The reality of traditional values in Russia

Summary

Olivia Wright compares traditional values in Russia with how they are often imagined in the West, drawing on her experience living and working there. She says marriage, children, heterosexual relationships, and conventional gender roles are widely valued. Young people in Russia often see marriage and family as goals to pursue relatively early, in contrast with young people in the UK, who tend to prioritize dating, travel, and enjoying life before settling down.

Wright describes Russian dating and family expectations as traditionally gendered: men are often expected to be chivalrous and financially generous, while women are expected to cook, clean, and care for their husbands. However, these ideals meet everyday realities. Women commonly work while also managing the household—the “second shift”—and, given modest average wages and rising living costs, Wright questions how realistic it is for most men to support a large family alone.

She also challenges the idea that Russian traditionalism is primarily religious. Marriage may be valued partly for the material security it offers, she suggests, while a high divorce rate complicates the idea of marriage as an unbreakable sacred commitment. Wright cites Russia’s 2021 census as showing that almost a third of children grow up in single-mother households, which she sees as at odds with the conventional image of a stable nuclear family.

Finally, Wright says her expectations of strict patriarchal families do not match much of what she observes. As a teacher, she has found parenting relatively permissive, while many Russian women—especially older women—strike her as highly assertive. She also notes that older people are generally treated with respect.

Presenter: Olivia Wright.