Servants

Categories / Population/Professional Groups
SERVANTS, professional social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population, consisted mainly of peasants who came to the capital in search for work (see Otkhodniki), the smaller part was comprised of petty bourgeoisie, workshop craftspeople and foreigners. In 1750, St. Petersburg numbered 13,600 "attendants" living in the families of citizens, including 13,200 Russians (8,700 men and 4,500 women), others were foreign-born (224 men and 186 women). In 1869 in St. Petersburg 161,700 people (including 90,400 men and 71,300 women) were working. The general census distinguished "private servants" (60,000 women and 18,000 men), "house servants" - street cleaners, doormen, watchmen (about 18,000 people), other categories were laundresses (11,000 people) and cab drivers (16,000 people). The Russians formed the majority in all these groups; there were also noted Germans, Finns, Poles, Tatars and others. Private servants remained in smaller numbers in Leningrad in the 1920s-30s (for example, even the residents of communal flats could hire babysitters), but the term itself became obsolete and was replaced by word "housemaid".

Reference: Юхнева Н. В. Этнический состав и этносоциальная структура населения Петербурга, вторая половина XIX - нач. XX в.: Стат. анализ. Л., 1984. p. 47-50.

A. Y. Chistyakov. Юхнева Н. В. Этнический состав и этносоциальная структура населения Петербурга, вторая половина XIX - нач. XX в.: Стат. анализ. Л., 1984 Peasants
Otkhodniki
Bourgeoisie
Handicraft (overview)
Russians
Germans
Finns
Poles
Tartars