Russian women who move to Norway out of love face stigma in both countries, argues author Natalia Kopsova. "Norwegians view the Russian woman as a prostitute or a gold-digger, while Russians at home believe that she lives happily in fairy-tale land," Kopsova says.
In her book "Russian wife," Kopsova, herself of Russian origin, describes the stereotypes and stigma that haunts Russian women living in Norway, both in their new home country and in their native Russia.
"They face stigma both in the West and in Russia," says Kopsova, who has lived in southern Norway since 1994.
"Norwegians view the Russian woman as a prostitute or a gold-digger, while Russians at home believe that she lives happily in fairy-tale land."
More than 10,000 Russians, mainly women, live in Norway. Many are married to Norwegians.
"But not only poor young girls without any opportunities in life move to Norway. Many highly educated women have married men with the same interests and of the same background as themselves," Kopsova says.
From their relatives and friends back home, Russian women in Norway receive little understanding, the author argues. The people back home often have unrealistic expectations of receiving financial help from Norway, Kospova explains. At the same time, the women often struggle with a new language and find it hard to get jobs.
Ann Therese Lotherington of the research institute Norut have examined the life of Russian women in northern Norway. The women often feel vulnerable, she says, due to their dependence on their Norwegian husbands.
"Most think it is problematic that they cannot find a job relevant to their education," Lotherington says.
http://aftenposten.no/english/local/article2003094.ece |
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