ABSTRACT
In Russia getting work through connections (po blatu, po znakomstvu, cherez sviazy) is seen as a normal and natural route to success. Those who feel they lack the necessary contacts tend to view this negatively as the source of their exclusion (until a friend finds them a job), while those with friends in the right places talk of this with pride as a crucial resource akin to a university degree or professional qualification. This view is found among both men and women and across the social hierarchy. As the above quotations from Ul’yanovsk respondents reveal, even our young specialists-who are the group most likely to break away from Soviet ways-accept the importance of contacts in getting work. This chapter examines the importance of connections in the labour market success of our respondents. It first develops an argument regarding the overall significance of networks, before examining gender differences in the use and form of networks, to see what, if anything, these contribute to explaining male advantage in the labour market. Our overall argument is that the functioning of networks generally serves to reproduce existing social advantage, so that, for example, gender differences in networks tend to reinforce men’s superior position in the labour market. The chapter also examines the implications of gender differences in the form and use of networks for the overall well-being of our respondents. Here our conclusion is rather different. Women seem to derive more support from their networks than men. This support, though it may not have a dramatic impact on their fortunes in the labour market, may serve to protect women from damaging demoralisation.
