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Social Developments 1917-35 - Women & Family - Coggle Diagram
Social Developments 1917-35 - Women & Family
changing status of different groups
women in towns between 1953-1985
employment in the 1970s and 80s
by 1985, 70% of medical doctors were women, as well as 65% of those working the cultural and artistic sphere
pay in these more 'female' spheres was lower than in male-dominated industries
certain skilled professions became female-dominated
employment in the 1960s
women made up 45% of the industrial labour force
74% were working in clerical, health and education jobs
also took on administrative jobs
this work was mostly in the light industry on the production line or other low-skilled manual jobs
woman had greater access to more skilled jobs. by the end if the period, women dominated certain professions
women in the countryside
work under K
during Virgin Land Scheme, K wanted to recruit more women into specific roles, such as milkmaids, gardeners and homemakers
their roles under the scheme were normally the most demanding but the poorest paid
6,400 women were recruited. but buy august 1958, less than 450 had well-paid professional jobs
were directed away from professions involving machinery or driving vehicles
work in the 1970s
trends that started under K, continued
1970: 72% of the poorest paid farmers were female
general prejudice against women taking on leadership positions continued throughout the period
agriculture from the 1920-40s
responsible for household tasks and sometimes handicrafts, in addition to their regular agricultural work
as with the population in general, worked mostly in agriculture
over the course of the 20th Century labour, in the countryside was increasingly split into gender stereotypes. particularly under K, women were forced into female specific roles
women in towns between 1917 - 1953
women jobs under Stalin
were much more present in the industrial workforce
10 million were working by 1940
women jobs during patriotic war
women participation in the labour force increased even further to make uo 75% of urban workers
women wages were only 60-65% of men's wages. they often faced harassment in the workplace and were early promoted
women's jobs under the NEP
women were fired to give men their jobs
higher unemployment led to many women to prostituition. 39% of men used prostitutes during the 1920s
historical assessment
Diane Keener (1995) studied gender and class in the printing industry in early Soviet Russia
she argues that class was privileged over gender in these workplaces. social justice came above the rights of individuals. Mens work was always priritised. it was thought to be more important that at least one member of every family had a job (usually the father) rather. than that men and women were given jobs equally
in October 1929 women were 30% of union members and 60% of the unemployed
the Zhenotdel
Alexandra Kollontai was the head of the Zhenotdel. she believed that men and women were inherently different. in the CW, the Party recruited women for chikdcare jobs. only a few worked in factories to cover labour shortages during that time
L had set it up, the women arm of the Communist Party
gender inequality
the towns were more progressive on women's issues
inequality confused between men and women, although theoretically had equal rights
changing attitudes to family
1935-1953
higher birth rates
financial incentives were used to encourage higher birth rates
seven children could earn a woman 2,000 roubles a year for five years of the childs life, 11 children = 5,000 roubles each year
historical assessment
Sheila Fitzpatrick (1999):
'In May 1936, the government put out a draft law to strengthen the family whose most notorious aspect was the prohibition of abortion. this came as a shock to many party and intelligentsia members, since the removal of Tsarist prohibitions had been a conspicuous part of early Soviet "liberationalist" legislation.'
'if earlier generations of scholars perceived the social conservatism embodied in the legal changes of 1936 as a value face, it is now interpreted as the culmination of trends already observable in the 1920s. this shift in interpreation has occurred not so much because of new research. rather, it reflects a paradigmatic change involving a reconsideration of the standard against which Soviet policies are measured'
Stalin's aims for the family
aimed to cut divorce rates and increase births.. he thought more stable family units would help the economy
male homosexuality could now be punished by up to five years' hard labour
lesbian women now underwent hypnotherapy as a 'cure'
contraception was made illegal
divorce
became more expensive, and the price increased for subsequent attempts - after a divorce, men were required to give 1/3 of their wages to the woman to help support their children
abortion was made illegal unless the mothers life was in danger
'the great retreat'
Trotsky, who was in exile, called this 'the great retreat'
family policy became conservative as Stalin's grip in power tightened
family policies became stricter and more traditional in Stalin's dictatorship
1953-1964
limitations of K's reforms
contraception was not readily available, and creche hours were prohibited full working lives for women
development got women
K legalised abortion in 1955
paid maternity leave increased from 77 day to 112 days by 1956
the sixth 5YP coincided with better creche and child-care facilities
supporting consumer goods
refrigerators were also an important feature of K's family policy. if people could store food effectively at home, they did not need to go to the supermarket every day
he also introduced a 7YP, which introduced more consumer goods and clothing
K's view of the family was very conservative and traditional. he did improve women's rights
1917-1935
divorce
divorce rates went up after laws were relaxed
historical assessment
Paul Gonsborg (2016):
Ginsborg argues that Lenin agreed with Kollontai that housework and childcare needed to be collectivised in order to liberate women. indeed, in a 1919 pamphlet, Lenin wrote that Russian women were still 'domestic slaves.' However, he did not agree with Kollontai that human relationships needed to change as part of the revolution. he was particularly against her revised vision of sexual morality
Sheila Fitzpatrick (1999):
'the upbringing of children is normally considered women business, and so it was in the Soviet Russian the 1930s. it was women, not men, who wrote again and again to the authorities asking for help for they children "barefoot and hungry."'
the most common type of appeal from urban citizens was a written request for help in tracing an absent husband and collecting family support payments. Aleksandra Artiukhina, chairwoman of a large trade union with many women members reported that "thousands of letters come to me at the union from worker women about seeking their husbands
Lenin's view
access to contraception
the legalisation of prostitution
readily available abortions
the legalisation of homosexuality
he supported a number of proposals to counter some of the abuses that went on in tradititional marriages:
these were extremely progressive positions
more traditional and did not favour free love
Alexandra Kollotai's view
there were a number of experiments in communal living, but these early made it past the mid 1920s
preferred idea of communal free love to traditional family groups
1964-1985
divorce
was liberalised in 1965
1979: 1/3 of marriages finished with divorce
birth rate
wanted to increase
there was an emphasis on females' 'nurturing' abilties, and also their need for a 'string' man to look after them
women were increasingly criticised for choosing work over family responsibilities
B blamed working women for juvenile delinquents, crime, drugs, and alcohol abuse
under Brezhnev, increasing population was an important priorty