Linsy Fusch

Dr. Matt Kelley

The Well Rounded Russian Woman; Her Work in The City And On The Fields

The aftermath of World War II left Russia in a dilapidated state of shock. In the wake of

the destruction buildings were comprised of little to nothing, and many of the men had been

killed or were left immobilized. This out come left women with the burden of rebuilding the

country. They were left to fill the shoes of men and their various positions in the work field.

American press showed the women of Russia as the key to the revival of industry. In the article

“Women Sustaining Industry in Russia”, by Drew Middleton, Middleton highlights the

achievement of women in the industrial work field. He illustrated the importance of women post

war and how they surpassed the involvement of men in many ways. This type of journalism

showed Americans, especially women that both genders can be equally powerful in restoration

after war. Also during this time period John Steinbeck and Robert Capa set out to go against the

grain of the American press and wrote a book of Russia’s everyday life that would focus

primarily on rural communities. They ”decided to write it as it happened, day by day, experience

by experience, and sight by sight, without departmentalizing” (Steinbeck 8). Through A Russian

Journal Capa and Steinbeck supported the idea of strong women in Russia post war, while also

exposing the new power women possessed within the farming industry.

In the article, “Women Sustaining Industry In Russia” author Drew Middleton praises the

female sex for their ability to carry the weight of industry upon their backs. With the destruction

caused by World War II, “publics had to attack the problem of reconstruction of the basic

industries first.” (Middleton). Middleton lays out facts for the audience. These facts give the

reader assurance that the argument he is proposing is credible and can be carried on its own.
Middleton chooses to point out the industries in which revival were deemed vital in

reconstruction, industries such as lighting and clothing. Middleton’s utilizes text in the article to

show the importance of women within industry. He creates a headline within the page entitled,

“Most Workers Are Women”, in bold. This use of font visually shows the reader the importance

of women in the work field. It shows that they stand out among the males and are employed

more frequently. At a clothing factory, “Banner of Industrialization Plant”, the women out

number the male population of workers by, “630 women among its 670 employees”. The women

in turn have a 94 percent gain on the men at the furniture factory. This use of numbers and facts

supports his argument and makes the evidence concrete.

To this revelation of women being a powerhouse within the work field Middle sights an

increase of female workers at a furniture plant. He states that,” recently in Voroshilovgrad, 70.13

percent of the workers were women compared with the 40 percent in 1940.” This shows that in

the matter of six years the plant has grown immensely with a 30 percent increase of female

workers. The plant has consistently been adding female workers to the pay roll, making an

increase of 5 percent in female workers each year. This is significant in showing that the male

dominated work worlds were steadily being subjugated by females. The use of numbers as facts

is essential in emphasizing the females’ domination of industry. Take for example, the “70.13”

percent; Middleton could have easily rounded down the numerical value to an even 70 percent.

Instead the use of the entire number by Middleton shows that attention to detail is indispensable,

especially when it came to creating an accurate depiction of females’ gaining authority in the

work field. The .13 percent showed that women were steps much closer to gaining full equality

with men, and over time had the potential to obtain such equality.
 Middleton further supports the concept of women’s movement up the working hierarchy

by stating that, “in the light industry men occupy managerial and technical positions, but there

are many women workers in these jobs as well” (Middleton). This correlation between the

positions of men and women displays how women began to take positions of power, even

working beside or above men. With these positions in power women were able to more easily

help with the reconstruction period, taking the “reins” of the operation into their hands.

Middleton further articulates women being in control of the renovation process of Russia, by

utilizing an example from the Voroshilovgrad furniture plant stating that, “only thirty of the 150

men who had left the factory for the army in 1941 returned to it”(Middleton). The vacancy in

employment made it possible for women to enter and become workers of the industry and trade.

This fact also gives support and reasoning to the 30 percent increase of female workers in the

plant. Coming from the perspective of a man Middleton proves to be informative and gives

women a fair voice.

In A Russian Journal Steinbeck and Capa confirm the fact that women were not just the

forefront in rebuilding Russia through industry but also in rural Russia. The photograph on page

90 denotes the concept of this hard work put in by the women. The photograph was taken at a

farm named Shevechnko II, a surviving farm of World War II. The farm was not destroyed by the

Germans in the war but all of the animals were killed. The farm was far different that the other

farms Capa and Steinbeck had seen, because its buildings remained intact during the war. In the

photograph there are approximately 12 women working. The women are working with what

appears to be wheat. There are 9 women who are working on top of the stacks of wheat and 3

women on the ground surrounding the crop. The women on the ground look like the planners of

the work taking place. The other women are the women who are carrying out the plans of the of
the three on the ground. This helps to show the hierarchy system that women have on the farm. It

is a cycle of women working for other women.

The women are working diligently in the photograph. The amount of light in the photo

shows that it was taken in the middle of the day. The light also gives an inclination that it may

have been hot outside. Capa wanted to capture the conditions of the women’s work environment.

While this photo is ascetically pleasing to the eye in the means of symmetry, Capa also capture

the photo to show that, “it is women who are the real heroes of the farm front-women who did

practically all of the farm work during the war, who are doing even now 80 per cent of the work

on collective farms today” (Steinbeck). This is where the photographs of Capa and writing of

Steinbeck work best. Both are describing the women of Russia according to their work habits.

The strength of the women’s work habits within the farm industry are displayed through the

movement of the photo. In the photo some women are throwing wheat where others are seen as

shoveling it. Capa intentionally captured the movement of the photo so that Americans would

have concrete evidence of the women’s work within the field. It shows that Russian women have

a work ethic unlike any other.

The photo on page 99 is another prime example of the work ethic that the Russia women

acquired in the wake of the war. The photograph takes place upon the same farm of Shevechnko

II. This picture proves to be rather metaphoric in terms of what was happening with women in

Russia and what is happening in the photo. There is one woman in the photograph. The photo is

taken at a close range and she fills the majority of the picture. This same idea of women is

translated in Russia. Women fill not only the majority of the “photo” that is Russia but they also

are filling the shoes that men once filled. The woman is in the midst of working. The photograph

captures the pain on her face from carrying the wheat. She also is moving in a forward motion.
This same motion can be correlated to the forward motion Russian women have had to make in

rebuilding Russia. They can not change the past and there only option was to move forward. The

woman is also carrying a heavy load of wheat. This load of wheat is meant to be seen as the

burden women of Russia have had to carry since the end of the war. They have not only had to

carry there families but the country as a whole. The sky behind the woman seems to be

promising. It is fairly clear and very little clouds are in sight. Capa made sure to include the sky

within the photo to show that the future for Russia is promising, and the “skies” clear. It shows

Americans that Russia’s future is promising and they will rebuild fully.

Both the article and the book praise women for their labor within the workforce, both

industrial and rural. In the article Middleton discusses the Russian women as being a front runner

in the successful revival of industry of goods. Capa and Steinbeck looked at the success of

women in the rural parts of Russia. It gives America a new perspective on the Russian woman

and shows them as being well rounded. They are influential in the areas of city work and rural

work and they were the leaders of the Russian revival. This form of “journal” –ism created by

Steinbeck and Capa through a Russian Journal was innovative and bridged the gap between what

Americans heard second hand through press an what was actually occurring within Russia during

the late 1940s.

Works Cited

Middleton, Drew. “Women Sustaining Industry in Russia.” The New York Times 2 Oct. 1946. P.
45
Steinbeck, John. A Russian Journal. New York: Viking, 1948.