ABSTRACT
This chapter explores women's mobilisation of the law in the event of family breakdown in provincial Russia and considers the ways in which gendered and class positionalities and subjectivities might impact on access and outcomes. It addresses the gap by exploring women's use of legal claims in the event of family breakdown. The chapter then focuses predominantly on women experiencing similar problems arising from family breakdown and who could be grouped together as 'single mothers'. It considers the differences between women in terms of their access to resources and support, such as employment and informal networks. The chapter discusses the selected case studies that represent women's experiences of mobilising the law and how these might reflect different class positions among women. A growing body of literature is paying attention to the emerging class distinctions of the post-socialist period argues that a re-examination of class in the post-socialist context is crucial as people have witnessed an irony in theorising about post-socialist transitions.
