In many countries, we see similarities in the gender roles between men and women. In the United States especially, women are generalized to have the household duties, along with taking care of the children. However, in Russia, things are a little… different.
L. Souter and R. Winslade, British engineers from the Institution of Electrical Engineers, visited Russia to study the dynamic of “women engineers in the USSR” (The Guardian, 2/28/18). They described the roles as “Russian husbands are expected to help their working wives with the household chores to such an extent that they have ‘a reasonable case for feeling unfairly treated'” (The Guardian, 2/28/18).
In many aspects, those generalized gender roles present in the USA and elsewhere appeared flipped. To conclude their research, Souter and Winslade said:
“Husbands often confessed that their wives were easier to live with if they worked. We formed the conclusion that the feeling of security and acceptance in her career renders the Russian woman less liable to the tendency to the hardness and aggressiveness of which career women in this country have so often been accused, with or without justification.” (The Guardian, 2/28/18).
I wasn’t sure how to feel about the above statement. On one hand, it is good that men are also partaking in the same roles as women, but on the other, it is weird that the researchers felt that was because women were harsher if they were in the workforce. I don’t know about you all, but I’ve heard the phrase, “My husband is easier to live with when he works,” dozens of times. It’s so strange that these researchers found the opposite in Russia.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/28/russian-husbands-help-with-chores-women-1961