Women to the-Front: Instrumentalizing Gender Roles in Belarus

By Rosie Berman, Madeline Diorio, Tess Gannaway, and Erica Johnston

Abstract 

This study addresses how Belarusian women draw upon traditional femininity and familial structures in order to combat the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko. Women have taken to the streets to protest in place of husbands, sons, and other male loved ones who are more likely to experience imprisonment, torture, disappearances, and police brutality. This brief will examine how women are using the regime’s conception of Belarusian womanhood to oppose Lukashenko’s continued rule. We will also discuss the ways in which these women’s voices can be successfully amplified in the international arena and explore feasibility of policy recommendations for the international community.

The full report can be found in Praxis.