As the Soviet communist regime gave way to democracy, the emergence of an entirely new political and social landscape had the potential to turn Russian society upside down. In Mothers and Soldiers: Organizing Men andWomen in 1990s Russia, Amy Caiazza looks at the effects of this seismic change on gender roles, and specifically the role of women in a newly democratic Russia. By observing through a gendered lens institutions like the military, and the process of making public policy, Caiazza finds that despite the institutional disruption, the pattern of gender role ideologies maintained continuity from the former times while at the same time embracing aspects of Western feminism.

This book analyses the different possibilities and limitations that the changing Russian political system of the 1990's posed for women and men in Russia. It argues that under Russia's political system, men and women are expected to fulfill different roles as citizens: men are soldiers, while women are mothers. As a result, men and women face different obstacles and opportunities when they try to influence Russian policy and the Russian policy making process.