THE FAMILY IN RUSSIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23204, 31 May 1937, Page 2

THE FAMILY IN RUSSIA

MARKED CHANGES IN LAWS DIVORCE NOW DISCOURAGED The remarkable changes recently made in the Russian laws regarding marriage and the family were described in an address by Mrs Peter Milne to the Dunedin Winter School at Allen Hall yesterday. She told of the new laws of 1936 discouraging divorce, prohibiting abortion, ofTering premiums for large families, encouraging the development of home life and the renewal of disciplinary parental control HIGHER STANDARDS DEMANDED Mrs Milne said that in Czarist Russia the law recognised only the ecclesiastical marriage, whilst the law passed by the Bolshevists as soon as thev attained power recognised only the" civil marriage. It provided equality between the partners and the duty of mutual support. Divorce was allowed on the application of only one partner, who was not required even to inform the of* jr. There had been disastrous consequences from this in the early days after the revolution. In the famine period the bonds were still further loosened, and during the earlier period of the N.E.P. confusion and moral decadence became worse The young people were left with a confusion of moral ideas. Young revolutionists were inclined to revolt against the old morality as well as against the old economic system. Lenin had protested against the laxity, and other Bolshevist leaders had followed him in demanding higher standards. In October, 1925, a new draft law was brought forward and was widely discussed, and at the beginning of 1927 the new law came into force. The State was not concerned about the cohabitation of subjects: cohabitation amounted to a non-registered marriage. Illegitimacy did not exist in Soviet Russia. In a divorce case under this law the court was not to take nob of the conduct of the parties. RIGHTS FOR WOMEN

In 1920 abortion had been legalised and had been made a social service. Many feminists had hailed this muchcriticised law as giving women full control over their own bodies. Again feminists everywhere had been delighted with the laws passed immediately after the revolution giving women full equality with men. Women were being relieved of unproductive housework, which was being replaced by communal services. Creches, kindergartens, and other services had become a public undertaking. In 1935 half the doctors in the Soviet Union were women. No occupations were closed 'to them. There were women in ,the highest offices and in the diplomatic services. Always there was equal pay for equal work.

PROBLEMS IN THE MELTING POT Mrs Milne continued that in spite of statements that partnerships in Russia were - almost ideal, she found from the writings of Maurice Hindus and others that there was just as likely to be emotional strain as in other parts of the world. Divorce was always likely to hurt someone. These problems seemed' still to be in the melting pot in Russia. A new law passed last year abolished legal abortion, offered big bonuses for large families, and provided a greatly-increased fund for maternal and infant services. The recently-increased birth rate gave support to the prediction that Russia would have a population of 300.000,000 in 25 years from now. In Moscow there had been 10,000 births this year, against 6000 last year. With regard to abortion, there had been contradictory reports—at first to the effect that there were no damaging effects on health, and later showing that there had been ill-effects and that therefore the new policy of prohibiting abortion was justified. RE-ESTABLISHING THE FAMILY The new law also discouraged divorce, imposing higher fees and re-, quiring both parties to. appear when an application for divorce was heard. The Soviet Russian view with regard to the family had also been reversed. In the early days after the revolution, the family had been regarded as a bourgeois institution, only to be tolerated until the State could assume full control of children.. Recently, it had been asserted freely that parental feeling was right, and the aim was to re-establish the family. In the first five months of 1936, in Moscow, the percentage of divorces was 38.5 of the marriages. Children were the first to suffer in these cases. Alimony was required, but 52 per cent, of the fathers were found to be paying nothing and in other cases only small payments ware made. Women had, in such cases, to trust the children to home?, which were often run in far from desirable manner. Many of the children became vagabonds. CARE OF THE CHILDREN Mrs Milne proceeded to quote from various authorities to the effect that, in- general, children were exceedingly well cared for in Soviet Russia. Children were encouraged to spy upon their parents and denounce them for hostility to the powers-that-be. Parental authority appeared to have been destroyed—but one might hear such expressions about the behaviour of children not 100 miles from Dunedin. Recently laws had been passed to restore discipline over children arid to penalise parents for children s hooliganism. Hindus had predicted that the home, as we know it, would probably in future be merged in the community, but this did not seem uo sure now, although the shortage of housing necessitated the provision of communal kitchens, clubs and othet community centres Family life in any real sense was not being destroyed. Parental affection seemed just as keen as elsewhere, and observers noted the doting way in which parents fondled their children Parents were encouraged to take an active part in their children's education, and to interest themselves in schools in a way mat teachers elsewhere would regard as interference. The Russians apparently were being forced to return to familv life and ideals. A RETURN TO NORMALITY Summing up, Mrs Milne said: 'The general impression I leave is thai after a costly period of experimentation the Soviets are returning to more normal sex relations—to consolidating the marriage tie, and turning to the ideal we cherish that a happy, harmonious home is the natural training ground for children and that in the home there must be some form of authority—not. of course, the patriarchal authority of the last generation The new form ir: Russia is to be one of direction, shared in perfect equality by the father and mother, who are economically independent of each other, and who have understanding of the psychological needs of the children. , After numerous questions and free discussion the lecturer was thanked cordially by the meeting.