According to the statistics the majority of women in former Soviet Union have got a job. They make 47% of all employed population. Most of them (86%) work in education and healthcare; little less (77%) are dealing with finance and accounting (74%). The lowest rate of women is engaged in the construction industry (21%).
The constitution of Russian Federation states the equal pay for equal work. In reality men get much more money because they get leading positions more easy. So women are kind of trapped in low-waged jobs.
Women are prohibited to do too hard jobs, e.g. to carry weights or to work at night, by protective laws. Nevertheless many women work at the night shops, which is allowed as a temporary job. Such jobs are strictly forbidden for pregnant women and those with children under 3 years old. It’s hard to get a good job for young women, because the law requires a three year paid maternity leave for child care. So the employers are not willing to hire women who will become mothers very soon.
The retirement age is 55 years for women and 60 years for men in Russia. The retiring pension is about $200 at present time while the average salary is $500. By the way, the minimum living wage is about $160.
So as you can see most women in Russia work not for career they work to get money. Finances in Russian families with children are often so touch-and-go even with both spouses working that some women do not even use all the unpaid maternity leave to which they are legally entitled because their families cannot afford to live on the husband’s salary alone.
Russian women’s attitude towards money may seem unusual to you. Don’t be shocked if she expects you to pay for her at the club, restaurant or for a taxi. Paying for a woman at a date is a normal way of courteous behavior. Russian women expect it from a man and there aren’t any “evil intentions”. It’s a typical dating rule in FSU. If you refuse to pay for her at a restaurant, she will never believe that you have serious intentions. If a girl doesn’t let you to pay for her expenses, probably she is not ready for a relationship yet and doesn’t want to feel obliged towards you.
