Respected Editors, I represent The Center for Gender Studies at the Non-Governmental Western University in Baku, Azerbaidzhan. The center was founded in June 2000 as a non-commercial public association. The center has students and teachers, specialists in this field, and representatives of non-governmental women's organizations. The international magazine, "The Women's Dialogue" published by you is of great interest to us.

An Interview with Lidia Blokhina Recently there has been lively discussion in Russia about a new document - The Gender Strategy of the Russian Federation, prepared by a group of specialists under the leadership of our First Vice Premier, Galina Karelova. Our own journalist colleagues have taken an active part at recent seminars in Briansk and Barnaul.

by Tatyana Fedyaeva Marina could not even admit to herself that she wanted to be married, never mind telling her friends that, and far less her parents. With them she talked about science and the possible future for biology, which the whole family loved, discussed good articles printed in good periodicals, attended every performance put on by Moscow theaters on tour in Siberia.

by Maksim Kostenko The materials for this presentation were gathered in the course of research conducted for a project entitled “A Study of Men and the Practical Organization of Crisis Centers for Men in Provincial Areas of Modern Russia,” which received financial support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The first problem is that the adult male today plays his part primarily in the professional world, at work, and also in providing for his family.

by Svetlana Ponomareva The popular children's song verse "Dad can be anything except Mom" is just as true as it always was. This was proven to a correspondent researching the new social phenomenon of single fathers. Even in families in which fathers can manage the family duties, they can't replace the mother for the children.

TO ALL THE FATHERS OF ALTAI TERRITORY We, the attendees of a territorial Convention of Fathers Holding Leadership Positions in Social Associations, Creative Teams, and Clubs, have elected to release the following statement: Since contemporary market conditions keep fathers fully occupied in providing materially for their families, the father’s nurturative function has been weakened, by and large, in the modern family.

This issue continues our conversation about family. This time we write about families of a new sort – egalitarian ones based on the principles of partnership and equal rights. Ten years ago specialists had already determined that this kind of “nucleus of society” best corresponds to today’s stage of social development.