Doing class in social welfare discourses: ‘unfortunate families’ in Russia

P. 85–105.

Iarskaia-Smirnova E. R., Romanov P.

This chapter addresses the relationship between class, family and social welfare policies by analysing the construction of the identity category of ‘unfortunate families’ in popular scientific discourses, governmental policy documents and discourses of social services, and by examining how those labelled as ‘unfortunate’ negotiate this identity conferred to them. The chapter shows that gender and class are closely intertwined in the production of this identity, as it is single mothers who are primarily categorized as ‘unfortunate’. In our analysis we draw on multiple sources of data. First, we analyse in-depth and focus group interviews with service providers and clients and participant observation data from a number of Russian cities. Second, we analyse various government documents and social advertisements, mass media materials, social policy and social work textbooks, and popular scientific texts published during the 1990s-2000s.

Keywords: социальная политика, бедность, семья, social policy, family, poverty, социальные службы, social services, stigma, class, mothers, social workers, стигма, класс, матери, социальные работники

In book

Rethinking class in Russia

Farnham: Ashgate, 2012.