Daily life of Russian women

Daily life of Russian women is very routine and pretty much the same wherever you ask. Most women get up early to have enough time to get ready for work, to have breakfast, and to make it to the place of work. Getting ready for work is a ritual in itself for most women: if you have visited Russia, you know that most women always wear makeup, are dressed up as if they are going out even if stepping outside to grab something from a store, and always try to look their best. For some women I know, it takes about an hour and a half to get ready - this means doing their hair, makeup, etc. Breakfast is a much less elaborate process - most people are satisfied with a sandwich and a cup of tea/coffee. Getting to work can take anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the city and job location. Most people use public transportation (bus, trolleybus, tram, underground - where available) and have to travel from the outskirts of the city to the central areas.


Even though office hours vary in different offices, most of them open between 8-10 a.m. (factories/plants open earlier, offices and stores - after 9 a.m.), so this time is "peak" time for the public transportation - this means there are no available seats, people are crammed in the vehicles like sardines, and you are very likely to be pushed, stepped on, and even yelled at, unless you are pregnant or with a child - then someone will be kind enough to offer you a seat. During winter time, public transport is only a couple degrees warmer than the outdoors, so one not only faces inconvenience, but also get cold while waiting and traveling. For the longest time, owing a car was considered a luxury, and even though now more people buy personal vehicles, it is still more of a luxury than a commodity.


Most people work 8 hours a day with only one lunch break (30 minutes to an hour). Depending on the discipline at the work place, one can have a chance for short tea breaks during the day, some people even manage to find time to handle personal matters during the work hours. State enterprises are usually less rigid and lower paying, while private companies are more strict and pay more (however, in such companies it is common for employers to expect employees to stay after hours to accomplish their work without overtime pay).


Leaving work at 5-7 p.m., Russian girls has to travel back using the same mode - overcrowded public transportation, which in itself makes one twice as tired after the work day. But before she makes it home she will most likely have to stop by a store to get food. Most Russians shop as needed, instead of getting stocked up once a week and most people select stores close to their home (usually within a couple miles walking distance). I think, many Russians will agree that a woman who is not carrying many grocery bags is not a typical picture, it is more common to see women loaded with heavy bags after a work day than to see them reach home empty handed.


If she has children, she may also have to pick them up on her way home. After all this, once a woman reaches home she most likely has to cook dinner. Most people in Russia cook everything from scratch, so this is a much longer, complicated process than it is for most other people. Now stores offer a much wider selection of semi-finished products, which can simply be warmed up or cooked fast, but most such products are still pretty expensive and therefore are not easily affordable by most people.


By the time the family had dinner (after which a woman might also have to do the dishes, unless she talks her kids or husband into it), it is pretty late, so there is not much more to do but to watch some television and go to bed. In the recent years, more women are finding time to attend gyms and other types of sports activities to keep in shape (belly dancing, Pilates, step aerobics have all become very popular), but she still has things to do around the house even after returning from practice.


Plans for going out during the week can be possible if a woman is invited to a birthday party or a similar celebration (then she at least will not have to cook and do the dishes!), but most plans are mainly made for the weekend. Dining out is still not very common; activities such as ice-skating, bowling, pool, etc are usually pretty expensive, so most people do not attend them much; movies, clubs and bard are the more affordable option, but still pretty costly. Day time over the weekends is usually dedicated to various household tasks (cleaning, washing, repairs, etc) and shopping. Shopping in itself is a pretty tiring task as most Russians still shop at the markets (food, clothes, etc), which means that you have to walk through rows of items, pushing others and getting pushed yourself, etc. Such a procedure usually takes several hours and most people I know reach home exhausted.


As you see, even simple everyday things in Russia take more effort and time than it does in the US, for example (consider the options for drive-through dinners, online shopping, automated bill paying, etc). As a result, there is little for Russian people (women in particular, since they handle the majority of these tasks) to enjoy in their daily life - which is a large reason as to why you see so few smiling and happy Russians on the streets. It is also a reason why many women I know consider Europe and the US heaven upon reaching - simply because things are much more convenient and are focused to help make one's life easier.