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Russian women were hit hard by the transition to a market economy, which brought rising prices, increasing unemployment, growing poverty, and declining living standards (Bridger & Kay, 1996). The safety nets of the old system were dismantled and many benefits, such as creche facilities, medical benefits, and maternity leave, previously offered by the state began to disappear. Women, the primary users of many of these services, were increasingly viewed as expensive and unreliable employees and were frequently the first to be laid off (Bridgeret et al., 1996). Single-parent households, often headed by women, were particularly hard-hit.