The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-08
Improving the Living Conditions
of Soviet Women Workers

THE success of socialist construction IN the
L U.S.SR has made it possible for the work
ers' government to carry out further measures
for freeing working women The development
of institutions of social Importance which grow
in ! planned manner in the tlve-fear Plan IS
gradually abolishing of the greatest con-
Predictions of capitalist society-the contradlc-
ton between the drawing of women workers
into industry and the preservation OF individual
homes This tyrannical contradiction is one
of the great difficulties in the struggle OF
working women in capitalist countries, one OF
the chief things which hinder their political
and cultural development. On the other hand,
a sense of class duty urges a woman worker
to 90 to meeting or a demonstration On
the other hand, poignant thoughts of hungry
children of washing and darning, of thou
sand other cares of the household Very often
"the duty of the home scores vlctory-the
woman remains at home runs to the shop
cooks. cleans washes, mends' turns like sour
rel in wheel and is quiet at last only when
her eyes close because she has not strength
left to work. As rule, women workers, peas
ant women, employees have absolutely no pos
sibity of making use of their day OF rest
This state of affairs has existed for thou
sands of years. 1t is one of the most reliable
s,,pports of the bourgeois society, for it is be-
housewives are separated from social work,
are guaranteed to a certain extent from being
drawn into political life, are cut off from the
revolutionary struggles of the working class
The capitalists strive by every means IN their
mower to perpetuate this virtual serfdom OF
working women, they defend the "sacredness
of the home While drawing women more ana
more into industry, they at the same time
use all their forces so as to keep them near
to the children and the kitchen.
Only the Soviet Union, which thirteen years
ago declared the full equality of men and
women, is really carrying this equality into
practice The Soviet government IS stralnlng
every nerve to free the working woman from all
that turns her into household slave. In the
U.S.S.R. there are a number of institutions
which look after the life and needs of women
workers and peasant women-glgantlc factory
kitchens public dining rooms, mechanical laun-
dries creches, kindergartens, Fairgrounds, con-
sultations etc. The number of institutions
which set woman free from her double work
in industry and in the home-grows from year
to year.
Making Progress Fast.
of course. it is impossible to fully meet the
needs of all the workers in this matter, but
the speed with which they are constructing
these institutions to liberate women is no less
than for other branches OF industry In the
U.SSR. Every new achievement IN this
sphere, which frees new sections OF working
women from home slavery, gives them the pos
sibility of joining in full measure in all the
cultural and political life in all branchs of
Socialist construction in the U.S.S.R
The answering will of the Soviet govern
ment to continue with the work of freeing
working women from the burdens of backward
ness becomes clear when we see some figures
from the Five Year Plan of industrial and
agricultural economy in the U.SSR. In this
matter we must take into consideration that
since the Five Year Plan will without the
slightest doubt be carried out in four years,
these figures will be considerably changed.