It is important not to stop there

What, in your opinion, are the main gender results of the parliamentary elections? What is the prognosis of the work of the new State Duma for women and men, for the development of gender problems?

From a gender point of view, the 2003 parliamentary elections differed from the previous 1999 elections in several parameters. First of all, female parties or blocks did not participate in them, which would claim to be a place in the State Duma. Let me remind you that, since 1993, women's associations were independent players in election campaigns. In the 1993 elections, the Association of “Women of Russia” received about 8% of votes and at the same time - the right to form their own faction in parliament. In the 1995 and 1999 elections, this result could not be repeated. And in 2003 there were no longer women's associations that would set themselves the task of conquering deputy mandates.

What is it connected with? You can’t answer this question definitely. A number of causes of institutional, political, psychological and even economic ones can be called. First of all, the fact is that the new norms of electoral legislation now allow us to participate in the elections of both federal and regional levels only to political parties and blocks. In relation to the parliamentary elections, this means that on the eve of these elections, some of the women's organizations had to be transformed into a political party. But not one of them went to it. After all, such a process, as well as participation in the electoral struggle, among other things, requires very serious financial costs. Women's public associations have no money corresponding to this task. And this is the second reason. What is the third reason? I will not reveal the secret if I say that those parties and associations that have solid administrative support are today the favorites of the electoral struggle. Women's organizations do not use such support. They are considered only as actors on the field of social, but not political.

The next feature of these elections is that the total number of women-guards to deputies was smaller than in 1999. Then, among all the applicants of the deputy mandate, there were 16% of women. In 2003, only about 13%. However, among the deputies of the newly elected State Duma, there were about 10% of women, which is more than two percent higher than in the last Duma. How to explain this? In my opinion, the main factor here can be considered the high political activity of female organizations and the effectiveness of their activities at the parliamentary level. In the period 1999-2003, the movement of women in Russia, the consortium of female non-governmental associations and other women's organizations held a series of various kinds of meetings with deputies of the State Duma. At these meetings, it was about the preparation and passage of the law “On state guarantees of equal rights, freedoms and equal opportunities for women and men”, aimed at creating conditions for real approval in life of the principle of gender equality, and on special amendments to the electoral legislation, which would expand opportunities for the integration of women into the political process. You know that the law “On state guarantees of equal rights, freedoms and equal opportunities for women and men” in April 2003 was adopted in the first reading by the vast majority of deputies; But “gender” amendments to the electoral legislation did not go.

Nevertheless, it seems that they in their own way influenced political parties. It is characteristic that even in the federal list of the LDPR - the party of V. Zhirinovsky, which has always been extremely negative about female political activity, this time 7.5% of female names. The Rodina block, created on the eve of the current election campaign, also included in his federal list of women-guards (about 9% of the number of candidates nominated). The Communist Party gave women about 10% of the seats in their list. The share of women in the lists of United Russia was a little smaller - about 9%. But speaking of “United Russia”, it is important to note the fact: women who have advanced from this party clearly received a head start compared to other candidates. There were 22 of them in the general Federal list.

The results of the elections: the mandates of deputies were found by 24 women who were walking along the general Federal lists of all parties and associations, and 25 women who fought in single -mandate districts. Thus, 45 women were among 447 elected deputies of the State Duma (in three districts the elections were recognized as failed, the places of deputies from them until March 14, 2004 are vacant). It is impossible to give accurate data on factions now: deputies who have passed as independent or as single -mandate from parties who have not entered the State Duma are looking for a place and sometimes passing from one faction to another. It is clear that the largest number of women in United Russia. This faction nominated one of them - Love Slush - to the post of First Deputy Chairman of the Duma. And four - to the posts of chairmen of the Committee of the Duma. Natalya Komarova received the post of head of the Committee on Nature Management. Ekaterina Lakhova headed the committee on women, family and youth. Valentina Pivnenko-Committee on the problems of the North and the Far East. Tatyana Yakovleva - Healthcare Committee.

How can you determine the main trends in the development of gender plots in Russian politics over the past 10 years? What is the role of the female movement, gender research in their development?

Answering this question, first of all, I would like to emphasize that female organizations most seriously influenced the formation and development of gender research in our country. It was they, and not the official academic science supported the researchers who attracted this new branch of public knowledge. In addition, not only the financial, but also the moral support of Western scientific funds turned out to be very important for the development of gender research. Without these two supports, we would hardly advance forward. And the progress here is quite significant. There was a community of political scientists involved in gender problems. There is a gender section of the Russian Association of Political Science (RAPN). In April 2003, at the next Congress of RAPN, the Gender Section along with other structures of the association within two days, focusing on the topic “Gender Studies of Politics”, discussed the results and prospects for the development of political science in our country. Why am I talking about this? This fact means that gender studies are institutionalized, that is, officially recognized by the scientific world in which at first there was a very critical attitude to gender problems.

What plots most often attract the attention of political scientists involved in gender research? This can be judged by those plots that were declared for performances at this Congress. I will list only some of them: “Gender measurement of power in modern Russia”; “State policy in Russia in the twentieth century: gender aspect”; “Female civilian initiatives as a factor in the democratization of society”; “Gender analysis of the political preferences of Russians”; “Gender aspects of the image characteristics of politicians”; “Civil society and power: gender strategies for interaction”; “Gender analysis of social policy”; "Stereotyping of the political consciousness of Russians." You see, the topics are very interesting and the Akzhurnal “We/We”, No. 25 (41), 2003. Tualnaya, and, which is very significant, they are developed at the highest level, in accordance with all the achievements of world scientific thought.

Is there a female political elite in Russia? What contributes (interferes) of its development?

What is the "elite"? In its original sense, this is the “best”, “selected” part of the society that forms the values, norms and patterns of behavior for the rest of it. This means that the female political elite should develop values, norms and image of the policy in the field of politics for all our other compatriots. What should be these samples? Ideally, they should comply with the standards of political behavior that allow the country to successfully develop by realizing the “public contract” concluded by citizens, that is, the Constitution. Officially, according to the current Constitution, Russia is a democratic legal state. In accordance with such an attitude, the political elite, including its female part, should offer our fellow citizens samples of democratic legal behavior. What do we see in reality? You react correctly. The question is rhetorical. I will answer more specifically. Yes, there are women working in the field of politics who seek to behave in accordance with democratic values ​​and norms. But we still have no something of the whole female political elite. And artificially cannot be formed.

Nevertheless, its formation is, in my opinion, one of the main tasks of women's organizations. The first steps in this direction are already being taken. I will give only one example: for two years - from 2002 to 2003 - a consortium of female non -governmental associations with the support of the Canadian support of Russian women was carried out by the “Higher Women's Political Courses” project. The main objective of the project was to prepare women of the leaders of women's organizations, politicians of the regional level, and entrepreneurs to participate in the electoral process. In the course of the work of carefully selected, sensitive to gender issues (one of the main selection conditions), students introduced the latest political, economic, sociological research, which they may need during the deputy activity, taught them the basics of public speaking to work with mass audience, with journalists and television cameras, etc. The students of this first set have already received diplomas about the end of the courses. Some of them tried their strength during the regional elections and elections to the State Duma. There are first victories. I, as one of the authors of this project, really like it. I consider it extremely promising, although it turned out to be very laborious.

They say that the new leaders of the new Russia will appear only in the 2008 elections - when a new generation will grow up. Your opinion? What are the features of future female leaders?

In fact, they are already appearing. Just while we do not notice them. This property of consciousness is perceived and remembered only by the usual one, the new is not seen immediately. The main distinguishing feature of such leaders, it seems to me, should be social responsibility, and also the ability to think strategically, calculate the consequences of decisions not only for yourself, but for the whole society and for future generations. Without this, our country is doomed to vegetation, life without moving forward, without development.

In this issue, summing up preliminary results, including the results of our magazine, its connection with the female movement and research. Recently, a lot has been talked about creating a “own circle”, its interdisciplinary environment of like -minded people, which has an impact on surrounding circumstances. What are the preliminary results of the last years of work “in the gender direction” personally for you?

I am glad that I have the opportunity to express the we/we magazine sincere gratitude for the serious, very deep and very personal discussion of the main problems of the life of our contemporaries. I highly appreciate the work that the editors of the magazine did and do, uniting their like -minded people around him. Indeed, we managed to form a “our” environment by joint efforts. It includes journalists, researchers, and activists of women's organizations, and, even a little, women-politicians, representatives of the creative professions of a writer, artist. This turned out to be important not only for the development of the female movement or for the formation of a new scientific discipline - gender research. This turned out to be important for each of us personally. The last fifteen years have been extremely difficult from the point of view of everyday human life. We needed to feed our children, build relationships with people in conditions of acute competition, hard daily choice. The environment of like -minded people makes it possible to fully feel their identity. This is a reference group with which you can correlate your behavior, your choice. It’s easier to live. And I am grateful to many of our friends, with whom it is interesting to communicate, come up with new projects, and sometimes just relax together and enjoy life.