The gender pay gap in Russia has reached a high not seen since 2005, according to Russian independent news outlet Verstka.
In their analysis of statistics from the nation’s government, they found that the wage gap in 2023 reached 49.1 percent—the highest in 20 years. It was 50 percent in 2005 and has been on a downward trend since then.
Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation for comment via email outside of business hours.
Silas Stein/Associated Press
Why It Matters
Moscow is facing an economic crisis due to its war in Ukraine and sanctions imposed by Western countries and those living at poverty level may suffer, which would likely be women due to their lower pay.
Moreover, the country’s workforce may see a drastic decrease as President Vladimir Putin has given illegal migrants four months to obtain legal status or leave the country, thus affecting the economy.
What To Know
Verstka’s analysis found that women earn less than men in Russia in numerous occupations, including education, management and even cleaning. Since the war began, the wage gap has worsened—rising from 47 percent in 2021 to 49.1 percent in 2023.
It has also become more significant in certain professions since the war began, as the gap between pay received by male versus female superiors increased by two percent since 2022.
Women working in education or as cleaners used to earn a bit more than men in the early 2000s, although this shifted in the 2020s. In 2023, male cleaners earned 20.5 percent more than women doing the same job and male teachers were paid 15 percent more than female ones. That same year, male doctors earned 13 percent more than female medics and a salesman earned 27 percent more than a saleswoman.
The Russia-Ukraine war has had the opposite effect on the gender pay gap in Kyiv. It decreased by 7.4 percent between 2017 and 2023, falling to 18.6 percent, according to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. While Ukraine has a higher gender pay gap than other European countries, the government has begun an initiative to lower it to 13.6 percent by 2030, according to U.N. Women.
Russia is not the only country with increasing gender pay gaps, as it rose in Slovenia, Latvia, Poland, Malta, Switzerland and Lithuania between 2021 and 2022, according to Euronews. The country with the highest gender wage gap in the EU at the beginning of the war was Estonia and the ones with the lowest were Italy and Luxembourg. Globally, women earn approximately 20 percent less than men and the wage gap varies by race, nationality and migration status, according to the UN.
What People Are Saying
Igor Sushko, a Ukrainian writer living in the U.S., posted on X, formerly Twitter, in May: “Russia: Gender pay gap is now 33%. Men on average earn $936/month (₽83,900). Women: $627 (₽56,200).”
Evren Celik Wiltse, a professor of political science at South Dakota State University, wrote in September: “80 vs 100 is the global average in gender pay gap. Individual countries vary significantly. From what I recall, in Russia, the gap was wider: 60 vs 100 These calculations are for the exact same jobs with the exact same qualifications. Let’s not undervalue women’s labor #EqualPay.”
What Happens Next
Russia’s gender pay gap may continue to worsen as the war wages on, entering its fourth year, unless there is an initiative put in place to rectify the gap. Otherwise, like the precarious state of the ruble and Moscow’s economy overall, the working women will continue to endure low pay.
The gender pay gap in Russia has reached a high not seen since 2005, according to Russian independent news outlet Verstka.
In their analysis of statistics from the nation’s government, they found that the wage gap in 2023 reached 49.1 percent—the highest in 20 years. It was 50 percent in 2005 and has been on a downward trend since then.
Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation for comment via email outside of business hours.
Silas Stein/Associated Press
Why It Matters
Moscow is facing an economic crisis due to its war in Ukraine and sanctions imposed by Western countries and those living at poverty level may suffer, which would likely be women due to their lower pay.
Moreover, the country’s workforce may see a drastic decrease as President Vladimir Putin has given illegal migrants four months to obtain legal status or leave the country, thus affecting the economy.
What To Know
Verstka’s analysis found that women earn less than men in Russia in numerous occupations, including education, management and even cleaning. Since the war began, the wage gap has worsened—rising from 47 percent in 2021 to 49.1 percent in 2023.
It has also become more significant in certain professions since the war began, as the gap between pay received by male versus female superiors increased by two percent since 2022.
Women working in education or as cleaners used to earn a bit more than men in the early 2000s, although this shifted in the 2020s. In 2023, male cleaners earned 20.5 percent more than women doing the same job and male teachers were paid 15 percent more than female ones. That same year, male doctors earned 13 percent more than female medics and a salesman earned 27 percent more than a saleswoman.
The Russia-Ukraine war has had the opposite effect on the gender pay gap in Kyiv. It decreased by 7.4 percent between 2017 and 2023, falling to 18.6 percent, according to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. While Ukraine has a higher gender pay gap than other European countries, the government has begun an initiative to lower it to 13.6 percent by 2030, according to U.N. Women.
Russia is not the only country with increasing gender pay gaps, as it rose in Slovenia, Latvia, Poland, Malta, Switzerland and Lithuania between 2021 and 2022, according to Euronews. The country with the highest gender wage gap in the EU at the beginning of the war was Estonia and the ones with the lowest were Italy and Luxembourg. Globally, women earn approximately 20 percent less than men and the wage gap varies by race, nationality and migration status, according to the UN.
What People Are Saying
Igor Sushko, a Ukrainian writer living in the U.S., posted on X, formerly Twitter, in May: “Russia: Gender pay gap is now 33%. Men on average earn $936/month (₽83,900). Women: $627 (₽56,200).”
Evren Celik Wiltse, a professor of political science at South Dakota State University, wrote in September: “80 vs 100 is the global average in gender pay gap. Individual countries vary significantly. From what I recall, in Russia, the gap was wider: 60 vs 100 These calculations are for the exact same jobs with the exact same qualifications. Let’s not undervalue women’s labor #EqualPay.”
What Happens Next
Russia’s gender pay gap may continue to worsen as the war wages on, entering its fourth year, unless there is an initiative put in place to rectify the gap. Otherwise, like the precarious state of the ruble and Moscow’s economy overall, the working women will continue to endure low pay.
