To many foreigners, Russia has always been associated with something rough and aggressive, so most people are very surprised when they find Russian women to be down to earth, strong, loving, and caring.

Among one of the best attributes of Russian women is being practical. It might not necessarily always be in economic measures (i.e. buying the cheapest things, shopping on sale, etc - even though most women handle budget issues quite well and know how to make the most of their measly paycheck to make sure everyone in the family is fed, dressed and well taken care of). Russian women are practical in the way they do things - they know real things from a fantasy, while they love romance, they know that real life is quite different from a fairy tale. This has not changed over the years, and even modern generations of Russian women and young ladies has these same traits and keeps their outlook very practical.

Russian girls have always been the stronger ones in the family, even though men have a bigger ego and usually earn money. You will find a lot of chauvinistic traits in Russian men and many of them are seriously convinced that men are superior to women. This has always been stressed in the Russian society, but in reality, women are usually the ones holding not only families together, but the society itself. Men might be earning the money in the family, but woman is the one who normally decides how to spend it on the family needs. Women are usually the ones who handle most organizational issues - budget, taking care of the apartment (sure, men may be driving the nails into the walls, but women are the ones who tell them, where to do it!), taking care of kids and managing family matters.

Partially, the reason for this is that after WWI and WWII there simply was not enough men to do everything that was required (most men died during the war, or were crippled, emotionally devastated, and not capable of doing the work, etc), so women were the ones who had to deal with reconstructing the country and their homes. Finding a decent (read: not crippled, able to do work, and not a mental wreck) man was all women wanted in creating families, and that has shaped the way Russian women approach life even today.

Since Russian women have not had a chance to get used to men being the stronger ones in the society and the family, Russian ladies have slowly grown to accept the fact of men being fairly "helpless" and don't even fight it anymore. It is common to hear women say that men are big kids and should be treated as such - you will still find many men served dinner, cooked for and cared for by women even in little things, although men are perfectly capable to make a sandwich or warm up dinner on their own!! This attitude is slowly expanding to other areas of life, and women are becoming much more proactive in their life and careers. With the economic crisis booming, it is pretty common to hear stories about men, who have lost their jobs and are not able to get any employment, thus putting all strain of earning for the family on women's shoulders. You can hear many men say that they can't find a worthy job (i.e. computer technicians will not work as a part time clerk at a hardware store even after not being able to find a job for six months, because it is below his dignity level, even if it means passing up an extra income for the family!), yet women will do whatever it takes (working jobs that are not prestigious, having several jobs, etc) to earn enough to make sure the family is taken care of. It seems that seeing such examples, many young Russian women are now changing their attitude to either manipulating men or simply prefer to be alone to avoid such relationships. You will find more young women focusing on their careers, education, self-improvement, so finding a husband and becoming a servant to a man is definitely becoming a less attractive option.

Russian women have also always been considered among the most beautiful ladies in the world - because of their inner as well as outer qualities. Being on the streets of Russia, you will see many young girls, who look like models, who are dressed their best, with perfectly done hair and makeup, wearing high heels, etc. Even the current "grandma" generation is changing. Before, a grandma was an old woman, who covered her hair with a headscarf, wore old clothes, and spent most of her time sitting on a bench in the park, discussing the latest rumors. Now, the grandma generation is staying active a lot longer (after all, they have to help their kids to raise theirs!), they are not covering their heads, they dress well, dye their hair and do their best to look well taken care of and well-groomed - at least in the cities.

So, as you see, the best qualities that have made people admire Russian women for many years have not simply remained, but rather evolved and improved. Even though modern Russian women may not fully comply with a portrait of Russian women from ten, twenty, or thirty years ago, they continue to be attractive, practical, strong, smart, and energetic - the kind of woman that can make any man happy.