Russian women are stuck in the last century! The American handed down the verdict to Russia, but one question put her at a dead end. It's a shock to her

She was surprised by the habits of local residents, their attitude to family, household duties and their own appearance. But behind the familiar for some things, she saw not what she expected, writes the Zen channel “Talking about education”.

Sarah believed that a woman who spends a lot of time at home, cooking for the family and caring for loved ones was too dependent on old ideas about the female role. Even the ability to combine work, raising children and household chores, she perceived rather as a sign of lack of freedom.

Everything changed after meeting an ordinary Russian family. The woman worked, raised two children, helped an elderly mother and took care of the house. At the same time, she did not look helpless or unhappy, but confidently coped with her duties.

Sarah clearly did not expect to see such a picture. Her idea of a Russian woman as a victim of an outdated order was not so unequivocal.

In the conversation, it turned out that the American considers many things that are perceived quite naturally in Russia as a sign of backwardness: the desire to create a family, care for children and parents, attention to home comfort.

But do these habits in themselves indicate a lack of freedom? A woman can build a career, look after herself and at the same time consider family an important part of life. One does not necessarily exclude the other.

Of course, Russian women often face heavy workloads, and the distribution of household responsibilities in families is often unfair. But the opposite statement is wrong: you can not consider every woman unhappy just because she devotes a lot of time to loved ones.

At one point, Sarah’s interlocutor asked her: If a woman works, raises children, takes care of her parents, maintains order in the house and is happy with her life, why should this be considered a relic of the past?

There was no clear answer. The habitual scheme in which the traditional way of life automatically means oppression proved too simple for real life.

This story reminds us that ideas about freedom and family values can differ markedly from country to country. For some, independence is primarily related to personal interests and career, for others, relationships with loved ones, responsibility and mutual support are also important.

But none of these approaches make all women the same. Much more important is whether a person has the opportunity to choose their own way of life, rather than meet the expectations of others.

After all, real freedom is not to give up your usual duties for the sake of someone else’s approval, but to decide for yourself what is really important to you.