Russian women face discrimination and gender stereotyping at work
Survey reveals over 30% of women in Russia have faced gender stereotyping in the workplace
17.06.2025
Article published on the ASI website
A survey of 1,217 Russian women was conducted by the flowers and gifts marketing site, Flowwow, in conjunction with a self-help network for women, ‘’You Are Not Alone’’. This study is part of a special project that supports female entrepreneurs called ‘’Her Business’”.
Thirty-one per cent of Russian women have witnessed discriminatory treatment in the workplace because of their gender. Among business owners, the figure was lower, at just 24%.
Women aged 26 to 35 have encountered discrimination most often, 44% of whom have faced stereotypical attitudes in the workplace. Fifty-three per cent of female business entrepreneurs aged 36 to 45 have experienced prejudice based on their gender. Women aged 46 to 55 were subjected to gender-based generalisations least frequently of all.
The most popular cliché in recruitment as noted by 46% of the Russian women who have experienced such behaviour is the fact that women are working in ‘non-female fields.’ Stereotyping was most often reported by female employees in finance, manufacturing and sales. The negotiating skills of businesswomen are often questioned, as was noted by those who run a business in the service sector, or work in sales and consulting.
Beyond this, female respondents have also heard that they are poor at managing money as well as being overly emotional. Twenty-nine per cent of company employees and 21% of business owners said they were either ‘too attractive’, or ‘not attractive enough’ for their profession.
“Stereotyping does not hinder those who already hold high office at work, or run a business, but it does affect those just starting out, those with plans to grow, or who are launching their own business. Because of these stereotypes, high-potential female professionals begin to question their own abilities, which makes them feel insecure. The number of women (20-30%) who have experienced stereotyping is significant when taken in a national context,’’ says Polina Voronina, Director of B2B marketing at Flowwow.
But despite all this, only around 15% of Russian women believe it is harder for them to climb the career ladder than men.
“When one looks at the results of various studies, in particular, ours, and bearing the gender pay gap in mind, it is clear that we need to speak more openly and more often about this problem. First of all as a way of supporting young women who are just at the start of their careers. It is really important not to allow such outdated stereotyping to result in these women questioning their own abilities”, says Ksenia Firsova, the head of project ‘’You Are Not Alone’’.
