|
What do you do if the majority of the men in your country seem so self-absorbed, feckless or dependent on the bottle that there aren't enough to go round?
Russian women believe that they have found the answer, with growing numbers flocking to "bitch schools" that purport to provide a competitive edge in a dwindling market of suitable bachelors, or provide those already in relationships with the skills to bring their men to heel.
Twice a week, women stream into the Dubrovka theatre in Moscow. Four years ago, 129 people were killed there during a botched attempt to free an audience taken hostage by Chechen extremists. Today its backstage rooms are home to a night school run by Vladimir Rakovsky, a motivational speaker, and his wife, Yevgenia, who teach "bitchology".
In Russia, where feminism is treated with suspicion and its practitioners often regarded as lesbians, being a "bitch" is not what many in the West would assume.
A successful "bitch", Mr Rakovsky explains, is neither strident nor sassy, but demure, manipulative and aware of her own sexuality in order to get her own way.
"Bitchology is the theory, practice and technique of being successful in a man's world," he said. "A smart woman gets what she wants by pretending to be weak."
"A bitch should be strong and self-confident but should remember to use feminine wiles, such as her attractiveness and, whenever useful, she should try to come across as a helpless creature."
Lessons begin with the philosophy of "bitchology". The "bitch" should win favours by acting either as a helpless baby or, in rare situations, like an adult woman.
Then its off to the "school of seduction" in which the women learn to attract the most discerning of men by flaunting their sexuality. This week, students learned how to a work a room full of men just by dropping something, and picking it up, to "accentuate the most beautiful part of your body". "If it's your breasts, flaunt them, if it's your backside use it," Mrs Rakovsky, 21, told them.
Next week, she will focus on how to surreptitiously rub one's breasts against an unsuspecting subject. In the final lesson, the women learn the art of the striptease.
The Rakovskys' students swear by the technique which, according to one, gives every Russian woman what she wants: "Great sex, money and a man who looks after you."
Natalya, 33, said: "If I play the role of a baby, my man begins to take care of me. He behaves like he has to protect me."
While Russia's attitude to gender equality may seem baffling to many westerners, sociologists say it has to be understood in the context of its history.
In Soviet times, when sexism officially did not exist, women ploughed fields and work in factories. Today, many young women would prefer to shop or dine out. If their men can fund such a lifestyle, equality appears to be a sacrifice worth making.
| 
