Lately, gender-related topics have come to the forefront of public discourses in Russia and the EU. Thanks to thousands and thousands of women and men around the world who found the courage to break the taboo and speak about their traumatic experiences of gender-based violence, and thanks to millions of others who supported them with words and actions violence and harassment seem to at last have started to receive the long-awaited public damnation. The victims of violence are getting a voice and a space to tell their stories. We can see public discussions on the issue sparking all around the world, be it the Hollywood anti-harassment scandal, a recent social media solidarity campaign against violence and harassment #metoo, or a similar earlier initiative #ЯнеБоюсьСказать (#IAmNotAfraidtoSay).

So, one can hope that these changes are both signifiers and precursors of bigger shifts in societies, systems of thought and discourses, bringing equality for women and men.

Another telling - and optimistic – sign of change is the image and place of a female leader and policy-maker. One can remember many recent instances of female representation in politics and other positions of considerable power and prestige: from works of fiction including mainstream culture (for example, all leaders in the new Star Wars franchise are female – and not all of them are young!) to very real women running for presidential offices.

To understand the changes in gender roles we are living through now, and to try to compare the experiences of people living in Russia and its largest neighbour, the EU, the EU Delegation to Russia organised the international symposium “Women, Men and the Brave New World” last week. How have the roles of women and men in society changed recently? What is the role of men in gender equality? What do opponents and supporters of feminism argue about? Is there a "glass ceiling"? How to find balance between family and work?

For two days the symposium became a platform for an open discussion about these important and very topical issues.

In the discussions Russian experts as well as experts from the EU took part: Vikki Turbine (University of Glasgow), Lyudmila Popkova (Head of the Samara Center for Gender Studies), Marina Yusupova (Newcastle University), Ivonne Everhartz (Assosiation of German Catholic Youth), Alyona Popova (co-founder of “W” movement for gender equality), Olga Isupova (gender policy expert), Kirill Martynov (journalist), Andrea Peto (CEU, Budapest), Inna Ayrapetyan (Head of women’s rights NGO “Sintem”), Noemi Katona (Hungarian Academy of Science), Heidi Ahola (Deputy member of the Helsinki City Council) and others.