Russian-American Journalist and Author Julia Ioffe is part of a long line of educated, accomplished women. Born in the Soviet Union, her mother and grandmothers were physicians and scientists. Growing up, she saw nothing unusual about seeing women in those roles. It was only as an adult that she realized they were part of an extraordinary and untold history.
In Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, From Revolution to Autocracy, the celebrated reporter retells 150 years of Russian history through the voices and experiences of its women, weaving together her foremothers’ experiences with the broader story of women in Russia and the Soviet Union. Released in 2025, the book has received near-universal critical acclaim for transforming the discussion on the experiences and contributions of Russian women throughout history. The book was a finalist for the U.S. National Book Award and was named one of the year’s best books by the Washington Post, the Guardian, Elle, and many others.
Julia completed the book during her 2023 Bellagio Center residency and says the experience was crucial in shaping its narrative and impact. We spoke to her about discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary, the changing roles played by women in Russian society, and the power of storytelling to create deep emotional connection.
When my great-grandmothers were practicing medicine and running their own labs in the 1930s, western women still couldn't do much of anything without their husbands' permission. So why was it so ordinary in the Soviet Union?
Julia IoffeAuthorMotherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, From Revolution to Autocracy
What drew you to chronicle the history of women in Russia and the Soviet Union?
My agent really wanted me to write about the women in my family. She kept saying, “Your mom and grandmother are doctors. Two of your great grandmothers were doctors. These women are so extraordinary.” But to me, they were ordinary – regular Soviet women, like millions of others.
My mom was an ENT in the Soviet Union. When we came over to the U.S., she had to retrain to become a surgical pathologist. At the same time, she was doing all the things that my classmates’ moms were doing as homemakers. Looking back, I see that she was making the extraordinary look ordinary. She was carrying that double burden, working full time as a doctor while also being an amazing full-time wife, mom, all those things. I just didn’t notice because that was normal for us.
That disconnect between the extraordinary and the ordinary is where the story comes from. When my great-grandmothers were practicing medicine and running their own labs in the 1930s, western women still couldn’t do much of anything without their husbands’ permission. So why was it so ordinary in the Soviet Union? It turns out that there’s a long, fascinating history there.
What led the Soviet Union to offer such a wide set of opportunities for women?
It was a conscious policy, introduced by Vladimir Lenin and his lieutenant Alexandra Kollontai, the world’s first female cabinet minister. Through the revolution, women got the right to free higher education, marriage and divorce were made civil actions, and women were able to get no-fault divorces. Women also became entitled to child support and alimony, and they got paid maternity leave. Because women were required to work, the state started creating a network of nurseries, so they could be employed outside the home, just like men.
The nation also introduced co-ed paramilitary training for boys and girls. So when the Germans invaded in 1941, tens of thousands of teenage girls swarmed military recruitment posts. They knew how to shoot, jump out of planes, and work on engines, and they saw nothing masculine about it. They were part of their feminine talents. More than 800,000 Soviet women fought in active combat in World War II. They were fighter pilots, paratroopers, artillery gunners, sappers, infantry officers, you name it.
Their presence produced a tremendous psychological effect. The Nazis believed women should only be in the kitchen, with the kids, or in church. When they found out that teenage girls were taking out their soldiers, they were terrified. It completely scrambled their idea of who they were fighting.
How did the environment for women change over time?
When I came back to Russia in 2009, I was shocked to hear women saying that they just wanted to marry rich and quit work. But as I researched the book, I understood it was an emancipatory choice.
After Lenin died, equality was never a priority. Stalin and the other men in power needed the extra labor, but they still wanted women to have as many babies as possible. So women had to do both. In 1944, they introduced policies to incentivize childbirth and push the idea of traditional roles for women and men. At the same time, the state encouraged men to impregnate women outside of wedlock and stripped women of the right to seek child support. This led to a baby boom, where a third of the kids were born out of wedlock. And it was largely up to women to care for them.
The state assumed that Russian and Soviet women can survive anything on their own, so why waste precious resources helping them? Women are supposed to be everything at the same time – full-time employees and full-time wives, mothers, and housekeepers. All this time, they’ve been asking for a reprieve and support, but they’ve never gotten it.
By the end of the Soviet experiment, women were exhausted. In the post-Soviet era, they looked to the men, who had accumulated the bulk of the wealth and power in the new Russia, and said, “If our most important roles are to be wives and mothers, can we just do that? Can you liberate us from this other aspect?” At least then they could drop one of the burdens they carried.
What was it like bringing this book from idea to fruition?
When I started, not much had really been written on this. The books about it took up maybe a single shelf. Fortunately, both my grandmothers were still alive, and I was able to interview them and situate my family’s stories.
One important early conversation was with Nina Khrushcheva, granddaughter of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and a professor at the New School. She said, “If you look at the women at the top – the wives of the leaders – their fate reflects that of Soviet and Russian society.” That gave me a structure for the book. The women at the top frame the larger historical story – the reforms, the wars, etc. – and the stories of the women in my family and other less-well-known women illustrate what it was like to live through all of that change.
As the book kept going, I got to the point where I needed the time and space to sit down and focus on writing, so I could finish it. My residency at the Bellagio Center was crucial to making that happen. It gave me the ability to really work, and it got me to the end in a way that I couldn’t have otherwise.
Part of the program involves doing a presentation for your fellow residents about what you’re working on. Their reactions helped me see that this topic really is interesting to people. It isn’t ordinary. That gave me the turbo boost and momentum to carry the book through to the end.
What has the reaction been like since the book was released?
It’s been surreal to see so many people responding to this thing I worked on for so long. When I was writing it, I thought maybe a hundred people would wind up reading it.
While the awards and reviews are great, of course, the best part has been hearing from people for whom it resonated on a deep, personal level. One woman from Russia said, “I’m going through a really horrible divorce, and your book showed me that I’m descended from really strong women who have lived through so much. I’m strong, and I can get through this.” A family friend who is a Soviet immigrant told me that he listens to the book during the day, and when he closes his eyes at night, he’s flooded with memories that the book unleashed.
All that emotional connection is incredibly gratifying. The parts that people are reading and crying, I was crying when I wrote them.
By uplifting the stories, struggles, and contributions of Russian women, Julia hopes “Motherland” spurs readers to reexamine their ideas about the roles women play in society. “When people say women shouldn’t be in combat,” she said. “I want them to think about those 16-year-old girls fighting Nazis with heavy, rudimentary equipment – and winning.”
Learn More:
- Watch an interview with Ioffe about “Motherland” on Amanpour & Co. on PBS.
- Listen to Ioffe disciss feminism and how it connects to Russian culture on WNYC’s Brian Leher show.
- Read the New York Times review of “Motherland”.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. The Rockefeller Foundation is not responsible for and does not endorse its content.