Alevtina Vasilyevna Fedulova (Russian: Алевтина Васильевна Федулова, born 14 April 1940) is a Russian political activist and former leader of the Soviet Women's Committee (later the Union of Women of Russia).
Alevtina Fedulova | |
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Алевтина Федулова | |
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| Deputy Chairman of the State Duma | |
| In office 11 January 1994 – 17 December 1995 | |
| Chairman | Ivan Rybkin |
| Member of the 28th CPSU Central Committee | |
| In office 1990–1991 | |
| Secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee — Chairman of the Young Pioneers Central Council | |
| In office 20 December 1971 – 18 May 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Tamara Kutsenko |
| Succeeded by | Lyudmila Shvetsova |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alevtina Vasilyevna Timakova 14 April 1940 Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Women of Russia (1993–98) |
| Other political affiliations | CPSU (1968–1991), Fatherland — All Russia (1998–2001) |
Early life edit
Fedulova was born on 14 April 1940, in Elektrostal, to an illiterate, yet intelligent, mother and a blacksmith father, who died when she was young. An excellent student, Fedulova wished to become a teacher as a child, but went to a local technical school linked to a local factory. Under pressure, Fedulova's mother paid the tuition to allow her to finish at the school, enabling her to take entrance exams in Moscow for a teacher training institute there.[1]
Fedulova married at age 20, while still studying at the institute, in 1960. Her husband was conscripted to military service around the time their son was born.[1] Upon graduation, she became a teacher of biology and chemistry.[1] She remained as a high school teacher for ten years.[2]
Political career edit
In 1963, Fedulova joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, about which she expressed some ambivalence.[1]
Fedulova later became head of the Pioneers[1] and was the executive secretary of the Soviet Peace Committee.[3] In 1987, she left her position to work for the Soviet Women's Committee full-time, and was elected vice-president of the organisation that same year.[4] From 1981 until 1986, she was a member of the CPSU's Auditing Commission, and was promoted to the Central Committee in 1990.[1]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Fedulova's position of power within the CPSU made many feminists sceptical.[5][6] However, as leader of the Women of Russia bloc in 1993,[7] but not affiliated to any political party in particular, she became a member of the Duma.[1] This resulted in 8% of the Duma belonging to the Women of Russia bloc, allowing them to form their own official faction within the Russian government.[8]
Personal life edit
Fedulova is married to her husband, a former deputy sports minister, and has one son and two grandchildren.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g Racioppi, Linda; See, Katherine O'Sullivan (1997). Women's Activism in Contemporary Russia. Temple University Press. pp. 80–106. ISBN 978-1-56639-521-2.
- ^ a b Landrey, Wilbur G. (December 18, 1993). "Russia's women make big strides". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved May 28, 2021 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Moscow and the Peace Movement: The Soviet Committee for the Defense of Peace" (PDF). Foreign Affairs Note. Appendix A. United States Department of State: 9. May 1987.
- ^ Khudyakova T (January 24, 1990). "State and Law". The Current Digest of the Soviet Press. 41 (52): 32. Retrieved May 28, 2021 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Nechemias, Carol (2000). "Politics in Post-Soviet Russia: Where are the Women?" (PDF). Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2021 – via gwu.edu.
Its leader, Alevtina Fedulova, had long worked within the CPSU, a background that made feminist groups wary.
- ^ "Bloc to fight for women's status in Russian elections". The Times. Streator, Illinois. Associated Press. 29 November 1993. p. 6. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ Racioppi L, See KO (Summer 1995). "Organizing Women before and after the Fall: Women's Politics in the Soviet Union and Post-Soviet Russia". Signs. 20 (4): 827. doi:10.1086/495023. JSTOR 3174884. S2CID 144237966. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ "Women of Russia movement approves voting list for upcoming elections". ITAR Tass. September 20, 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2021 – via ProQuest.