clear ''consequences''.

She said for most women, politics is an alien domain as their political behaviour is driven by inertia, and they tend to live according to someone else's values, and to make their choices based on emotions rather than reason.

Chairperson of the Russian Public Chamber on social development Alexandra Ochirova said that without promoting women to positions of power, the government will not be able to cope with its national projects, the four key areas of social and economic development, which are designed to make major changes in healthcare, education, housing and agriculture.

Valentina Tereshkova was the world's first female cosmonaut; revolutionary and feminist Alexandra Kollontai was the first female ambassador.

Russian women have reached the acme of perfection in poetry and science. There are 40 women among members of the Russian Academy of Sciences today.

UNI