The article is based on the analysis of publications for 1917 in several magazines: “Magazine for Women”, “Women’s Business”, “Female Reporter”. Publications in them reflected the variety of views and opinions on the change of power and the expected future changes in society. The main issue that was discussed in all women’s magazines in the spring of 1917 was the equality of women, their participation in elections to legislative bodies.
The discussion of issues related to women having equal rights with men in labor activity occupied a significant place among the publications; other issues of interest were women’s release from domestic work and the provision of the opportunity to have their own independent earnings. Women also discussed the problem of prostitution prohibition and the closure of houses of tolerance since they were treated as a form of humiliation and exploitation of free members of society.
Despite the growth of political and public activity of women and lack of time for their own leisure and appearance, the magazines also published articles reflecting fashion trends and giving recommendations about them. Although im-plementing advice given on magazines’ pages was sometimes difficult such rec-ommendations show a sincere desire to help women at a difficult time for them achieve changes not only in the sphere of equality and the expansion of civil rights, but also in choosing and creating their wardrobe (e.g. free albums of ap-plied art and patterns of dresses were often offered as supplements).
During 1917 women’s magazines not only reflected events that occurred in Russia on the wave of revolutionary changes but were also a kind of platform to sound the accumulated problems of women and sometimes to call for help. There is no doubt that they were instrumental in achieving changes in the issue of the right to vote, both in work and daily life; however, in reality this struggle has lasted for decades, and in fact, complete equality in all spheres has not been achieved even today.
read in PDF >>>
