The attempt to supplant traditional gender roles was an important element of the Bolshevik drive to transform society in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. This book explores the constitution of gender identity in the Soviet system and examines the implications of the collapse of communism for the gender roles of both men and women. State and Society in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia address the important questions raised by the rise and fall of the Soviet experiment in transforming gender relations. It argues that the consideration of men and masculinity is vital to understanding gender relations in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia. This is one of the few English language studies to focus on men's, as well as women's, experience of and active participation in the transformation of gender roles during this period. Subjects addressed include; *the Soviet state's symbolic appropriation of the paternal role *women's experiences as breadwinners *men's experiences of loss of status at work *changing representations of gender roles in the press *the relationship between the sexual and gender revoloutions. Featuring an outstanding panel of Russian contributors, this collection is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Politics, Gender Studies and Russian Studies