The role of the Soviet woman during the first half of the 20th century was one of duality; she had to be loving mother at home and diligent laborer at her place of work. However, at both these tasks, she was expected to excel – to exceed productivity at work, and to provide a clean and healthy home for her children (who were future Soviet laborers themselves). This super-woman model was impossible to attain, and Soviet propaganda, social policies, and realities adjusted to changing expectations for women laborers in the Soviet workforce.
Soviet Women Labor Expectations – Pre-WWII Women Laborers
Soviet women in the years following WWI entered the workforce in greater numbers than they had prior to WWI and the Revolution of 1917. During this time, motherhood and reproduction were given importance, but so was the practicality of being both female and fulfilling work tasks.
Surprisingly, during the 1920s, there was much discussion regarding the the implementation of a leave of 2 or 3 days during menstruation, as well as more frequent breaks during the work day, especially during a woman's period. This proposed measure sought to increase productivity as well as protect the reproductive health of women, who suffered from lack of ergonomic working environments, exhaustion, and illness prior to or during their periods. However, many women felt that this type of special treatment would impede their ability to gain equality with their male counterparts. (Ilic)
In short, pre-WWII Soviet women were given theoretical considerations for their de facto physiological differences rather than their perceived weaknesses in other areas.
Soviet Women Labor Expectations – Post -WWII and the Increasing Demands on Women Laborers
Soviet women were under constant pressure to reproduce at home and to over-produce at work after WWII. Heavy losses during the war, as well as changing gender expectations, meant that propaganda extolled the virtues of the worker-mother. Soviet women were to work hard at their jobs and then happily return to their homes to provide meals and care for their husband and children.
Not surprisingly, many women were unable to attain this fairy tale of the untiring worker-mother. The most successful women worker was that who stayed single and childless, and therefore had the time and energy to become a manager or boss. The most successful mother was that who saved her energy at work so that she would have energy left for her household duties. It goes without saying that the discussion about a proposed menstrual leave policy had long since ceased. Propaganda told tales of women who set examples at their places of work only to come home and happily do the laundry, and indeed, women believed in the importance of work and motherhood as two sides to a fulfilling life.
References
Butcher, Greta. “Struggling to Survive: Soviet Women in the Postwar Years.” Journal of Women's History, 2000, Vol. 12, No. 1.
Ilic, Melanie“Soviet Women Workers and Menstruation: A Research Note on Labour protection in the 1920s and 1930s.” Europe-Asia Studies, 1994, Vol. 46, Issue 8.
Kerry Kubilius - A graduate of Ohio State University, Kerry has a BA in Russian and a BA in History of Art with a focus on Eastern European art. She also ...
