c WOMEN WITHOUT MEN WOMEN f WITHOUT MEN f SINGLE MOTHERS AND FAMILY CHANGE IN THE NEW RUS SIA Jennifer Utrata CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS Ithaca and London Copyright © 2015 by Cornell University All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. First published 2015 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2015 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data Utrata, Jennifer, 1970- author. Women without men : single mothers and family change in the new Rus sia / Jennifer Utrata. —1st Edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8014-5302-1 (cloth : alk. paper)— ISBN 978-0-8014-7957-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Single mothers—R ussia (Federation) 2. Families— Russia (Federation) 3. Sex role— Russia (Federation) 4. Post-communism— Social aspects— Russia (Federation) I. Title. HQ759.915.U87 2015 306.874'320947— dc23 2014029091 Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable- based, low-VOC inks and acid- free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine- free, or partly composed of nonwood fi bers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Paperback printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cover photograph courtesy of Jennifer Utrata. For my family c Contents Ac know ledg ments ix Note on Transliteration and Subjects xiii Introduction: A Quiet Revolution 1 1. From State Protections to Post-Socialist “Freedoms”: The Changed Context of Single Motherhood 19 2. Diminishing Material Diffi culties: Single Motherhood beyond Survival Strategies 54 3. “Where the Women Are Strong”: Navigating Practical Realism 92 4. It Takes a Babushka: Single Mothers’ Youth Privilege and Grandmother Support 123 5. Blurred Boundaries: Married Mothers and the Specter of Single Motherhood 151 6. Marginalized Men: Settling for the Status Quo 179 Conclusion: Normalized Gender Crisis 214 Notes 231 Bibliography 251 Index 263 c Ac know ledg ments The long journey toward a book is oftentimes circuitous; I am very grateful for several sources of encouragement and sup- port at critical junctures along the way. This book would not be possible without the generosity of so many Russ ians who took the time to share their lives and even their homes with me, including mothers, fathers, and grandmothers from all walks of life. More than anything e lse, it is the mov- ing stories of ordinary Russ ians that captivated me and compelled me to write this book. The friendship and kindness shown to me by Russ ian women, especially Aleftina, Tatyana, Nina, Vika, Yuliya, Svetlana, and In- essa, kept me grounded while dealing with the serendipity of fi eldwork, and they offered a wonderful sense of perspective. The warmth, pers is tence, and stubborn optimism of the Rus sians I met remain with me as a source of inspiration. I have also benefi ted from many sources of institutional and scholarly support. Special thanks are owed to the faculty and graduate students in the sociology department at UC Berkeley, for this project began in conversation with others. Although several faculty members provided excellent feedback and advice, I am especially grateful for my mentors— Victoria Bonnell, Arlie Russell Hochschild, and Claude Fischer—w ho believed in this project from the beginning and shaped my thinking at key moments along my in- tellectual trajectory. Each of them has continued to provide support when needed in spite of their multiple commitments. At Berkeley, my passion for sociology was nurtured in myriad ways. Self-d oubt seems endemic to the graduate school experience, but I was nevertheless encouraged to be as am- bitious as possible in framing Rus sia as a case study important not only for area studies but for sociology as a w hole. The insights of graduate school colleagues and friends such as Jane Zavisca, Tamara Kay, Amy Hanser, Mi- chele Rossi, Allison Pugh, Cinzia Solari, Sarah Gilman, Jennifer Sherman, Jeremy Schulz, Suzanne Wertheim, and many, many more also contributed toward improving the ideas in this book. The supportive friendship of Jill, Jenya, and Becca also made the last years of graduate study more enjoyable. ix