You must note that the Russian standard of living, including that of women, differs from the European or the American. Some commodities that are considered natural by an average foreigner, are thought of a luxury by a Russian family. In Russia family income of 500$ is viewed as very high and signifies top standard of living.
Household electric appliances have been introduced to Russian homes only recently and only in wealthy families. Today an average Russian family possesses such electric appliances as an electric kettle, a mixer, a tape-recorder and a TV-set. Lately a video cassette recorder has been added to the lot. An automatic washing machine, a dish-washer, a microwave oven and an automatic kitchen set the complement of a very high income family. Therefore Russian woman has to do much more work by hand or using semi-automatic household appliances and to waste much more time on it than a foreigner.
A Russian family very often doesn't own a car, let alone a car for each member of the family, many do not own an apartment, let alone a cottage. A personal computer is not a wide spread phenomenon as well.
Many Russian women cannot afford attending a gym, a beauty salon, hairdresser's and expensive high-quality cosmetics. Therefore she has to be her own style specialist, hairdresser and sport coach.
Low level of income prevents Russian women from buying expensive clothes of well-known trademarks. Winter clothes present a special problem: Russian winters are very severe and a fur coat is not a luxury but a necessity. And though her budget is very tight, a Russian woman will emerge with flying colours. It is worth mentioning that foreigner are continually surprised to see so many women in expensive fur coats on the streets of Russian cities.
To sum up everything, we may say that a Russian woman doesn't often lead the life she is worth of. And the fact that she contrives to remain the WOMAN in such conditions really does her credit.
