The political exclusion and commodification of women - Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic - page 261

freedom and liberalization and reinforced the notion that everything could
be bought and sold. Thus, exploitation of woman's sexuality is just a busi-
ness. Economic reforms and steps towards market economy 'brought about a
new social orientation whose essence was the commercialization of all areas
of our social life' (Klimenkova 1994:15). The prioritization of the economy
above social needs, the rapid stratification of society and drastic changes in
social attitudes played important roles in increasing society's level of tolerance
towards the phenomenon of trafficking in women.
Thus, the breakdown in the functioning of almost all spheres of society,
of industry, along with inflation, empty shelves in the shops and problems
with salary were reflected in the gender issue and vice versa. Women were
regarded as unprofitable employees. The privileged place belonged to men
who were considered the breadwinners. The alternative open to women was
either a low-paid, routine job in bad conditions or sitting at home and foster-
ing children. The competition on the labour market was different according
to age, depending on if a woman was young or middle aged; older women
trying to find work relied on a combination of luck, skill and wits, whereas
young women were sought out with regard to their bodies, being able to
work in modelling businesses, to marrying rich men or working as prosti-
tutes. Internationally, women had 'better' chances regardless of age due to
the popularity of the bride market and entertainment services in different
countries outside the former Soviet Union.
The report of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights in
2000 stated that many of the problems experienced in modern Russia had
originated during the transition period of the 1990s: 'Illegal dismissals and
jobs that have no social guarantees and are frequently without any official
labour contract have become the norm' (International Helsinki Federation for
Human Rights 2001:375). Thus, the political indifference towards women
resulted in a situation where women were not socially and legally protected by
the state. The state also did not provide security for women in the new work-
ing (like the modelling business) and social conditions (trafficking, domestic
violence, sexual harassment).
The exclusion of women as a result of an incorrect
understanding of democracy
The prevailing political attitude towards Russian women in the 1990s led to
their exclusion from the process of democratization. Politicians actively pro-
moted the traditionalist view of women:
From about the spring of 1989 it became quite clear that perestroika was
basically a male project and that not only the Communists, but also the
democrats had turned their backs on women … Most of them had no
women's programme, and their personal views amounted to the same old