Interview with Nina Mozer

[Tinami Amori]

I was at Euros in Stockholm last year and when people asked me where I was from, I said the US. When they asked specifically where, I said California and they responded with "Isn't that a separate country?"

There are ignorant people everywhere.

It's lately a common joke in Europe "California is another country". The people you met were trying to be funny..... I heard the same joke a few times....

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2008/08/california-is-another-country-they-do-things-differently-there/

 

[IceAlisa]

I am not a huge fan of Yana's but have a lot of respect for what she has accomplished as a business woman. She must work incredibly hard.

 

[rhapsody]

Maybe they were being sarcastic?

Sorry, toots.

It's lately a common joke in Europe "California is another country". The people you met were trying to be funny..... I heard the same joke a few times....

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2008/08/california-is-another-country-they-do-things-differently-there/

I've heard the joke before (it's common even among Californians where I live who like to fancy themselves as different from other Americans for whatever pretentious reasons) and I've seen plenty of research that the state would have one of the highest GDPs in the world if it were a solo country. The people I met were not alluding to that; even my first reaction to their response was a slight giggle because I thought they were joking. Unfortunately, like plenty in the US, there are stupid people in Europe too.

 

[Alez]

An exception to the rule? Other wives are not expected to pick up after their husbands, do house work, etc? Is that what you are saying?

Don't provoke me for a lengthy responce. In short, my life is easy: I cook, she cleans. Period.

 

[Alez]

Which would make you an expert on your childhood memories from the USSR, but hardly Russia of today.
It always blows my mind how dare people who haven't lived in the country for 20 years claim knowing what is going on and being experts on that.

That's true. I'm a Soviet-born Jew myself. My family left when I was young. We lived in Israel for some time, I learned the language, but my parents still forced me to keep my Russian and develop it even more. My Russian is still very good, it helps me in business with my Russkies counterparts a lot. . I am very found off and educated of Russian culture. Ballet, opera, fs, gymnastics, cartoons from childhood, some old cinematography classics, etc. I moved to Cali 11 years ago. So I'm a Russkie Californian Jew. I visit Moscow and Russia often - the big cities and people are changing very rapidly. In a positive and sometimes even negative way (adopting bad habits of 'ze West, hehe). Tletvornoe vliyanie zapada, death to imperialists and all that jazz!

If our well respected forumer IA have not been in Moscow for a long time, well, I respectfully advice her to get her butt on a plane is summer, she really should go and see for herself tho.

I mean, dang, every time I go I see yet another thing changed. Sometimes I really feel it's like some sort of fashion in Moscow. Once it was popular to be genderless hipster hanging out in Gorky Park, before that it was hookah (pretty much everywhere m even at any given sushi places), now it is all about hanging out around new pedestrian zones in historical center like new Pyatnitskaya or Ordinka and bragging about last vaca in luxury Sochi or backpacking in wilderness of Crimea sitting on the summer patio of uber-puper new exotic restaurant. Every single time it's a different thing, I swear.

People never fail to amaze me as well. Younger generation of Russkies is so random and yet different.

 

[Alez]

I read she is a bitch in many Russians eyes, bad wife, who doesn't work. I defended her, but I'm not a fan, I wanted to be fair to her).

Nah, it's not a Russian thing. It's typical female jealousy case. A common thing across all borders on this planet.

 

[Alez]

Кукулику, Танька, ЛисаАлиса. баста. вырубаем базар. нефига позориться перед иностранцами.

I wholeheartedly and thoughtfully lol'ed at this.

 

[IceAlisa]

If our well respected forumer IA have not been in Moscow for a long time, well, I respectfully advice her to get her butt on a plane is summer, she really should go and see for herself tho.

I mean, dang, every time I go I see yet another thing changed. Sometimes I really feel it's like some sort of fashion in Moscow. Once it was popular to be genderless hipster hanging out in Gorky Park, before that it was hookah (pretty much everywhere m even at any given sushi places), now it is all about hanging out around new pedestrian zones in historical center like new Pyatnitskaya or Ordinka and bragging about last vaca in luxury Sochi or backpacking in wilderness of Crimea sitting on the summer patio of uber-puper new exotic restaurant. Every single time it's a different thing, I swear.

People never fail to amaze me as well. Younger generation of Russkies is so random and yet different.

I would absolutely love to go and spend a few months eating and going to the theater and ballet in both Moscow and St. Petersburg but all I am hearing is how Sobyanin has dug up Moscow this summer and the traffic is snarled like never before and you can't get around blah blah. So not the best time apparently.

As someone who goes back and forth a lot (and anyone else who has an idea), perhaps you could explain this: on one hand there's derision towards the West, on the other, there's this ridiculous infiltration of English words into the everyday Russian language. Like Aftah Pahtee. It kills me.

 

[Alez]

I would absolutely love to go and spend a few months eating and going to the theater and ballet in both Moscow and St. Petersburg but all I am hearing is how Sobyanin has dug up Moscow this summer and the traffic is snarled like never before and you can't get around blah blah. So not the best time apparently.

As someone who goes back and forth a lot (and anyone else who has an idea), perhaps you could explain this: on one hand there's derision towards the West, on the other, there's this ridiculous infiltration of English words into the everyday Russian language. Like Aftah Pahtee. It kills me.

Yeah, renovating Tveskaya ahead of FIFA 2018. Btw, we through down our Runglish very casually down here at SouthCali. Russkie LA crowd - don't get me started... But it's still way better than surzhik kolkhoz at Sacramento. So Runglish is not a too bad thing, as so you don't overuse it and know how to speak properly and grammatically sound. Aftan Pantee there is no equivalent in Russian.. Tusim do utra, perhaps?

As for Sobyanin, he is the guy who doing a lot of good things for Moscow. Our company invest in a lot of real estate and stuff. Moscow getting amaIzing and marvelous by every year. I personally can't wait for new Zaryadye park.

 

[IceAlisa]

Yeah, renovating Tveskaya ahead of FIFA 2018. Btw, we through down our Runglish very casually down here at SouthCali. Russkie LA crowd - don't get me started... But it's still way better than surzhik kolkhoz at Sacramento. So Runglish is not a too bad thing, as so you don't overuse it and know how to speak properly and grammatically sound. Aftan Pantee there is no equivalent in Russian.. Tusim do utra, perhaps?

No, as in an official party, say a movie release and an after party. They just say "after party" with a Russian accent in Moscow and call it a day.

 

[Alez]

I would absolutely love to go and spend a few months eating and going to the theater and ballet in both Moscow and St. Petersburg but all I am hearing is how Sobyanin has dug up Moscow this summer and the traffic is snarled like never before and you can't get around blah blah.

Changes are good. This is why:
http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/187210.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/186379.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/185366.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/176824.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/176984.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/176053.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/176984.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/182924.html

http://chistoprudov.livejournal.com/179210.html

 

[IceAlisa]

Yes, the new widened sidewalks look nice, with bike lanes. Reminds me of Stockholm. That's what they are doing on Tverskaya, widening the sidewalk, right?

 

[Alez]

Yes, the new widened sidewalks look nice, with bike lanes. Reminds me of Stockholm. That's what they are doing on Tverskaya, widening the sidewalk, right?

I honestly dunno. I doubt they can widen sidewalks too much. Tverskaya is a too busy and import transit street. However they gonna bring trees back and make pedestrian zone a bit wider. No bike lanes fo sho - too narrow.
Check out all links, that my good Russkie friend for last 5 years. He travels a lot, I am jelo.

ETA: Stockholm? Depends what part, definitely not Skansen...

 

[IceAlisa]

I honestly dunno. I doubt they can widen sidewalks too much. Tverskaya is a too busy and import transit street. However they gonna bring trees back and make pedestrian zone a bit wider. No bike lanes fo sho - too narrow.
Check out all links, that my good Russkie friend for last 5 years. He travels a lot, I am jelo.

ETA: Stockholm? Depends what part, definitely not Skansen...

Yes, travel is
no, not Skansen but I recall walking towards Slussen and bikers whizzing by on their way to work, presumably.

 

[hanca]

interesting. This thread turned into a competition which poster with USSR background understand better current Russia.

 

[IceAlisa]

I am not sure where you get the sense of competing--clearly Alez goes there often and seems to know answers to some of my questions.

Also, "understanding" Russia is an excersize in futility. One can only accumulate information. Умом Россию не понять.

 

[lala]

interesting. This thread turned into a competition which poster with USSR background understand better current Russia.

I liked it.

 

[eli60056]

Our company in Russia, and many non-private larger companies, have different hours for men and women. Women's work day ends at 17:00 o'clock and men's at 18:00 o'clock, for one purpose only - so women can go home and cook dinners. It is clearly stated, not implied. I am fighting this rule in our directors' meeting, and the men support me! But the female employees do NOT..... they like running home and cooking dinners and WOULD NOT THINK OF telling their husbands to share the tasks. I've been at it since 1990's..... it's 2016.... and they do not change.....

Wow, I wish someone will give me a mandated hour off work to go home and cook! Cause I love to cook for my family.
So let me get this: you are fighting to remove a benefit/perk designed for the women? And you are wondering why those who benefit from this are fighting you? Really? Well, how dare they to not want to be liberated by you!
Why don't you take it further-in the name of equality try to fight the maternity leave altogether? Two weeks should be more than enough, right?

 

[Tinami Amori]

Wow, I wish someone will give me a mandated hour off work to go home and cook! Cause I love to cook for my family.
So let me get this: you are fighting to remove a benefit/perk designed for the women? And you are wondering why those who benefit from this are fighting you? Really? Well, how dare they to not want to be liberated by you!
Why don't you take it further-in the name of equality try to fight the maternity leave altogether? Two weeks should be more than enough, right?

Here is a novel concept for you: Equal pay means equal work, hours and productivity wise. If women want equality, they must perform equally.

The solution is not to reduce women’s work day hours, but for women to insist that men/husbands share in the house-hold duties. That’s equality.

Men depending on their women to cook them dinner and to take care of the house – is a form of dependency. Women depending on their men to be the higher earners (because they can do more work and there fore given higher salaries and positions) – is a form of dependency.

None of it is “equality”; it often causes a couple to be in a relationship for the wrong reasons; it give men upper hand to mistreat their wives (in various forms) and a good excuse not to hire a woman for certain positions, and keeps a woman at a disadvantage, professionally, socially and economically.

I am a female, and do not support inequality for women, in compensation, in career advancement, or social aspect. But I realize that if a job requires “XXX-something”, and you can do only “XX-something” because you’re a woman – you can not expect equal pay and equal position in the company. And if I have time on a weekend, I will cook something for my boyfriend. If I don’t have time, he has to cook something for me, or takes me to dinner...... and if not, there is the open door right OUT OF my house.

 

[eli60056]

Here is a novel concept for you: Equal pay means equal work, hours and productivity wise. If women want equality, they must perform equally.

Absolutely! Hence my proposition - while you are in Russia, fight to remove the maternity leave to aid the equality even more. I am sure in time they will come around and be very grateful.

PS: After the almost TMI you just gave me, I think it better if you and I revisit this discussion in a few years again.
Cheers!

 

[Tinami Amori]

Absolutely! Hence my proposition - while you are in Russia, fight to remove the maternity leave to aid the equality even more. I am sure in time they will come around and be very grateful.

PS: After the almost TMI you just gave me, I think it better if you and I revisit this discussion in a few years again.
Cheers!

Let’s try this: you’re a skating fan, right?...

- A Skater - Lady X (women singles) is married, therefore has to cut her ice practice time each day by 1 hour, to go home and cook her husband dinner. That amounts to 30 hours less practice time per month, and 90 hours during summer months before GP, and it is not enough time to effectively complete her SP.

- A Skater -Lady Y (women singles) is not married, does not have to go home early to cook her husband dinner. She practices 30 hours per week more, and finishes her SP satisfactory.

- Day of the competition. Lady Y places high, Lady X places much lower with her poorly rehearsed SP.

What do you propose?:

- To take points away from Lady Y (for non-married status) and give it to Lady X?

- To automatically add XX-number of points to all married women skaters because they have less practice time?

- To have separate competition for married skaters and not married skaters?

And for same-sex marriages or couples, what do you propose they should do for one family member to take off 1 hour early from work to cook the other dinner? Make a declaration on their employment application which one in this relationship is Yin or Yang?

 

[altai_rose]

Here is a novel concept for you: Equal pay means equal work, hours and productivity wise. If women want equality, they must perform equally.

I completely agree with the rest of your post. But I do want to point out that in many professions, even women who do work and perform equally -- or even better -- than men, get lower pay. That's a problem.

 

[alchemy void]

How is this thread still going.

 

[hanca]

Let’s try this: you’re a skating fan, right?...

- A Skater - Lady X (women singles) is married, therefore has to cut her ice practice time each day by 1 hour, to go home and cook her husband dinner. That amounts to 30 hours less practice time per month, and 90 hours during summer months before GP, and it is not enough time to effectively complete her SP.

- A Skater -Lady Y (women singles) is not married, does not have to go home early to cook her husband dinner. She practices 30 hours per week more, and finishes her SP satisfactory.

- Day of the competition. Lady Y places high, Lady X places much lower with her poorly rehearsed SP.

What do you propose?:

- To take points away from Lady Y (for non-married status) and give it to Lady X?

- To automatically add XX-number of points to all married women skaters because they have less practice time?

- To have separate competition for married skaters and not married skaters?

And for same-sex marriages or couples, what do you propose they should do for one family member to take off 1 hour early from work to cook the other dinner? Make a declaration on their employment application which one in this relationship is Yin or Yang?

And you forgot to take into account that if someone is unfortunate and gas some injury or illness, they may lose some training time. With flu it may be a week or two, but with injuries it can be a few months or even the whole season...

And person A may be from rich family and may be able to afford to have coaching 40 hours a week, whereas person B is from a very poor family and has been surviving on three hours of coaching per week or even having just a group lessons to save money.

Person C may be naturally healthy, whereas person D may be getting flu every other month.

Person E may be going through some serious personal problems (e.g. death of a family member) and that affects his/her training.

Person F was unlucky and broke his blade a week before the competition, and therefore missed quite crucial time (it may take a while to have the blades ordered if one wants to have exactly the same he had before).

So realistically, there will never be complete equality. The skaters have to try to do the best with the cards life gave them. Life is a bitch. Someone will have better cards and someone will be disadvantaged through no fault of his/hers.

 

[Japanfan]

So realistically, there will never be complete equality. The skaters have to try to do the best with the cards life gave them. Life is a bitch.

Yes, but inequalities should not be exacerbated by limitations such as the one in the scenario proposed above.

Absolutely! Hence my proposition - while you are in Russia, fight to remove the maternity leave to aid the equality even more. I am sure in time they will come around and be very grateful.

No. Men need paternity leave, just as women have maternity leave - although the two aren't equal in many cases (but should be).

 

[IceAlisa]

@Japanfan that was not my post, rather @hanca 's

 

[eli60056]

Let’s try this: you’re a skating fan, right?...

Spare me, go see the PS in my previous post and be patient! All will come to you one day. I was in your shoes once upon a time and I remember expressing just as passionate opinions about things I had no understanding of. Since then I have lived on both sides of the curtain, in the shoes of a single, married and married with kids person, and believe me, things are not as simple as you wish them to be.
Equality is all well and good as an idea, and yet:
ERA has not been made a part of the USA constitution to this day. When the Soviet Union was created, one of strongest platforms it ran on was equality of all people regardles of gender. It became a part of the Soviet constitution and continues to be in the Russian constitution to this day. Gender pay gap is present in both countries to this day, yet tou feel confident in preaching only to the Russian women to go home and tell their husbands to stuff it. Why? Is it because you believe the American women are not facing the same problems just because there is a cheap dinner at nearby McDonalds as an alternative?
Here is a novel idea for you. When you get to the time of having kids, you suddenly realize it is not about you anymore. Perspectives shift on many things. You presume to tell others what they should do in their own families when you yourself don't know about family dynamics first hand. And before you say that you have been raised in a family, I meant a family you yourself created.
Anyway, here is some food for thought-you were outraged by those women who judged single women and yet here you are doing exactly the same thing back.

 

[Alez]

Our company in Russia, and many non-private larger companies, have different hours for men and women. Women's work day ends at 17:00 o'clock and men's at 18:00 o'clock, for one purpose only - so women can go home and cook dinners. It is clearly stated, not implied. I am fighting this rule in our directors' meeting, and the men support me! But the female employees do NOT..... they like running home and cooking dinners and WOULD NOT THINK OF telling their husbands to share the tasks. I've been at it since 1990's..... it's 2016.... and they do not change.....

Accorsing to Russian laws men and women have equal rights when it comes to labor. 40 hours a week. 36 hours for women in rural (villages) or so called North Zones. Pay should be the same as for 40-hours week work. Also I hears in North Zones any one should be paid more (Like 20-40% more). If you live somewhere around in Murmansk you should receive an additional pay for working in North Zone. Your work week should not be longer than 36 hours. If your boss wants you work more than 36 hours, he/she should pay you overtime. Women going home earlier than men is a privilege, not a punishment of being a woman. This law was adopted back in 1990 while Russia was still part of USSR. I believe it was Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva initiative who was a great and loud advocate for women's right in late USSR. It was her idea, she strongly lobbied this law through communists parliament and her husband Gorby.
I'm not sure where did you get idea about "going home earlier to cook dinner for family". Either way if women in small towns (or up North) are allowed to work 7.2 hours instead of 8 and leave home earlier, but still paid as for full 8 hours, it does not mean she is expected to go home and get busy in the kitchen. She can do whatever she wants. If she have kids and hubby, yeah she can enjoy more time with her family - she can do that, not necessary to be expected to spend your law-mandated free time for "cooking borsht". It's not like government holding you at gun point and ordering to cook go your husband.

http://www.przrf.ru/info/full/rezhi...hitelnost-rabochego-vremeni-zhenshin-na-sele/

If you live in rural area, work 36 and not paid equally as for 40 hours you should sue your company. I believe Labor Union is still strong in Russia. If your husband feel that you running household errands not because you want to take care of your family and not helping you in it, well... I feel sorry for your husband ..and you. Get a new hubby? Russia has the same 50% divorce rate as here in the States.

Perhaps, it's better to quit watching such silly tv-shows as Davai Pozhenimsya and others, especially those which targeting bored housewife and soccer moms. There are better things to do out there, and pretty much more fish in the sea, which will be willing to help you around households or at least make enough money so you can hire uzbek/tadjik for couple hours a day to help you.

Btw, how long is maternity leave in Russia? Californian women are the luckiest: they allowed to have 6 weeks of partially paid (iirc, 30%) and upto 3 months unpaid. If you want more than 3 months to bond with the baby, you should quit the work or you will be fired anyways. I heard it's better in Russia... Although I never gave birth, yet. Perhaps because of being a man.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Spare me, go see the PS in my previous post and be patient! All will come to you one day. I was in your shoes once upon a time and I remember expressing just as passionate opinions about things I had no understanding of. Since then I have lived on both sides of the curtain, in the shoes of a single, married and married with kids person, and believe me, things are not as simple as you wish them to be.
Equality is all well and good as an idea, and yet:
ERA has not been made a part of the USA constitution to this day. When the Soviet Union was created, one of strongest platforms it ran on was equality of all people regardles of gender. It became a part of the Soviet constitution and continues to be in the Russian constitution to this day. Gender pay gap is present in both countries to this day, yet tou feel confident in preaching only to the Russian women to go home and tell their husbands to stuff it. Why? Is it because you believe the American women are not facing the same problems just because there is a cheap dinner at nearby McDonalds as an alternative?
Here is a novel idea for you. When you get to the time of having kids, you suddenly realize it is not about you anymore. Perspectives shift on many things. You presume to tell others what they should do in their own families when you yourself don't know about family dynamics first hand. And before you say that you have been raised in a family, I meant a family you yourself created.
Anyway, here is some food for thought-you were outraged by those women who judged single women and yet here you are doing exactly the same thing back.

.. The issue was about shorter work day for women, not maternity leave. My permanent residence is in California, were ERA is ratified. I am 55, not in danger of sudden realization about having children. Maybe in the future... but don't believe in reincarnation, not even as a "baobab"......

It's not like government holding you at gun point and ordering to cook go your husband.

No, not the government. It's the husbands..... ... or they will get a pretty younger mistress, and if the guy makes good money, there is a long line to be 2nd-wife, 3rd-wife...

The rest is all very informative, although verbose. I hope it helps you in your work.

 

[eli60056]

.. The issue was about shorter work day for women, not maternity leave. My permanent residence is in California, were ERA is ratified. I am 55, not in danger of sudden realization about having children. Maybe in the future... but don't believe in reincarnation, not even as a "baobab"......

Yes, the issue was about shorter work day for women, which I said was a perk, and then you shifted it to equality, at which point I brought up another source of gender inequality-maternity leave.
Anyway, by the look of things as you say, there might never come a time to see eye to eye on this, but we could both agree on a new worthy cause: the ERA to get ratified by all states and leave Russia to sort itself out.