New Books Network Anna Shadrina, "The Babushka Phenomenon: Older Women and the Political Sociology of Ageing in Russia" (UCL Press, 2025)
Dec 4, 2025
In this insightful conversation, Anna Shadrina, a sociology lecturer at the University of Liverpool, explores the 'Babushka Phenomenon' in post-Soviet Russia. She reveals how societal expectations shape grandmothers' roles as primary caregivers, often sacrificing their careers. Shadrina discusses the social construction of age, the invisibility of older women, and their struggles for political and economic recognition. The conversation also touches on class disparities, everyday life, and the complexities of older women's identities in contemporary society.
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Grandmothers As Informal Welfare
- Post-Soviet welfare cuts made grandmothers the default informal carers, normalizing unpaid caregiving as filial duty.
- This role is justified by culture and demography, not by state support or real choice.
Combine Interviews With Cultural Analysis
- Use biographical interviews and media analysis together to reveal how cultural narratives shape lived aging experiences.
- Compress findings into pen-portraits to identify the dominant life-story logic driving participants' narratives.
Babushka As Social Performance
- 'Babushka' denotes a social position and performance, not strictly chronological age or grandparenthood.
- The label signals a post-professional, post-sexual subjectivity that constrains older women's social roles.
