The Changing Status of Women Flashcards
Introduce me to the changing status of women in le union de sovietties
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The communist party was officially committed to creating a truly equal society
HOWEVER
Inequalities between men and women persisted.
The status of women differed:
• in the country and the city
• over time
What impact did the civil war have on the status of gals in towns?
Immediately after the revolution, lenin set up Zhenotdel (the women’s department of the communist Party).
Alendandra Kollontai — it’s head — believed that there were innate differences between men and women SO during the civil war the Zhenotdel recruited women to work in crèches and orphanages: there they could fulfil their ‘natural nurturing role’
Some women also worked in factories due to labour shortages
What impact did the NEP have on the status of women in Soviet towns?
Crèches were closed and the women who had worked in industry were sacked to free up jobs for men
Widespread unemployment & limited government benefits —> many women were forced to work as prostituted in the 20s
Est. 39% of urban men used prostitutes in the 20s
What was the impact of Stalin’s industry on women in towns?
They joined the industrial labour force in large numbers due to the demands
Over 10 million by 1940 (increasing the female labour force by more than 300%)
WWII— women made up 75% of the urban labour force
BUT
- women were only paid around 60-65% of men’s wages
- they were subjected to verbal and physical abuse in factories
- they tended not to get promotions
What was life like for women workers in towns in the 60s?
During the 60s, Around 45% of industrial jobs went to women BUT women tended to be restricted to:
- production line work in light industry— intensive, BUT required low levels of skill (ie. textiles production)
- heavy manual labour (also low skilled)
Also open to clerical or administrative work:
Mid-1960s— 74% of people employed in clerical positions in health services & education were women.
What were the role of women workers in towns in the 70s/80s?
By 70s— they dominated certain professions
By 1985– they made up:
• 70% or medical doctors
• 75% of employees in universities
• 65% of people employed in art and culture
YET significantly,
Pay scales in these “feminised” industries were LOWER athan in male-dominated factory management.
Women in agriculture during the 20s, 30s and 40s?
A high proportion of women worked in agriculture.
‘triple shift’—
1) agricultural labour on farms
2) household chores
3) handicrafts to supplement family income
What was the impact of Khrushchev on the status of women in the countryside?
He wanted to recruit women to work on the Virgin Lands Scheme.
The campaign to recruit women focused on specific roles: • milkmaids • gardeners • start families NOT: • machinery • tractors ^^^ The emphasis was on women as • manual labourers • carers
Women in the Virgin Lands Scheme tended to do the LOWEST-PAID and MOST DEMANDING jobs;
• ie. of the 6,400 Women recruited in August 1958, fewer than 450 found work in well-paid professional jobs.
What was the status of women in the countryside during the 1970s and 80s?
Continued to work in low-status, low-paid jobs in farming
By 1970: 72% of the lowest-paid soviet farmers were women
What impact did prejudice have on women in the countryside?
Professional opportunities reflected the general prejudice that women played a NURTURING role rather than a leadership role:
Indeed, by 1980:
• 80% of teachers in rural schools were women
• only 2% of farm managers were women.
