CULTURE
The Influence of Traditional Russian Values on Russian Women
Old-school Russian families from way back in the day were truly something else. Their values and practices alone set them apart from Western culture, and it’s highly observable in their women.
Russian women growing up (or living) in the US see the vast polarity in how different their culture is from American culture, and how it may contrast the interests and perceptions of their Western counterparts.
Everything from social habits, behavioral cues, facial expressions, body language, and upbringing tends to highlight how certain core values of the basic family unit impact a person as a whole, and in Russian societies, the equation is a lot different from Western ones.
Just like Western-born Asians, Russians born in the Western world growing up with immigrant parents still inherit the full authenticity of a traditional upbringing most of the time — as do nearly all people growing up in the West with immigrant parents of a foreign culture.
It’s probably not until the second and third generation of immigrants that you see a recession in particular mindsets, traditions, and family dynamics, depending on how in tune someone is with their heritage and culture or how Westernized they may become.
For Russian women, their traditions are their heritage, and the ways of their people constitute their identity as a proud nation.
Like all people, their values speak for who they are, no matter where in the world they may be.
So just how do these traditional values reflect the behavior, disposition, and overall daily life of Russian women?
We’ll start with…
A Return to Conservatism
When the USSR dissolved, a widespread shift in traditional values came along with its decline. The post-Soviet societies began to adopt and return to more survivalist values (such as physical and economic security above all else), which in turn saw a de-Westernization of the Russian identity.
This spontaneous shift saw a rise in popularity in the 1990s, and it gave rise to Russian families embodying a more in-tune form of nationalism. In terms of the average Russian woman, it influenced a common desire to uphold a fulfilling job, a calm demeanor, and a desire to start a family as compared to being superficial, materialistic, or shallow.
The movement gave Russian women a reinstilled sense of identity — one that nearly all families of post-Soviet societies saw and felt. It taught them to embrace tradition, to be proud of their roots, and to live humbly. They place genuine experiences and family values over luxuries and material things.
A Desire to Marry Early
This one’s deeply rooted in Russian tradition. If you’re a Russian girl, your family will most likely want you to find a good husband as early as possible, get married, and then have kids. That’s just how it’s always been.
The value of the family dynamic has always been a vital aspect of Russian culture, as many Russian women uphold family security above all else. A family needs a good wife who can perform housewife and motherly duties, while on the other hand, the husband must be the head of authority and the breadwinner of the family.
This is one of the main challenges that Western men encounter when dating their Russian love interests. She might want to get married rather soon, and her parents are most likely wondering when they’ll get to meet him so they can determine whether he’s a good husband for their daughter or not.
That’s just a common practice that traditional Russian values tend to embody. It’s observable in first generation Russian immigrants in the West, as well as in Russians in their motherland.
Many argue that this core value was a key factor in the Soviet Union’s strength and internal unity as a society.
Seeing Men as Providers
Russian families value men as the main providers who are expected to earn enough money to sustain a household and a family. It is this deeply-ingrained traditional value that influences Russian women to see men as providers, even prior to any family dynamic.
For example, in the early dating stages, a Russian woman will expect the man to cover for bills, payments, and fees that come with dating (restaurant bills, transportation fares, accommodations, and so on).
Despite the fact that she probably makes enough money to sustain herself (as Russian women are highly independent and usually don’t need a man to survive), she’ll still expect him to act as a provider in most cases.
This is still common among modern Russian women. However, it may not be as prevalent as you think.
If a Russian woman was born and raised in Western society, the chances of her embodying this particular mindset are significantly thinner.
Always Looking like a Million Bucks
Russian women, under any and all circumstances, will absolutely dress to impress no matter what the occasion is — whether that be a simple trip to the grocery store, a quick errand, or a casual gathering.
No one can convince these girls to do otherwise, either. It’s a culturally-ingrained aspect of their identity that they cannot leave behind.
Appearing highly feminine and attractive is something that they find very, very important, as it signifies that they are good partners — something that foreign men tend to notice right off the bat.
At the end of the day, they will be the most gorgeous women in the room, as if they came straight out of a Vogue magazine photoshoot. They will always look like high-fashion models, so for men who are interested in taking them out on a date, they must embrace this aspect and carry themselves in a manner that suits a Russian oman’s majestic beauty.
It’s safe to assume that there are still a whole lot of Soviet-era values that persist among modern Russian women despite the rise of modernization and contemporary Western traditions.
The identity of a strong nation does not wither, and a strong sign of its persistence in modern times can be observed by simply looking at their society’s women.
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