Factory of meanings "Female face of Russian activism"

28 April 2017 in the HSE (St. Petersburg) held an annual "Factory of meanings ", dedicated this year to the women activism in Russia.

The event was attended by young activists Here Now and Sonia Lyubarova, as well as sociologist: Director of the Centre for Youth Studies Elena Omelchenko and intern Olga Senkova, studying feminist scene of St. Petersburg. The discussion was horizontally managed: along with the speakers, the discussion was attended by activists, sociologists and students, for example, the law faculty student of the HSE, St. Petersburg feminist Varya Mikhaylova.

Special attention was paid to such topics as the role of women in politics and in the youth movements, conservative context of feminist initiatives in modern Russia, the sexual objectification of women's bodies in commercial advertising, sexism in the activist of the youth communities, gender diversity of contemporary youth cultural scene, discrimination against women in the labour market, the construction of masculinity etc.

Later The attention of the participants focused on issues related to gender, development of feminism in the domestic context and current feminist agenda. This turn of the discussion only shows that the struggle for women's rights in Russia remains valid today, gender inequality is vast and unexamined issue, and feminism is an important and vital topic not only in academic discourse but also in public space.