Aging Trajectories of Women in Modern Russia

Abstract

Irina Grigoryeva – Doctor of Science in Sociology, Professor, the Department of Sociology,
St. Petersburg State University. Address: entr. 9, 1/3, Smolnogo St., Saint Petersburg, 191124,
Russian Federation. E-mail: soc28@yandex.ru

Irina Sizova – Doctor of Science in Sociology, Professor, the Department of Sociology,
St. Petersburg State University. Address: entr. 9, 1/3, Smolnogo St., Saint Petersburg, 191124,
Russian Federation. E-mail: sizovai@mail.ru

Citation: Grigoryeva I., Sizova I. (2018) Aging Trajectories of Women in Modern Russia.
Mir Rossii, vol. 27, no 2, pp. 109–135 (in Russian). DOI: 10.17323/1811-038X-2018-27-2-109-135

This article studies the trajectories of aging among women in modern Russia, and how these trajectories transform in the context of increasing longevity, decreasing pensions and increasing uncertainty about the future.

In the first part of the article, the authors analyze the concept of aging and how the role of older generations in society is understood according to foreign and Russian studies. The authors conclude that the role and potential of older generations in society needs rethinking, which is a challenge both to social science and social security. The prevention of ageism, i.e., discrimination based on age at the institutional level and in the public discourse, requires a radical shift in the aging paradigm, the involvement of elderly in all aspects of life, and assistance to the elderly in shaping their life strategies in the context of complex and multiple choices.

The second part of the article discusses the phenomenon of feminization in old age. This leads to a highly nuanced vision of the changes in the current models of social stratification and inequality, revealing the particularity of the “worlds” of aging. An especially troubling situation is characteristic of Russia, where the proportion of older women is growing, and their social isolation is maintained at several levels: in the employment system, in the family sphere, in self-organization and in the subjective perception of their lives. The problems that women experience at different stages of their life cycle are exacerbated in their old age.

Based on these theoretical premises, the authors conduct an empirical study of basic aging patterns among Russian women aged 50 and above. Using Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of HSE (waves 2009, 2011, 2015) they investigate these women’s situations with employment, self-identification, and their forms of activity. The findings reveal that the main changes in the life of Russian women occur after age
60. After 60 they rapidly lose their partners, and change their status from “employed” to “retired” which negatively affects their lifestyles and self-realization. Their activity outside of employment also drops substantially after this age. The diversity and intensity of these activities vary by several interconnected aspects: the age of a woman, her involvement in professional activities, her marital status, wealth and health.