Peter the Great’s Westernization, Freeing Women from Seclusion Since 1682
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
Ellensburg
Event Website
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source
Start Date
15-5-2019
End Date
15-5-2019
Abstract
Russian history is often divided into Old Russia and the Russian Empire. The turning point is the reign of Peter the Great, who ascended to power in 1682. In the course of his reign in the seventeenth century the country became much more Westernized. This paper will identify changes in gender roles for elite women in marriage and the household as a result of this Westernization in Russia. Throughout this paper I will analyze primary sources to provide evidence of gender roles for elite women in Old Russia and to determine the changes in gender roles during Westernization. Notably, women during this period were allowed out of the terem, or seclusion within their homes, but they also lost some of their traditional power and rights. Peter the Great insisted they be invited to outings outside of their homes, but women who did attend his events were sometimes seen as fallen women. His policies may not have been directed at changing gender roles but ended up impacting the gendered expectations of women.
Recommended Citation
Fife, Isobel, "Peter the Great’s Westernization, Freeing Women from Seclusion Since 1682" (2019). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 43.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/43
Department/Program
History
Peter the Great’s Westernization, Freeing Women from Seclusion Since 1682
Ellensburg
Russian history is often divided into Old Russia and the Russian Empire. The turning point is the reign of Peter the Great, who ascended to power in 1682. In the course of his reign in the seventeenth century the country became much more Westernized. This paper will identify changes in gender roles for elite women in marriage and the household as a result of this Westernization in Russia. Throughout this paper I will analyze primary sources to provide evidence of gender roles for elite women in Old Russia and to determine the changes in gender roles during Westernization. Notably, women during this period were allowed out of the terem, or seclusion within their homes, but they also lost some of their traditional power and rights. Peter the Great insisted they be invited to outings outside of their homes, but women who did attend his events were sometimes seen as fallen women. His policies may not have been directed at changing gender roles but ended up impacting the gendered expectations of women.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/43