''Femeia'' () is a women's magazine in Romania which was established in 1878. From 1946 on, it served as one of the propaganda publications of the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

. The title was acquired and restarted by the Finnish media company

Sanoma Sanoma Corporation (, , formerly SanomaWSOY) is Finland's largest media group and a European education publisher. The company has media business in Finland and an education business in twelve European countries, including Belgium, Netherlands, ...

in 2006 as a mainstream women's magazine.

History and profile

Founded in 1878, ''Femeia'' has adopted different political stances. These can be divided into three headings, as follows:

Feminist magazine

The magazine was started in Bucharest in 1878 under the title ''Femeia română: ziarul social, literar şi casnic'' (''Romanian woman: A social, literary, and domestic magazine''). Its founders were a group of women led by Maria Flechtenmacher. The magazine adopted a feminist approach, making it one of the early Romanian publications focusing on women. The magazine's slogan was ''Libertate prin lumină!'' (Romanian: ''Liberty through Light''). It reported significant events for women, including the First International Congress of Women's Rights held in Paris in 1878. It was one of the supporters of the establishment of women's associations in the

United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (), commonly called United Principalities or Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia. The union was formed on when Alexa ...

. The Romanian novelist Sofia Nădejde was among the notable contributors to the magazine, which came out twice per week until 1881 and produced 230 issues during this period.

Communist magazine

The magazine was renamed ''Femeia Muncitoare'' (Romanian: ''The Working Woman'') in 1946, becoming one of the propaganda periodicals of the Communist government. It was attached to the National Council of Women and frequently reported the women-related decisions of the Communist Party. It also featured articles on women's rights, their condition in the modern society, health, beauty, housework, literature and fashion topics. The magazine came out monthly. It had a sister publication entitled '' Dolgozó nő'' which was printed in Hungarian language. ''Femeia'' fulfilled its propagandistic role until the 1990s, along with ''Săteanca'' (Romanian: ''The Country Woman''), targeting women. It was an imitation of the Soviet women's magazine ''

Rabotnitsa ''Rabotnitsa'' (; ) is a women's journal, published in the Soviet Union and Russia and one of the oldest Russian magazines for women and families. Founded in 1914, and first published on Women's Day, it is the first socialist women's journal, an ...

'' in terms of its content, layout, and strict communist ideology as late as 1960. Over time, ''Femeia'' developed its own political stance and design, which were a reflection of the changes in the ideology of the Romanian Communist Party. Thus, the magazine supported much softer communist ideology between 1960 and 1965. ''Femeia'' focused on cosmopolitism from 1965 to 1972 but then returned to its former stance, a softer communist ideology, in the period between 1972 and 1979. It adopted a much stricter communist stance from 1980 to 1989.

Mainstream women's magazine

The license for ''Femeia'' was acquired by Sanoma in 2006, and it was restarted as a monthly magazine. Its target audience is women aged between 25 and 45, and the magazine mostly features articles on fashion, beauty, home decoration, and hobbies. Sanoma Hearst Romania, publisher of the magazine, claimed 459,000 readers for ''Femeia'' in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Femeia 2006 establishments in Romania Former state media Romanian-language magazines Magazines established in 1878 Magazines established in 2006 Magazines published in Bucharest Monthly magazines published in Romania Communist magazines Women's magazines published in Romania Women's fashion magazines First-wave feminism Feminist magazines Feminism in Romania Propaganda newspapers and magazines Women in Bucharest