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Soviet Union [USSR] Benefits of Social Position
In the Soviet Union, income and related benefits generally
derived from one's social position and not the reverse. Ordinarily,
the higher one's social position in the Soviet Union, the higher
one's total benefits, which included not only better wages but also
increased access to scarce goods and services. Access to goods and
services more accurately reflected social status than cash income
because social groups did not have equal access to them and because
perpetual shortages of goods and services diminished the usefulness
of cash earned. Other benefits, such as government subsidies for
transportation, food, and housing, were not obtained by virtue of
one's social status but were equally enjoyed by all. Occupational
prestige appeared to be related to both income and occupation,
although some professional positions, despite their higher
prestige, were worth less in wages than certain jobs requiring
skilled manual labor.
Data as of May 1989
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