Kollontai never lived to see her provocative visions of open families and relationship spheres (often dubbed ‘free love’ which is a misnomer in my opinion but we’ll go with it for ease of use) come to fruition. Some Party feminists were able to leave their kiddies behind to nannies and extended families while they mused in Moscow political circles and travelled abroad (such as Kollontai), but the Soviet feminist ideal of a truly ‘free’ woman never made it to the mainstream. Ironically, most of these priveledged children were raised by Old Believer nannies and babushki. Personal narratives from those children recount the ironic juxtaposition in their upbringing between radical feminist mothers and their traditional caregiving counterparts.
I agree that the ‘place’ of women in Russian society seems to be less obvious and March 8 may be a shining example of that. Whereas the Soviets showed the world that women could be fighter pilots during war, doctors, academics and political leaders (to some extent), the feminist movement has seemingly dwindled since the fall of communism. But perhaps it isn’t so simple- perhaps we all are, in actuality, glorifying the myth of Soviet women to begin with? I don’t have the answers- that’s why I keep reading  Cheers!