Women in Russia earn less. Why?

Women earn less than men. The statement is equally true for Russia and the world as a whole: discrimination is everywhere, regional differences concern only its degree. In the world, the gap is 23%. In Spain, the difference in wages for women and men is 21.4%. In the United States, for every dollar earned by men, there are 79 cents earned by a woman.

In Russia, by 2012, the gap in wages for men and women was 35%; by 2015, it had decreased to 25%.

In 2019, according to Rosstat, the difference was 27.9%. Only on May 22 last year, the average monthly earnings of Russian women reached the level of earnings that were available to men in December 2019.

On the level of common sense, the reason for the inequality of wages is obvious: a woman is less productive if this productivity is summed up over a lifetime. After all, a woman not only earns money, but also takes care of the family. During the period of the decree, a female specialist loses part of her qualifications, and it takes time to recover. Again, recycling is not a woman's strong point; other things being equal, a man is more likely to agree to work after hours than a wife and mother. The listed "arguments" in the modern world are recognized as clichés, stereotypes characteristic of traditionalist societies. Social movements, and not only feminist ones, and individual activists are also fighting clichés. And there is some progress towards equalizing remuneration for labor: the difference in wages is decreasing. The problem is that clichés continue to work in defining a woman's attitude towards herself.

For example, in the “Domestic staff” category, women are ready to work for remuneration 12% lower than the average salary in the industry (25,431 rubles), and men claim earnings that are 21% higher than the average. In the banking / finance sector, with an average salary of 40,141 rubles, women's salary expectations are 8% lower than the average, and men's salaries are 17% higher.On the example of top management, the difference in expectations is most noticeable: for women - minus 22% of the average salary of 49,174 rubles, for men - plus 28%. There are industries in which salary expectations are leveled. These are construction, production and sales (for non-managerial positions).

The difference in salary expectations is obviously influenced by the nature of the industry and profession. Women more easily agree that men traditionally earn more in managerial positions. But in terms of "technical" functions - where competence is determined by specific skills for which it is easy to measure efficiency, for example, in manufacturing - women feel more confident.

Psychologists believe that women more often than men suffer from "impostor syndrome" - the feeling that you are not competent enough in your professional field, did not reach those heights that make you an expert. Perhaps this is another explanation for the underestimation of their own salary expectations by the fairer sex.

Hence the first recommendation: do not succumb to stereotypes and evaluate their knowledge, skills and experience at their true worth. The advice is purely technical: it makes sense to rely on salary statistics - you can find them on job sites - to shape salary expectations, and not on the “gut feeling” or perceptions about earnings expressed during get-togethers with friends. For successful development in the profession and promotion in the labor market, knowledge and experience are needed. They are achieved by training, perseverance and perseverance.