Creating the New Soviet Woman: Women's Magazines as Engineers of Female Identity, 1922-53 (Studies in Russian & East European history & society)

"The 'new Soviet person' the Bolsheviks were committed to creating was to be a qualitatively different type to that which existed under capitalism: a creature willing and eager to subordinate his or her own interests to those of society. Both men and women would play a full role in the construction of socialism, but the model of the `new woman' had an additional feature - she also had to reproduce the population. Balancing work and family did not prove easy, especially against the background of shifting economic and demographic priorities, and periodic changes had to be made. This book explores the ways in which the 'new woman', in her various incarnations, was presented to female citizens from the 1920s to the end of the Stalin era in the pages of the popular women's magazines, Rabotnitsa (The Woman Worker) and Krest'yanka (The Peasant Woman)."--Publisher description The 'new Soviet Person' The Bolsheviks Were Committed To Creating Was To Be A Qualitatively Different Type To That Which Existed Under Capitalism: A Creature Willing And Eager To Subordinate His Or Her Own Interests To Those Of Society. This Book Explores The Ways In Which The 'new Woman', In Her Various Incarnations, Was Presented To Female Citizens From The 1920s To The End Of The Stalin Era In The Pages Of The Popular Women's Magazines, Rabotnitsa (the Woman Worker) And Krest'yanka (the Peasant Woman).--jacket. The 1920s: The Women's Magazines In The Era Of The New Economic Policy -- Work Versus Family -- Marriage, Divorce And Unwanted Pregnancy -- The Promotion Of New Gender Relations -- Beauty, Fashion And Femininity -- Variations In The 'new Woman' -- The Stalin Era -- Women's Experience Of Industrialisation And Collectivisation -- Overfulfilling The Plan -- Home Life -- Compulsory Motherhood: The 1936 Abortion Law -- Gender Confusion In The Stalin Era: 'completely New People', Or Traditional Wives And Mothers? -- Women In The Great Patriotic War -- The Postwar Era. Lynne Attwood. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 8 Part I The 1920s: The Women’s Magazines in the Era of the New Economic Policy......Page 28 Introduction to Part I......Page 30 1 Work versus Family......Page 38 2 Marriage, Divorce and Unwanted Pregnancy......Page 47 3 The Promotion of New Gender Relations......Page 59 4 Beauty, Fashion and Femininity......Page 73 5 Variations in the ‘New Woman’......Page 79 Part II The Stalin Era......Page 84 Introduction to Part II......Page 86 6 Women’s Experience of Industrialisation and Collectivisation......Page 94 7 Overfulfilling the Plan......Page 104 8 Home Life......Page 111 9 Compulsory Motherhood: The 1936 Abortion Law......Page 122 10 Gender Confusion in the Stalin Era: ‘Completely New People’, or Traditional Wives and Mothers?......Page 133 11 Women in the Great Patriotic War......Page 143 12 The Postwar Era......Page 156 Conclusion......Page 175 Notes......Page 182 Bibliography......Page 212 D......Page 216 H......Page 217 M......Page 218 T......Page 219 Z......Page 220 Cover 1 Contents 6 Introduction 8 Part I The 1920s: The Women’s Magazines in the Era of the New Economic Policy 28 Introduction to Part I 30 1 Work versus Family 38 2 Marriage, Divorce and Unwanted Pregnancy 47 3 The Promotion of New Gender Relations 59 4 Beauty, Fashion and Femininity 73 5 Variations in the ‘New Woman’ 79 Part II The Stalin Era 84 Introduction to Part II 86 6 Women’s Experience of Industrialisation and Collectivisation 94 7 Overfulfilling the Plan 104 8 Home Life 111 9 Compulsory Motherhood: The 1936 Abortion Law 122 10 Gender Confusion in the Stalin Era: ‘Completely New People’, or Traditional Wives and Mothers? 133 11 Women in the Great Patriotic War 143 12 The Postwar Era 156 Conclusion 175 Notes 182 Bibliography 212 Index 216 A 216 B 216 C 216 D 216 E 217 F 217 G 217 H 217 I 218 K 218 L 218 M 218 N 219 O 219 P 219 R 219 S 219 T 219 U 220 W 220 Z 220 The new socialist women, says Attwood (Russian studies, U. of Manchester), were not only expected to subordinate their own interests to those of society, as men were, but also to reproduce the next generation of socialists. She shows how the new woman was portrayed in the popular magazines Rabotnitsa (The Woman Worker) and Krest'yanka (The Peasant Woman), especially images of how to balance work and family. This book explores the Soviet attempt to propagandise the'new Soviet woman'through the magazines Rabotnitsa and Krest'yanka from the 1920s to the end of the Stalin era. Balancing work and family did not prove easy in a climate of shifting economic and demographic priorities, and the book charts the periodic changes made to the model. "This book explores the ways in which the 'new woman', in her various incarnations, was presented to female citizens from the 1920s to the end of the Stalin era in the pages of the popular women's magazines, Rabotnitsa (The Woman Worker) and Krest'yanka (The Peasant Woman)."--BOOK JACKET