In the post-Soviet era, the position of women in Russian society remains at least as problematic as it was in previous decades. The Soviet constitution of 1977 stipulated that men and women have equal rights, and that women have equal access to education and training, employment, promotions, remuneration, and participation in social, cultural, and political activity.
One of the pillars of legislation in Russia is the Duma. The presence of women in this parliament has faced many ups and downs. Women's higher profile in post-Soviet Russia also has extended to politics. At the national level, the most notable manifestation of women's new found political success has been the Women of Russia party, which won 11 percent of the vote and twenty-five seats in the 1993 national parliamentary elections. Russia is in a transitional phase shifting from one type of society and culture to another, one based on the principles of a free market economy. The Russian experience is interesting for all newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, since the main trends are similar in most of the former Soviet republics. Throughout history, the role of women in society has repeatedly varied according to political conditions and discourse, for serving the interests of those in power. Contemporary Russia is hardly an exception to this general tendency. Putin’s paternalistic leadership celebrates concepts such as virility, strength and power.
The main question is how the Russian women participated in the last three rounds (2007, 2012, and 2016) of the Duma parliamentary elections. In response, it should be noted that although the presence of women in the Duma has faced problems, the evidence shows that women have been able to achieve success in the past. In this article, the author use descriptive-analytical method to examine the role and presence of Russian women after the collapse of the Soviet Union in Duma.