There is an interesting dynamic here when it comes to the discussion of family and marriages. Kyutsam comments on his daughter being divorced (page 456 Ostrovsky),
“Just look at her there-she went and took up with that fancy man of hers and got married without so much as a by your leave, then separated from him in just the same way! And now, if you please, it’s me who’s got to feed her and that little brat of hers! It’s scandalous!”
This follows the themes of the time where women were still the caretakers; however, they could now take more control of their lives and leave a husband. The more liberal divorce laws seem to be decades ahead of the American laws, allowing women more autonomy and the ability to support themselves with guaranteed work.
Even Pavel himself is presented as being raised by a single mother, who often leaves to provide care to the older siblings. Women seem to be generally more free. What do you think the intentions of the presentation of these families are? Do Soviet women have more power than Western women (of the time)?
This is a super interesting topic to bring up! I recently read Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism by Kristen Ghodsee, and I bring that up because it talks about this situation: women having the societal and legal framework to leave. There is a section earlier in the book where Ghodsee points to how the fight for equality is very much an economics game. A game that the United States did not want to engage with for a long time because the capitalist mode of production needs a sedentary working populous. Work based on gender is not a requirement for capitalism, but traditionally work was gendered. Men did work that paid a wage and women did work that was not paid. This system reinforces marriage at a young age, and keeps women poor/dependent for life. What is interesting about this scene in How the Steel was Tempered is that even early on in the revolution the breakdown of this class system seems to happen quickly. So to answer the OP question, I think I think Soviet women as a whole had more autonomy than their western counterparts. By having the ability to leave a legally binding contract, they were granted a lot of freedoms that Western women would not have until after World War II.