Alissa Klots, an expert on Soviet labor dynamics, discusses her book examining domestic service's role in women's emancipation within the Soviet Union. She reveals the tension between Bolshevik ideals and the reality of gendered labor hierarchies. Klots highlights how domestic roles were both embraced and marginalized by the state, showcasing the complexities of worker rights and activism. By analyzing personal narratives and legislative shifts, she provides insights into the lasting impact of these dynamics on gender relations and class struggles in socialist societies.
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Dissertation Origin
Alissa Klots's dissertation on Soviet domestic service began informally, sparked by friends' suggestions and boredom after her undergraduate degree.
Initially a hobby involving reading Soviet newspapers, it evolved into formal graduate work at Rutgers and became the foundation of her book.
insights INSIGHT
Bolshevik Views
The Bolsheviks' approach to domestic labor stemmed from their views on labor, women, and class.
These views, influenced by Marxist thought, considered domestic servants as remnants of a pre-capitalist society.
insights INSIGHT
NEP-Era Domestic Work
The Bolsheviks faced a dilemma: domestic service was exploitative, but housework still needed to be done.
They chose to emphasize domestic workers' role in freeing up more qualified women for other work.
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Domestic Service and the Soviet Union, Women's Emancipation and the Gendered Hierarchy of Labour
Domestic Service and the Soviet Union, Women's Emancipation and the Gendered Hierarchy of Labour
Women's Emancipation and the Gendered Hierarchy of Labour
Dr. Alissa Klots
Dr. Alissa Klots's book, "Domestic Service and the Soviet Union," offers a comprehensive exploration of domestic service within the Soviet Union, examining its evolution against the backdrop of changing societal discourses on women, labor, and socialist ideals. The book delves into the paradox of domestic service's persistence despite the Bolshevik regime's egalitarian aims, revealing how the regime both supported and hindered domestic workers' efforts to achieve equality. Klots analyzes various sources, including court cases and oral histories, to illuminate the complexities of class and gender inequality under socialism. The study provides valuable insights into the challenges and successes of state initiatives aimed at improving the lives of household workers. Ultimately, the book serves as a crucial lens through which to examine the enduring issues of class and gender inequality in the context of modern-day household labor.
Domestic Service in the Soviet Union: Women's Emancipation and the Gendered Hierarchy of Labor (Cambridge University Press, 2024) by Dr. Alissa Klots is the first to explore the evolution of domestic service in the Soviet Union, set against the background of changing discourses on women, labour, and socialist living. Even though domestic service conflicted with the Bolsheviks' egalitarian message, the regime embraced paid domestic labor as a temporary solution to the problem of housework.
Analyzing sources ranging from court cases to oral interviews, Dr. Klots demonstrates how the regime both facilitated and thwarted domestic workers' efforts to reinvent themselves as equal members of Soviet society. Here, a desire to make maids and nannies equal participants in the building of socialism clashed with a gendered ideology where housework was women's work. This book serves not only as a window into class and gender inequality under socialism, but as a vantage point to examine the power of state initiatives to improve the lives of household workers in the modern world.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.
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