Interview with Valeria Utkina to Lenta.Ru

"The boss took her to the meeting, but treated like dirt"

In a recent interview with Lenta.ru, Valeria Utkina, Senior Lecturer at the Department of State and Municipal Service at HSE, spoke about how recent dismissals of women from leading posts in government bodies and gender stereotypes that exist in Russian society are linked. In spite of the fact that the share of women in the public sector exceeds 70%, there is a so-called “gender pyramid” in government bodies, characterized by the predominance of women in junior and middle positions. In addition to the “gender pyramid”, the interview reveals in detail the issue of the presence of a “glass ceiling” for women in power structures, raises the problem of harassment in government bodies, gender stereotypes that prevent women from climbing the career ladder. It also addresses the issue of the motives that guide women in Russia when entering the public service, which is often closely linked to the need to ensure a balance between family and work. In the end, the author concludes that while the situation in Russia does not allow making statements about the tendency towards the feminization of leadership positions in government, however, the situation is gradually changing every year.

The full interview can be accessed here (in Russian).