Floor and ceiling: Women want less money than men
The difference in salary expectations of men and women at the peak of their careers reached almost 40 thousand rubles, calculated in hh.ru for Izvestia on the eve of International Women's Day. On average, the former claim a salary of 114 thousand, and the latter — 77 thousand. The gender gap is growing — and this is despite the shortage of personnel and the fact that women have become more actively invited to work. The biggest difference is in the areas of finance and IT. What is a "fine for motherhood" and whether the situation may change one day — in the Izvestia article.
Women want less money than men
The difference between the salary expectations of women and men is typical for all age groups, but it reaches its peak at the zenith of a career — when people are between 31 and 40 years old, calculated in hh.ru for Izvestia. At the beginning of 2025, women requested a salary 37 thousand rubles lower than men. The situation worsened over the year: at the beginning of 2024, the gap was 33 thousand. On average, applicants ask for 77 thousand, and applicants — 114 thousand.
In general, for all age groups, the difference in the expected salaries of both sexes is 20 thousand rubles. The minimum gap (9,000) is at the very beginning of work, between boys and girls aged 14-18.
At the same time, women underestimate their expectations the most in the field of IT, finance and sales — in these areas the difference reaches 40 thousand. hh.ru . While applicants in the fields of fitness and beauty, law and construction are the least pessimistic about their salaries — the differences are only 9-17 thousand.
There is a gap not only in salary expectations, but also in the amounts that are eventually assigned to applicants. According to the latest data from Rosstat, in 2023, the gap in average actual salaries between men and women was 27 thousand rubles, said Viktor Lyashok, senior researcher at the INSAP Center of the IPEI Presidential Academy.
The difference is due to the fact that women voluntarily accept lower salaries "in exchange" for more free time to devote to their family and children, explained Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global. She added: This phenomenon is called the "maternity penalty." At the same time, men as heads of families tend to be the main earners and, conversely, are willing to spend more time at work, said Alexander Safonov, professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
Employers often offer young women lower salaries due to the fact that they can go on maternity leave, Natalia Milchakova noted. At the same time, business creates more favorable conditions for men so that they do not go to competitors.
— Men even in women's industries get paid more. In addition, the advancement of women up the career ladder to leadership positions is usually difficult. In world practice, this is called a "glass ceiling," added Farida Mirzabalayeva, Associate Professor of the basic Department of the CCI "Human Resource Management" at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
In addition, salary levels in budget sectors (for example, among teachers in schools and doctors in state clinics), where mostly women work, are lower than in the IT industry, transport and communications, where the majority of employees are men, the expert emphasized.
Meanwhile, the age differentiation is explained by the fact that young professionals (both men and women) have low expectations during their studies in general, Farida Mirzabalayeva noted. Whereas at a more mature age, women return to the labor market after a break from work (maternity leave) and, consequently, with lower demands. At the same time, men in their 30s and 40s are usually already established specialists who can dictate their terms.
Will women be paid more
Legally, men and women in the Russian Federation have equal rights in terms of employment and remuneration, the All-Russian Research Institute of Labor noted.
"Analyzing the salary level, it is necessary to take into account the multidirectional shift in the sectoral employment profiles of men and women. The proportion of women is significant in light industry, the hotel business, and catering. Mining, processing, and the electric power industry are considered men's industries — there is more competition here, so applicants expect higher salaries," the institute said.
They recalled that since March, the list of professions prohibited for women has been reduced. Now girls can work in mines, as well as as excavator drivers. The expansion of the list provides new opportunities to increase income, the institute added.
In both absolute and relative terms, the gender gap in Russia is growing, said Viktor Lyashok from the Presidential Academy. This may be due to the fact that men are more likely to work in sectors where there has been the largest increase in salaries in recent years, primarily in the military-industrial complex.
The wage gap is increasing even though Russia has a record shortage of staff (unemployment is at a minimum of 2.3%) and employers' demand for employees, regardless of their age or gender, is very high. According to the data hh.ru Companies have even started inviting women more often.
However, low salary expectations are just one of the reasons for employers' interest in the fairer sex, says Alexander Safonov. In addition, women are less likely to change jobs if they are satisfied with everything.
In the future, against the background of a shortage of personnel in Russia, the structure of jobs will begin to change: the shift will occur towards the service economy. Then the gap can gradually narrow, believes Alexander Safonov. However, the differences will still remain due to the role of women in the family.
The gender wage gap is not only a Russian problem. But the wage differential between women and men differs from country to country. For example, in Norway it is practically non—existent, and in Italy it is about 30%, said Alexander Safonov from the University of Finance. The largest gap is observed in the countries of Africa and the Middle East. On average in the world, this difference is about 23-25%.
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