Sofia Smidovich

Sofia Nikolaevna Smidovich (; 24 February 1872 – 24 November 1934) was a Bolshevik revolutionary, feminist and the leader of the Zhenotdel from 1922 to 1924.

Early life Smidovich was born on 24 February 1872 (N.S. 8 March) to a middle-class family in Tula. She only attended high school, unlike many of her high ranking feminists peers. She joined the RSDLP in 1898, where she campaigned with fellow feminist revolutionaries such as Alexandria Kollontai. She became a close and important ally for radical Bolshevik feminists at the time, most notably, Kollontai and Elena Statsova.

Differing Views to Kollontai Post revolution, it became clear that Smidovich was one of the more conservative Bolshevik feminists and she openly rejected Kollontai's ideas of free love and the destruction of the family unit. She instead wanted to focus on the plight of "single motherhood".

Later life Smidovich remained an outspoken critic of "loose sexual tendencies". Smidovich would die in November 1934 in Moscow.