3-GORBACHEV+Hardiker,+Sat

__**Woman**__

Prior to the implementation of Perestroika and Glasnot, woman were not treated as equals when compared to their male counterparts. Many woman held low positions in their respective work fields and also didn't get to enjoy the same rights and privileges that males did. Woman were highly oppressed and could not do much about their terrible situations. Despite many times being more educated than their male counterparts, woman were paid much less. Woman also had to bear the "double burden" of working at home and also outside of the home, something which many men did not understand and did not take the time to understand. Overall the life of all Soviet woman was very hard and challenging, many were constantly frustrated because they did so much work and were paid very frugally and also their situation did not get any better at home, where they were required to care for the entire family. (document)
 * 1. What was the situation for that group/institution before Gorbachev became Premier? **

Initially, woman were elated that they would soon have the same rights and privileges that males enjoyed on a regular basis. Woman felt that after long last there would be equality and both men and woman would be treated equally. However, this good feeling did not last. The working burden of having to care for the family and also at the same time go out and earn a living soon began to take its tole on Soviet woman. Pretty soon they were tired of their new found freedom, because more was asked from them and they were expected to do more for not only the family but also society by working outside of the home. This gave woman very little "me time", as they were either constantly at home working or at work working. The initial interpretation was that this was good for woman, and strides were being made towards equality, however these feelings soon faded. (document)
 * 2. How did that group/institution interpret the way in which Gorbachev's reform policies applied to it? **

After the implementation of Glasnot and Perestroika, the censorship began to loosen up which in turn led to government social and political shortcomings being visible to the public eye. One of the problems that received increased attention was the fact that woman held more and more second rate jabs than men. This was just one of the numerous problems that were exposed due to the new "openness" of the Soviet Union. The people felt a sense of betrayal and disgust due to to this, They felt that their government had been keeping too many secrets from them, and they felt cheated out of the truth to a certain extent. Due to these policies as well. Woman were able to speak out about the things that were wrong with society (for example, poor living and working conditions) and were also able to make sure that their opinions would be heard. Woman were given some hope due to the economic improvements and greater democracy that took place, but those hopes were soon shattered when the population experienced famine, increased poverty, etc. Woman also felt more vulnerable to rape, mugging, and theft due to these policies, as they promoted "nonconformist behavior". [ http://monoskop.org/images/5/55/McNair_Brian_Glasnost_Perestroika_and_the_Soviet_Media.pdf (document, pgs 169-179)]
 * 3. How did the Soviet state apply those policies to that group/institution, and what were the effects? **

Gorbachev's reforms show that some strides were made to try and elucidate the ever so long question of equal rights between men and woman. Glasnot and Perestroika show that Gorbachev realized that there was inequality and on the road to this new Soviet Union, there were changes that needed to be made, one of them was equal rights. By giving woman the ability to voice their opinions and concerns during Perestroika, Gorbachev was opening up the country to criticism and receiving a lot of it. He could use this information to better the country for the future and also the help the ensure that the Soviet Union has a better reformation process, where both men and woman are content. Woman began to voice their opinions more and more, which added to the already growing social unrest. All of this unrest, along with the poor economic condition would lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Though Gorbachev's goal was for the reforms to be beneficial, they were quite disastrous for the Soviet Union in the end. [ http://www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-99698896/roustam-tariko-a-russian-entrepreneur (document)]
 * 4. What was the significance of Gorbachev's reforms as they pertained to that group/institution? **

https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/cws/article/viewFile/11114/10203 http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/40869439?uid=2&uid=4&sid=21103624652173 http://monoskop.org/images/5/55/McNair_Brian_Glasnost_Perestroika_and_the_Soviet_Media.pdf http://www.coldwar.org/articles/80s/glasnostandperestroika.asp http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513251/Russia/38564/The-Gorbachev-era-perestroika-and-glasnost http://www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-99698896/roustam-tariko-a-russian-entrepreneur
 * Works Cited**