Melanie Ilic is Senior Lecturer in History and Women's Studies at Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education.

List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Protection of Women Workers in Tsarist Russia Women Workers and Soviet Industrialisation Administration of the Protective Labour Laws Maternity Hours of Employment Provision for 'Menstrual Leave' Weights of Loads Restricted Occupations Underground Work Conclusion Appendices: Summary of Decrees; Number and Percentage of Women Workers in Selected Industries, 1890-1926/7; Percentage of Women Employed in Selected Industries, 1890-1926/7; Employment of Women by National Economic Sector, 1929-35 Endnotes Glossary of Russian Terms and Abbreviations Bibliography Index