Is gender discrimination at work an issue in Russia?
EDUARD TIKHONOV, 31, DRIVER There is some discrimination on the basis of gender, especially against women. My sister, for example, is frequently treated badly by her employer in the cafe where she works. If she were a man, those problems I mean attempts by her boss to harass her and make her work more wouldn’t have happened. VITALY YUDIN, 21, MUSICIAN I haven’t experienced any gender discrimination, though presumably it exists. Take women: They often find it hard to deal with employers in cases of maternity leave. Therefore, there are some cases albeit rare ones when employers prefer men, fearing that women might try to get paid maternity leave. But still I suppose that, basically, employees are assessed and offered jobs on the basis of merit, which would mean true professionals get the jobs, regardless of their gender. MARINA MIKHEYEVA, 42, DOCTOR Neither I nor my friends and relatives have encountered any sex discrimination. But I’ve heard that such cases exist. I think that whether
