Oksana Pushkina called the strategy of the Ministry of Labor in the interests of women “populism”

RBC familiarized itself with the text of the future document and named ten key areas where improvements are expected:

1. New opportunities in the labor market. The Ministry of Labor intends to increase the competitiveness of women by expanding opportunities to work remotely and in flexible hours, as well as counteracting hidden professional segregation so that a “glass ceiling” effect does not occur by encouraging corporate programs to promote gender equality.
2. Follow-up of pay equity. Until now, women in Russia receive an average of 72.5% (relative equality is observed only in the field of education – 98.1%).
3. Increase the proportion of women entrepreneurs. The Ministry of Labor calls for expanding women’s access to financial resources, intends to introduce new measures to support entrepreneurs in the areas of small, medium, social and family businesses.
4. Provide high-quality professional education. The agency proposes expanding women’s access to education “in advanced areas of the economy,” where wages are higher, and introducing STEM education into mainstream educational institutions (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, i.e. give girls applied natural sciences). and technical education).
5. Promotion of female leadership. To do this, it will be necessary to overcome a number of stereotypes in Russian society, for which it is planned to use the levers of propaganda.
6. equality in politics. Here it is planned to strengthen information support (informing Russian women about their rights) and include women in the scope of the budget initiative (a set of practices designed to ensure the direct participation of the population in the distribution of the municipal budget ).
7. Provide quality health care, no matter where you live. Particular attention will be paid to the protection of reproductive health and work with Russian women with disabilities.
8. active longevity. It is not only about physical health, but also about ensuring social activity.
9. Prevention of social disadvantage of women. The department will offer programs to support Russian women in a difficult economic situation, as well as support for NGOs that are already doing so, independent of state programs.
10. Maintain a work/family balance. Here, the focus remains primarily on financial support for childbirth, although the need to expand childcare infrastructure is also mentioned.

The new strategy will be implemented in two stages, from 2023 to 2026 and from 2027 to 2030, and will largely repeat the previous one, which was officially in place from 2017 to the present.

The same areas of activity were analyzed in detail in the document: health care, improvement of the economic situation, prevention of social unrest and violence, social and political life, etc.

Reporting on the achievements of the strategy, the Ministry of Labor notes only a decrease in the number of abortions by 33.8% (from 836.6 thousand in 2016 to 553.4 thousand in 2020), an increase in the number of female deputies and senators (from 15 .6 to 19.3% in the State Duma, from 17 to 19.4% in the Federation Council) and an increase in the life expectancy of women for a whole year (from 77 to 78 years in 2016 to 2019).

There are no data on tangible changes in the field of women’s entrepreneurship, equality in positions and prevention of social disorder.

However, there have been some “positive changes” in the direction of the “family/work” balance, but these are only related to the fact that the availability of childcare services has increased (96% of two-month-olds three years are provided with places).

It is not surprising that in this context, Oksana Pushkina, former deputy and co-author of the domestic violence prevention bill, considers that “the strategies proposed by the state to support women are populist”.

In his opinion, the implementation of any such strategy requires changes in legislation, the inclusion of measures in national projects and state programs, and scientific research.

We don’t see anything like that. And if the intentions of the authorities had not been populist, “laws would have been adopted long ago to protect women’s rights in all aspects.”

She is sure that real measures to support women could lead to real “economic breakthrough” (according to the Ministry of Economic Development, an increase in business activity by Russian women can add 13-14% to GDP). But so far, the former deputy does not see any special turn.

This, as RBC recalls, is also confirmed by the numbers: in the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2021 gender equality ranking, Russia ranks only 129th.