Rural Women in the Soviet Union and Post-Soviet Russia

This is the first full-length history of Russian peasant women in the twentieth century in English, and tells the story of all rural women - from ordinary farm girls to agrarian professionals to prostitutes. It offers a comprehensive overview of employment patterns; marriages, divorces and family life; issues with health and raising children; and official regulations concerning rural women."The research [which originally appeared in the two Russian books] presented here for the first time in English, is a pioneering work on peasant women and the family. Brilliantly researched, this book will revise our understandings of life in the Russian village in the 20th century." - Professor Lynne Viola, University of Toronto, Canada "This epic book about Russian village and the great role that rural women played in it will undoubtedly open a new era in the existing historiography and will become a new voice in telling the history of Russia. It will resonate in hearts and minds of readers inside and outside Russia." - Professor Nikolai Ivnitskii, Department of History, Russian Academy of Sciences "This volume explores a topic rarely addressed by historians: the private lives of Soviet women in the countryside. This is an important book that will simulate debate on women's position under both the Soviet and post-Soviet regimes, and will underscore the need for contemporary Russian sociologists, feminists, and policymakers to distinguish between urban and rural women in their discussions of women and women's issues." - Professor Roberta Manning, Department of History, Boston College, USA "Rural and gender historian Denisova has produced a rich, groundbreaking history of Russian women during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. Using a bevy of archival sources and interviews with rural women from a variety of social and economic backgrounds, Denisova's book represents a considerable addition to understanding women's history outside Russia's urban centers. Ably translated by Irina Mukhina of Assumption College, the book is particularly noteworthy since it is the first full-length history of 20th century Russian peasant women available in English... The book deserves the attention of historians of gender and Russia alike. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." - C. J. Ward, CHOICE (September 2011)