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The life experiences of women in the Russian Empire before the Revolution were extremely diverse. Despite class differences, society was staunchly patriarchal and women of all backgrounds were not allowed to vote or hold public office until Usage terms Public Domain Towards the end of the 19th century, peasant women began to migrate to the cities in large numbers to work in factories or domestic service. Although their working hours and conditions were long and difficult, this was the first time that many women experienced independence from the patriarchal village traditions and structures.

Though women were initially barred from combat, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin issued an order on October 8, , to deploy three women's air force units, including the th Regiment. The regiment, formed by Major Marina Raskova and led by Major Yevdokiya Bershanskaya , was made up primarily of female volunteers in their late teens and early twenties. The regiment flew harassment bombing and precision bombing missions against the German military from until the end of the war. The regiment flew over 23, sorties, dropping over 3, tons of bombs and 26, incendiary shells. Thirty-two of its members died in the war. The regiment flew in wood-and-canvas Polikarpov U-2 biplanes, a design intended for use as training aircraft hence its original uchebnyy designation prefix of "U-" and for crop dusting , which also had a special U-2LNB version for the sort of night harassment attack missions flown by the th, and to this day remains the most-produced wood- airframed biplane in aviation history.

Women threw sticks, stones, and snowballs at factory windows and forced their way into the workplaces, calling for an end to war and the return of their men from the front. Yet from the beginning of the February strikes, political slogans against the war were woven into the protests. Trotsky later recorded:. A great role is played by women workers in relationship between workers and soldiers. By the end of February 23, soldiers who had been guarding tram depots had been convinced by women tram workers to join them inside, and trams were overturned to be used as barricades against police.

By midday of that day in there were tens of thousands of mainly women congregating on the Nevsky Prospekt, the principal avenue in the centre of the Russian capital, Petrograd, and banners started to appear. The crowds of demonstrators were varied. The revolution was begun by women, not male workers. In the afternoon the mood began to change as female textile workers from the Vyborg side of the city came out on strike in protest against shortages of bread.