I really liked my childhood - though while gender stamping might have not been that hardcore, there were other things, of course. And I suppose the situation differed in various regions. I grew up in the capital, both of my parents were uni graduates and mother actually earned more than father for many years, which was slightly unusual back then. Also, my parents shared household chores more than other people's parents, I think. I still remember one of my friend was perplexed that our daddy did all the ironing. :D
As for working women, it was simple: it was illegal to be unemployed unless you were sick or a mother staying home with a very small child, though even that wasn't that usual - most women put kids into state nurseries or kindergartens and went back to work after two or three years. The ideal woman was a strong, no-nonsense superwoman who worked during the day - in any possible job; some of my great-aunties in the country were operators of heavy machinery and my best friend's grandma was in charge of a mobile crane, and they all rather enjoyed it. Some fields were very feminized: most teachers were women and there were even more female than male doctors. To this day older people often say: "I am going to see a doctor" using the female form of the word. On the other hand, women often did not get the same salary and weren't promoted nearly as often, despite having the same workload. It was not unusual to see a school with all-female teachers and a male headmaster, or a hospital ward with all-female doctors and a male senior doctor. AND after finishing the heavy work, women were still expected to cook and do all the housework. All the ads for food, kitchenware, cleaning utensils etc. were strictly aimed at them, not men. So - in a way, gender roles were cast aside. In another way, they were as strong as anywhere else.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-05-06 11:47 am (UTC)As for working women, it was simple: it was illegal to be unemployed unless you were sick or a mother staying home with a very small child, though even that wasn't that usual - most women put kids into state nurseries or kindergartens and went back to work after two or three years. The ideal woman was a strong, no-nonsense superwoman who worked during the day - in any possible job; some of my great-aunties in the country were operators of heavy machinery and my best friend's grandma was in charge of a mobile crane, and they all rather enjoyed it. Some fields were very feminized: most teachers were women and there were even more female than male doctors. To this day older people often say: "I am going to see a doctor" using the female form of the word.
On the other hand, women often did not get the same salary and weren't promoted nearly as often, despite having the same workload. It was not unusual to see a school with all-female teachers and a male headmaster, or a hospital ward with all-female doctors and a male senior doctor. AND after finishing the heavy work, women were still expected to cook and do all the housework. All the ads for food, kitchenware, cleaning utensils etc. were strictly aimed at them, not men. So - in a way, gender roles were cast aside. In another way, they were as strong as anywhere else.