ABSTRACT
To be a worker in the Soviet Union is to be a sort of master- servant; it is a unique status that requires some explaining to a Westerner. In everyday life it is not much different from being a worker in a capitalist country with similar per capita incomes. Working conditions in the Soviet Union have changed over time. Immediately after the revolution, to satisfy workers' demands, the workload was lightened, working hours were reduced, and workers were given a voice in running the plant. During the Brezhnev 1970s, the Soviet worker got used to exerting less. Without either Stalin's stick or the capitalist's carrot, there was more incentive to preserve one's energy for after-hours jobs than to work hard at the plant for much less additional income. In the southern belt, many industries that rely heavily on female labor, the workers had a much harder time and earned much smaller wages than workers in heavy industrial areas.
