Forgotten, but not Ignored, Personnel: Female Labor on the Railways of the Russian Empire

Abstract

The article discusses the book Forgotten Personnel. Female labor on the railways of the Russian Empire, written by V. A. Serdiuk. This book belongs to the popular scholarly trend of “gender history,” but it is not only a work on the history of women on the railways and an analysis of their work experience. The book is equally a study of the history of Russian railways in general: the author, using new data, presents a fresh look at the development of Russian railways from 1838 to 1917. The strength of the work is the presence in each of chapter of a separate paragraph on the development of the same “gender” processes on foreign railroads, especially in the USA, Great Britain, France, and Germany. This allows us to better understand Russian problems. The monograph shows that “in terms of the number of female employees and the degree of their involvement in railway activities”, Russia was second only to France. At the same time, the article presents some comments. First of all, there is insufficient analysis of the period of Nicholas II, especially the First World War. Although general trends are shown, such as the increase in the number of women employed in the railways, nevertheless, a number of aspects require further and more detailed study. This is especially important for the railways located in the theater of military operations. However, the monograph by V. A. Serdiuk is largely a pioneering work that significantly expands our understanding of the problem.