A role model I currently had in childhood
Julia Fedorenko
I was born and raised in Ukraine. My family is a classic type of Ukrainian family where dad is a dad and mom is a superwoman. Not too many foreigners know that Ukrainian women are very important in Ukrainian culture and reality. They are center of life. They are mothers, hard workers, beauty, protectors, tenderness, fighters, leaders, amazing house wives and income earners, “witches” and high educated persons at the same time.
In contrast with many other nations, gender differences were never too big of a problem in Ukraine. Because of wars and revolutions, there were many male deaths, and women had to take roles and rights of men. For centuries, women had to work hard alongside men, becoming equals in history. This is even seen in the Ukrainian word for marriage, where the root of the word means “friend” or “equal partner.”
A bright example of the Ukrainian feminine spirit—her strength, beauty, perseverance—is Roxelana. Roxelana was a young woman who was captured by Turks of the Ottoman Empire and taken into the Harem in 1533. She not only became the official favorite wife of the sultan, which was unheard of for an enslaved woman, but she also ruled the Ottoman Empire when the sultan was away for fighting battles. Her self-education allowed her to become the right hand guide for the sultan. Roxelana improved the level of education in Turkey, built hospitals, and improved the economy. Despite her sharp mind and strict rule, Roxelana remained feminine and affectionate, and Turks called her “Hurrem,” which means to bring happiness. Enemies thought of her as a powerful witch who controlled the sultan with magic.
Roxelana is still an inspiring icon for many Ukrainian women. She shows, like no one else, the true Ukrainian woman spirit and personality. Highly educated, curious, strong, interested in the world and science, and at the same time feminine, beautiful, and gentle—friend and equal partner to her husband.