Our senses were bombarded with billboards and signs featuring images of women I considered pornographic. A Russian newspaper article describing the work of the Sexual Assault Center is illustrated with a photograph of a completely naked women serving drinks to men in a bar. Life for women in this vast country is hard. They are highly educated and have far more equality in the work place than US women. But, Russian women have full responsibility for the home and children.
Russian men don t help.
Child care is limited or non-existent since the state subsidized facilities have closed. The housing supply is so desperate that even if a couple divorces, they must live in the same house because there is no other housing. Shelters for battered women may not be appropriate because if women leave their house they and their children have no home. There are no laws protecting women or children against abuse. Helping families does not seem to be a priority when the country s entire legal and economic systems are being revamped.