The Re-Emergence of Patriarchy in Russia after the Napoleonic Wars

• In Event: Patriarchy as a Disguise: The Unnoticed Power of Women in the Economy, Science, and Dissident Movement

Abstract

Defining patriarchy can be challenging due to its vague nature and the prevalent suboptimal conditions in many parts of the world. I assert that patriarchy is largely rooted in the economic dependence of women. I'll delve into a specific case – the emergence of patriarchy based on economic dependence in Russia after the Napoleonic wars, marking a patriarchal shift.

In pre-Enlightenment Russia, elite women experienced a notable economic independence necessitated by the absence of men from their estates, often engaged in military or civil service since Peter the Great. Crucially, evolving societal ideas recognized women as worthy heirs. Consequently, female property ownership reached nearly 50 percent, with elite men only marginally wealthier in the beginning of the 19th century. However, by the late 19th century, Russian elite women found themselves with a similar amount of property as in the early 18th century. I argue that this reversal occurred primarily due to the internalization of patriarchal Enlightenment ideas adopted simultaneously by both genders. Women chose roles as housewives and conscientious mothers, while men were compelled into managerial roles in private and public economic spheres. The post-Napoleonic wars era intensified this patriarchal turn due to heightened patriotism, further restricting women from achieving heroic status, a privilege reserved exclusively for men.

Author

• Elena Sergeevna Korchmina, U of Bologna (Italy)