Russian Women and the End of Soviet Socialism: Everyday Experiences of Economic Change

Description

Initially expected to bring efficiency to the Russian economy and prosperity to Russian society, the shock therapy of price liberalization, privatization and macroeconomic stabilization introduced under Boris Yeltsin was quickly condemned as having worsened the lives of most Russians. Based on conversations with more than two dozen women in a provincial Russian capital, this book takes a retrospective look at these economic policies and explores how they transformed the trajectory of the lives of these women- both positively and negatively- in the family and in the workplace. McKinney considers the everyday experiences of the women as they provided for their families, established businesses, travelled abroad, and adjusted to the new economic, political and social environment of the Late Soviet and Post-Soviet era. Through their divergent experiences, Russian Women and the End of Soviet Socialism casts light on how these women view issues of gender, ethnicity, domestic and international politics, and the end of the Soviet experiment. Students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including gender studies, sociology, economics and history, will find this book of interest. Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Introduction (Judith McKinney)....Pages 1-12 Before the Fall: The Soviet System (Judith McKinney)....Pages 13-34 Challenges and Opportunities of the Early Post-Soviet Years (Judith McKinney)....Pages 35-62 Rising Prices and Irregular Wages (Judith McKinney)....Pages 63-88 Coping Strategies (Judith McKinney)....Pages 89-112 Jobs: Formal, Informal, Multiple (Judith McKinney)....Pages 113-138 Working for Oneself: Small Business Ventures (Judith McKinney)....Pages 139-162 Voucher Privatization (Judith McKinney)....Pages 163-186 Economic Inequality: Income and What It Says about You (Judith McKinney)....Pages 187-214 Dissolution of a Multinational Empire: Migration Flows and Ethnic Relations (Judith McKinney)....Pages 215-242 New Freedoms (Judith McKinney)....Pages 243-271 Conclusion (Judith McKinney)....Pages 273-279 Back Matter ....Pages 281-285