'Sarah Ashwin and her team of Russian sociologists have done it again, brought together their years of research into the gender fall out of the Soviet collapse, exploring survival strategies in the face of an unprecedented economic collapse -- how and when women have proven to be more flexible and resilient than men, how men have held on to better paid employment, but when they fail, how they have often subsided into a quagmire of demoralisation. Here we have the perfect combination of surveys and case material, sensitive to general trends but also to the complex human response to adversity. Essential reading for all those who want to get beyond distorting stereotypes and sensational depictions of Russian life today.' - Michael Burawoy, University of California, Berkeley'Provides very interesting analyses of the ways individuals are dealing with the deep problems during the restructuring of the Russian labour market, and the gender differences in relation to individual strategies. It’s an excellent book which will provide students, researchers and policy makers in social sciences with a new insight into the contradictions and problems of actual development in Russia.' - Birgit Pfau-Effinger, University of Hamburg