Culture and mentality of Russian women

To know characteristics of a modern Russian woman, one may address Russian history, the features of the Russian mentality, literature and art, the features of life. However, there is always a probability to roll down to generalizations and declarations of stereotypes.

There is an opinion that Russian women are kinder, easy, attentive, more thoughtful, more focused on a family than the representatives of other nations. It is certainly so, however one should remember, that every woman is a bright individuality and the orientation exclusively on stereotypes can be a mistake. Among Russians there are ladies of different temperament, different life goals and different ambitions. However, there is something that strongly distinguishes them from those of other countries.

The western men married to Russians, agree that they are fine wives, they are kinder, more economic and carefully twist "a cosy nest", cook tasty home food with pleasure. But the western ladies also take care of families, and also manage the home business. Then, what distinguishes them?

FEATURES OF NATURE AND CULTURE

Kindness, sincere delicacy of the Russian ladies and readiness to understand other people in many respects are defined by the life of the Russian people. Many foreigners still consider Michael Zoshchenko, who described the life of Russians of the 20s-30s of the XX century, a science fiction writer. Meanwhile, municipal apartments - when several families live in the small area divided into tiny rooms, with one toilet and a bath for all is not such a rarity even now. Not everyone has a separate apartment.

According to the western parameters these apartments are tight even for one person. In Russia families of 4-5 persons live in a modest two-room apartment of the area of 58 square meters. Quite often some generations simultaneously live in a tight small-sized flat. In Russia the saying "In narrowness, but not in insult" is popular.

The Russian conditions of residing give rise to a feeling of special unity when it is necessary to reckon all time with others, to accept others as they are. The Russians are used to being patient to the people around them. They grow in conditions of dependence on others' needs. Russians possess a unique ability of adaptation, especially concerning women. The conditions, seeming intolerable for foreigners, are perceived by the Russian people as due.

For this reason, the Russian wives are very patient and always ready to compromise in their home life. The situation which will be regarded by the western woman as infringement of her interests, may be ignored by the Russian woman. She is always ready to compromise. This sincere mobility and patience is peculiar to Russians which is often lacking by the western people.

FAMILY AND CAREER

The majority of Russian ladies regard the family more than a career. It resulted both from education and from the mentality, and influence of the literature and canons of Orthodoxy. And even the Soviet legislation inherently denying religion and proclaiming an equality of sexes, promoted a family priority for women. It was very difficult, practically impossible for a woman to rise over the career ladder - all places were occupied by men. Raising the birth rate, the Soviet state provided the world's longest maternity leaves to women.

The Russian people strongly thought that a woman should have a family. Even the well-known women who made a huge contribution to science, art, and religious knowledge were considered unfortunate if they were not married and did not have children. Roughly speaking, the Russian ballerinas who opened a female body of unusual beauty in dance, the nuns who gave life to service to the God and a spiritual enlightenment, talented singers and actresses, women-teachers and organizers are considered unfortunate if they do not have a family. The Russian woman, even achieving considerable heights in the career, financially secured, creatively and intellectually realized, feels defective if she does not have a family.

The huge quantity of successful Russian women would change with pleasure the high professional position for the status of a western housewife. Marriage agencies receive millions of letters in which the women who have made quite a good career, declare themselves unfortunate and cultivate complexes because of no family. The Russian women in the majority feel uncomfortable, if they have to command people (especially men), be active and show virility. The ladies who find courage and will to show rigidity and confidence, being at authority, are called "mannish" in Russia and their female charm is denied. The majority of the Russian women would willingly refuse their own career in favor of the husband's career. They would provide home cosiness, care and support to the head of family.

The Russian woman really embodies an image of "a home keeper" and "assistant to husband".

BEAUTY AS WAY OF LIFE

The Russian girls even on usual week-days dress smartly and tidier than the western women (by the way, ladies from Russia often do not suspect it, judging foreigners by attractive glossy magazines, representing stylish and elegant ladies and gentlemen). Visitors from the West are surprised with a huge quantity of beautiful, elegantly dressed ladies in the Russian streets. They do not hurry to a pink tea, to a holiday, theatre or fashion presentation. They go to work to their usual offices, rush to a lecture in the institute, in the library or in a shop. These ladies are not confused with rough, dirty roads in rainy weather when they put on shoes on high thin heels. They are not frightened by the stuffy, overcrowded buses when they put on a beautiful blouse and pin a graceful brooch on it.

The secret is that the beauty for the Russian ladies is a style of life, instead of an opportunity to earn money. They are beautiful because does not imagine life without beauty. It is necessary like air for them. The Russian lady does not dress up "occasionally" to make an impression. Russians always aspire to beauty. If the Russian woman has no money for a fashionable thing from a boutique, she would run all over the city and would find the stylish thing which has attracted her in the market or in a less expensive shop. If she does not find a finished thing, she would sew it, having bought a fabric or would even cut the old thing from the "grandmother's chest". Only Russian ladies can, after a tiresome working day and evening efforts at home, to sew a new dress or knit a blouse.

During the Soviet times when shelves of the shops were empty and it was impossible to get beautiful, stylish and fashionable things, the Russian women showed miracles of needlework, working with an old grandmother's sewing machine with manual operation, working with a hook and knitting needles. The German fashion magazines (for example, "Burda" and "Verena") were very popular - in them, there were the most beautiful, fashionable models and the most exact patterns. Such magazines were a huge rarity and if someone had such a magazine, a line of persons willing to take the magazine for the night and make a copy of patterns "was built " for a month ahead. Despite the deficiency and empty shops, the Russian woman tried to be dressed beautifully, as well as the husband and children. All that matters is that the need for beauty is a soul's need of the Russian ladies. Their beauty goes from inside and is combined with femininity and charm.

COMFORTABLE HOME

Coziness and warm home atmosphere is a point of honor for the Russian housewife. The woman considers the house a continuation of herself, as a symbol of a happy home life. In Russia they still do without the services of servants. The majority of the Russian women are engaged in cleaning of an apartment, cooking. They often do manual repairs. And the Russian beauties are capable of improving the dwelling with a painting brush or spatula. They always try to make their house light, clean, joyful.

Going to restaurants and cafes in Russia are considered, more likely, as cultural actions, the event, instead of the habitual phenomenon. Ordinary citizens do not go to restaurants "simply to eat". The majority of Russian families eat at home. It can be explained both by the material reasons and a habit of Russians to eat tasty home food. Besides, a rare Russian lady would make an uninvited person stand at the threshold. She would necessarily feed him, ask about his life, share news.

Russians try to always have food at home, and long years of deficiency have accustomed Russians to do food stocks. The Russian girl is inventive in cooking. Many recipes of Russian cuisine were not born from abundance but from the shortage of products on the shop shelves. The Russian housewife seldom strictly follows the recipe - if it is possible she replaces missing products for others, having transformed the recipe for available products. Also she is famous for her skill to prepare a tasty dish "from nothing".

A lot of Russian families have a country site which does not serve as a vacation spot, but a place where greenery, vegetables and fruits are grown. Usually, they are some distance from the house where they go by car or by bus. The Russian woman knows how to correctly plant and grow potatoes, onions, carrots. In many apartments since early spring, there are still boxes with sprouts of tomatoes, pepper flaunts on the windows - with the approach of heat the plants will be bedded in the countryside.

The Russian woman is capable of working all days off in the countryside, being even more sturdy than a man. On Monday she comes to work with a manicure, elegantly dressed and gracefully brushed. From the products which have been grown in the country site, she does preparations for winter - compotes, jam, vegetable salads, marinated pepper, cucumbers and tomatoes. Jars with these culinary masterpieces wait for winter in pantries and cellars.

Russians are hardworking and hardy. They can have two jobs, have time to be engaged in the household, educate children, work on a personal plot of land, but at the same time look attractive and feel like a heroine. The Russian lady perceives these loadings as due, she does not feel she is doing something special. Russians got used to "surviving" in heavy conditions, and joked about difficulties. Owing to features of life in Russia they are remarkable for raised psychological mobility, endurance, patience and ability to understand others.