IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/gender/v28y2021is2p574-586.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Between vulnerability and resistance: How a woman copes with dramatic implications of COVID‐19 in Russia

Author

Listed:
  • Lea Katharina Reiss
  • Andrew Kozhevnikov
  • Sara Louise Muhr

Abstract

During the summer of 2020, a woman in Russia not only contracted COVID‐19 herself but also lost her husband to virus‐related health complications and, later, lost her job. This article is based on interviews with her about vulnerability and ways of coping with the pandemic’s effects as the sole caregiver and breadwinner for her 4‐year‐old child. Her ways of dealing with this chain of severe, life‐changing events inspired us to analyze her case through Judith Butler’s feminist lens of vulnerability, conceptualized as the very source of resistance. The results of the analysis illustrate vulnerability and emergent modes of resistance as gendered responsibilities of giving and receiving care, as well as the power of solidarity. Furthermore, the study shows how the political, social, and economic context of Russia shapes gendered experiences of vulnerability and possibilities for resistance.

Suggested Citation

  • Lea Katharina Reiss & Andrew Kozhevnikov & Sara Louise Muhr, 2021. "Between vulnerability and resistance: How a woman copes with dramatic implications of COVID‐19 in Russia," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S2), pages 574-586, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:28:y:2021:i:s2:p:574-586
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12695
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12695
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/gwao.12695?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anne White, 2005. "Gender Roles in Contemporary Russia: Attitudes and Expectations among Women Students," Europe-Asia Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(3), pages 429-455.
    2. Lokshin, Michael & Harris, Kathleen Mullan & Popkin, Barry M., 2000. "Single Mothers in Russia: Household Strategies for Coping with Poverty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 2183-2198, December.
    3. Nathalie Clavijo, 2020. "Reflecting upon vulnerable and dependent bodies during the COVID‐19 crisis," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 700-704, September.
    4. Kate Bahn & Jennifer Cohen & Yana van der Meulen Rodgers, 2020. "A feminist perspective on COVID‐19 and the value of care work globally," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 695-699, September.
    5. Meredith Nash & Brendan Churchill, 2020. "Caring during COVID‐19: A gendered analysis of Australian university responses to managing remote working and caring responsibilities," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 833-846, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Elena P. Antonacopoulou & Andri Georgiadou, 2021. "Leading through social distancing: The future of work, corporations and leadership from home," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 749-767, March.
    2. Maria do Mar Pereira, 2021. "Researching gender inequalities in academic labor during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Avoiding common problems and asking different questions," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S2), pages 498-509, July.
    3. Santos, Susana C. & Liguori, Eric W. & Garvey, Erin, 2023. "How digitalization reinvented entrepreneurial resilience during COVID-19," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    4. Dide van Eck & Eline Jammaers, 2021. "Chronicles of conflicting care in confinement: Documenting the work experiences of seven ‘patient zeros’," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 735-748, March.
    5. Maja Rožman & Simona Sternad Zabukovšek & Samo Bobek & Polona Tominc, 2021. "Gender Differences in Work Satisfaction, Work Engagement and Work Efficiency of Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case in Slovenia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-17, August.
    6. İbrahim Sönmez, 2021. "A Missed Opportunity for Men? Partnered and Employed Individuals’ Involvement with Housework during the COVID-19 Lockdown in the UK," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-13, April.
    7. Auður Magndís Auðardóttir & Annadís G. Rúdólfsdóttir, 2021. "Chaos ruined the children’s sleep, diet and behaviour: Gendered discourses on family life in pandemic times," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S1), pages 168-182, January.
    8. Anna Maria Górska & Karolina Kulicka & Zuzanna Staniszewska & Dorota Dobija, 2021. "Deepening inequalities: What did COVID‐19 reveal about the gendered nature of academic work?," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 1546-1561, July.
    9. Julia Coffey & Julia Cook & David Farrugia & Steven Threadgold & Penny Jane Burke, 2021. "Intersecting marginalities: International students' struggles for “survival” in COVID‐19," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 1337-1351, July.
    10. Judith Record McKinney, 2004. "Lone Mothers In Russia: Soviet And Post-Soviet Policy," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 37-60.
    11. Shireen Kanji, 2011. "Labor Force Participation, Regional Location, and Economic Well-Being of Single Mothers in Russia," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 62-72, March.
    12. Dang,Hai-Anh H. & Lokshin,Michael M. & Abanokova,Ksenia & Bussolo,Maurizio, 2018. "Inequality and Welfare Dynamics in the Russian Federation during 1994-2015," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8629, The World Bank.
    13. Thereza Raquel Sales de Aguiar & Shamima Haque & Keith A. Bender, 2022. "Athena SWAN gender equality plans and the gendered impact of COVID‐19," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 591-608, March.
    14. Gatskova, Kseniia & Kozlov, Vladimir, 2019. "Doubling Up or Moving Out? The Effect of International Labour Migration on Household Size," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 58(2), pages 162-179.
    15. Christoph Bühler & Dimiter Philipov, 2005. "Social capital related to fertility: theoretical foundations and empirical evidence from Bulgaria," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2005-016, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    16. Sorana-Alexandra Constantinescu & Maria-Henriete Pozsar, 2022. "Was This Supposed to Be on the Test? Academic Leadership, Gender and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Denmark, Hungary, Romania, and United Kingdom," Publications, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-13, April.
    17. Rod, Michel & Ashill, Nicholas J. & Gibbs, Tanya, 2016. "Customer perceptions of frontline employee service delivery: A study of Russian bank customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 212-221.
    18. Sunoong Hwang & Heeju Shin, 2023. "Gender Gap in Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea: A Decomposition Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    19. Antonietta Cosentino & Paola Paoloni, 2021. "Women’s Skills and Aptitudes as Drivers of Organizational Resilience: An Italian Case Study," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, November.
    20. Ştefan-Alexandru Catană & Sorin-George Toma & Andreea Barbu, 2021. "The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Teleworking and Education in a Romanian Higher Education Institution: An Internal Stakeholders Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-17, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:28:y:2021:i:s2:p:574-586. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0968-6673 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.