In November 2019 the average monthly salary in Russia was 46,285 rubles (USD 727), the official portal of statistics GKS.ru reported in January 2020. However, many Russian women can only dream about such wages.

How much do Russian women really earn?

Females earn less than males in the vast majority of the countries, and Russia isn’t an exception in this regard.

Women in Russia earn on average 27% less than men, RBC.ru reported.

In Moscow this difference is not as staggering: Ladies bring home only 11% less money than the guys. This type of gender gap in earnings is close to developed European countries, stated Marina Baskakova, a PhD from the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In Moscow the proportion of working females as compared to the number of working males is also higher: 88.4% in the capital in comparison to 84.1% country-wide.

While the gender pay gap in the Russian Federation is still substantial, it’s way better than what it was in 2012 when females of Russia were earning 33-35% less than the males.

The highest gap in earnings occurs among females and males of middle ages. Young and old females and males earn about the same. It is the period when Russian women start families and bring up kids that the gender gap becomes the most acute. Traditionally, mothers in Russia take time off work to look after kids if they are sick, thus employers tend to appoint married females to positions where a temporary absence won’t affect the productivity as much.

Vice versa, if a male has a child, he is going to rather get a promotion, as the company views him as a more responsible and committed employee, who needs to look after his family and thus is more likely to put the maximum effort.

Poll: How much do you earn?

I asked Russian women who are subscribers to my Instagam blog with tips about dating foreign men, how much do they earn per month, what job they are doing, and where do they live.

While the answers are by no means a replacement for official statistics, they are indicative of a real picture how women’s monthly pay checks differ in various regions of Russia. You can see how much higher women earn in Moscow as compared to other regions.

Moscow

• Construction manager, 100,000 RUB (USD 1,572)
• PA to director of a bank, 100,000 ₽ ($ 1,572)
• Financier, 85,800 ₽ ($1,357)
• Accountant, 80,000 ₽ ($1,266)
• Master of manicure, 50,000-70,000 ₽ ($791-1,107)
• Lawyer, 63,000 ₽ ($1,000)
• Medical clinic administrator, 40,000 ₽ ($633)
• Medical doctor, 57,000 ₽ ($900)
• Copywriter, 42,000 ₽ ($664)

St. Petersburg

• Medical nurse, 55,000-75,000 ₽ ($870-1,186)
• Hotel administrator, 36,000 ₽ ($570)
• Visa centre specialist, 31,000 ₽ ($490)
• Laboratory technologist at a food factory; 30,000 ₽ ($474)

Yekaterinburg

• Psychologist, 80,000-100,000 ₽ ($1,266-1,572)
• Business trainer, 45,000 ₽ ($712)
• Engineer, 12,000 ₽ ($190)

Krasnodar

• Construction manager, 60,000 ₽ ($950)
• University lecturer: 39,000 ₽ ($617)
• Chef, 35,000 ₽ ($553)
• Office manager, 25,000 ₽ ($395)
• Insurance manager, 15,000 ₽ ($237)

Siberia

• Irkutsk: retail buyer, 50,000 ₽ ($791)
• Khabarovsk: designer of furniture, 45,000-50,000 ₽ ($712-791)
• Krasnoyarsk: cosmetologist, 150,000-200,000 ₽ ($2,373-3,164)
• Krasnoyarsk: scientist, 30,000 ₽ ($474)
• Kemerovo: florist, 25,000 ₽ in total (white salary 16,900 ₽) ($395)
• Kemerovo: shop assistant, 40,000 ₽ ($632)
• Novosibirsk: chief accountant, 50,000 ₽ ($791)
• Novosibirsk: internet marketing specialist, 28,000 ₽ ($443)
• Novosibirsk: teacher, 26,000 ₽ ($411)
• Novosibirsk: teacher, 18,000 ₽ ($284)

Crimea

• Sevastopol: Director of operations in a hotel, 115,000 ₽ ($1,820)
• Sevastopol: teacher, 19,000 ₽ ($300)
• Simferopol: accountant, 30,000 ₽ ($474)

Other Russian cities

• Abakan: government worker, 29,800 ₽ ($471)
• Astrakhan: sales manager, 62,000 ₽ ($981)
• Bryansk: master of manicure, 20,000 ₽ ($316)
• Izhevsk: lawyer, 30,000 ₽ ($474)
• Kaliningrad: accountant, 40,000 ₽ ($632)
• Kirov: dressmaker, 23,000 ₽ ($363)
• Novyj Urengoj (Yakutsko-Nenetsky Autonomous Region): leading specialist in accounting, 80,000 ₽ ($1,265)
• Orenburg: social worker at school, 7,500 ₽ ($118)
• Penza: leading engineer at the government railway company, 33,000 ₽ ($522)
• Perm: HR director, 50,000 ₽ ($791)
• Rostov region: teacher, 9,000 ₽ ($142)
• Sochi: cashier, 25,000 ₽ ($395)
• Samara: Assistant to a college director, 25,000 ₽ ($395)
• Stavropol: government’s inspector, 24,000 ₽ ($380)
• Tyumen: government clerk, 14,000 ₽ ($221)
• Voronezh: web designer, 35,000 ₽ ($554)
• Volgograd region: gas station operator, 25,000 ₽ ($395)
• Ufa: health store distribution manager, 16,000 ₽ ($253)

One of the ladies reported receiving unemployment benefits of 8,000 ₽ per month ($126), while another woman is working online as a copywriter, while living in Bali, and earning about 15,000 ₽ monthly ($237).

Women in Moscow earn higher than in other regions.

Pensions in Russia

While there is a big gap in wages between average pay checks of males and females, the difference in monthly pensions by age is only 5.5%, although women still get less.

In October 2019 the average pension by age in the Russian Federation was 15,495 ₽les per month (USD 244) RNS reported.

Until recently women in Russia were able to retire at 55 and men at 60. This has recently changed, with women’s pension age being increased to 60 and men’s limit to 65. Unlike in western countries, the raising of pension age in Russia is happening sharp. Many people who were due to retire in 2020 have to work another 3 years until they are eligible for benefits.

Read also:

• What is the average hourly wage in Russia?
• What is minimum wage in Russia?
• How much medical doctors and teachers earn in Ukraine?
• How much money Russians need to be happy?