The share of women among those employed in the Russian economy was less than 50% in 2022–2023

Despite the shortage of personnel, the share of women among those employed in the Russian economy in 2022–2023 has not changed and is less than 49%, according to Rosstat data. The lack of changes in the gender composition of the Russian labor market is confirmed by expert surveys. According to a study by the consulting company Strategy Partners, Russian women still face discrimination in promotions and the reluctance of companies to make it easier for them to combine career and motherhood. Some increase in the share of women among the employed, however, is possible next year, but not through the efforts of employers, but the state – from 2024, those who give birth will be able to work during maternity leave without losing child care benefits.

Rosstat data shows that in 2022–2023, the share of women in the total number of people employed in the economy did not change: in October of this year it was 48.7%, in January 2022 – 48.8%. At the same time, the employment rate for both men and women increased approximately equally – by 1.7 percentage points (to 68.9%) and 1.5 percentage points (to 54.6%), respectively. This means that, despite the shortage of workers, women, whom the social bloc has always seen as a “personnel reserve,” are no longer present in the labor market as a percentage. Let us recall that many employers and recruitment agencies, after the start of partial mobilization in September 2022, stated that they saw an increase in interest in women as applicants capable of replacing men (see “Kommersant” dated October 3, 2022).

However, such data from Rosstat, which is based on the results of the 2020 census, which was criticized in terms of quality, should be treated with caution. In addition, as Rostislav Kapelyushnikov, deputy head of the Center for Labor Research at the Higher School of Economics, previously explained, Rosstat does not yet have the ability to adjust the general data set taking into account the processes that took place in 2022, including mobilization and emigration (see Kommersant on May 30).

The lack of changes in the gender composition of the Russian labor market is confirmed by the results of a survey by the consulting company Strategy Partners. Only 20% of women surveyed said that their company has adopted a document dedicated to maintaining diversity and inclusion, which can be a guideline for the development of women’s employment. At the same time, 28% of respondents noted that they had been in a situation when, when filling a vacancy, they were preferred to a candidate of a different gender with comparable experience and qualifications. Among men, for comparison, the share of such answers was only 8%.

The majority (62%) of women named the need to combine career and motherhood as the main obstacle to career advancement. Childcare, as evidenced by data from the Social Fund, remains a purely female responsibility – in 2023, 1.7 million women and only 30 thousand men took maternity leave (for more details, see Kommersant on November 23).

56% of respondents said that they do not see additional support measures from the employer for women combining work and motherhood. Those who said otherwise were most likely to have the opportunity to work from home (43%) or flexible hours (30%). Another 13% can, if they have children under three years old, refuse business trips and overtime work. Among line employees and department managers, the share of those who noted the difficulty of combining work and motherhood is noticeably higher (74%) than in the category of executive employees (58%). This may be explained, among other things, by the greater financial capabilities of the latter (payment for nanny services).

As Valeria Plotnikova, managing partner of Strategy Partners, notes, companies that would like to introduce gender equality in the professional sphere would be useful to formulate appropriate policies, starting from the moment of hiring. “In addition, it is necessary to ensure a transparent policy for personnel promotion and remuneration,” the expert believes.

Let us note that, hypothetically, the share of women in the Russian labor market could still increase next year – however, this could happen at the expense of state resources rather than employers. According to the adopted changes, from 2024 Russian women on maternity leave will be able to work full time without losing the right to child care benefits. Now, according to the Ministry of Labor, the amount of benefits varies from 8 thousand to 33 thousand rubles. per month and is calculated as 40% of the average earnings of the woman who gave birth. According to a survey by the recruiting platform hh.ru, up to 42% of women on maternity leave could return to employment. Among the reasons for returning to work, the vast majority cited financial need (78%) and the desire to continue career development (66%).

Anastasia Manuilova