Women and young people in the industry of the Soviet rear (1941-1945): the phenomenon of "short" social elevators

This article focuses on the study of the features of professional career of women and young people in the industry of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. Russian and foreign researchers considered these age and sex groups as sources of acquisition of the factory teams, personnel potential of the defense industry, labor potential of large rear regions, subjects of daily life of towns and villages in the frontline areas, career movements in the production and administrative areas in the conditions of war. The historiography of the problem showed that the age and gender aspects of the labor history of the Soviet rear were mainly developed by the classical methods of historical science. The use of a multidisciplinary approach enabled the author to move away from the traditional understanding of the role of women's and youth's work in the war economy. Based on the theory of social mobility the author found a new way to analyze an array of statistical and record keeping materials on vocational education and training of industrial personnel, their massive participation in the Stakhanov and udarnik [strike worker] movements, Komsomol youth brigades in 1941-1945. The result of the research was the identification of the phenomenon of "short" social elevators in labor collectives of enterprises in Soviet rear areas, which had gender and age characteristics. In the war circumstances women and youth began to prevail in the gender and age composition in labor teams, in contrast to the peace time. The role of the elevator, which "raised" them to machine tool operators, from operators to universal workers (transfer from low to middle and high categories) was given to basic professional training. Due to social competition, new workers obtained positions of Stakhanov and udarnik workers, including the most prestigious ones - wartime Stakhanov worker, rear guardsman, best worker in a professional field. Out of the latter, a significant number of young men and women became leaders of young labor teams. It was possible to become a junior leader in defense industry due to a lack of significant barriers to obtain junior leading positions. But only a small part of ordinary workers and foremen became masters - an "intermediate layer" between workers and engineers and technicians. And it was even more difficult for women and youth, working in enterprises, to obtain positions of engineers and technicians. However, this barrier was not a manifestation of sex and age discrimination against workers, but a result of low educational and qualification level of the new working masses.

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