"Being a Woman is Different Here": Changing Attitudes towards Femininity, Sexuality, and Gender Roles among Former Soviet Immigrant Women in the U.S. (Working Paper)

Abstract:

The author's objective is to understand how the dominant (and permanently contested) American notions of femininity, on one hand, and the exposure to the western feminist ideas and practices, on the other, have influenced the attitudes and lifestyles of formerly Soviet Jewish women in their personal development, family, intimate relationships, workplace, and religious communities. This working paper combines empirical observations with personal and small group interviews pertaining to women's individual, family, workplace, and community lives.