Women’s involvement in politics is supported and approved by public; female politicians are more sensitive to social issues.  

MOSCOW, September 9, 2016.  Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the data of the survey describing how Russians treat women in politics; what advantages and disadvantages they ascribe to them.

Active women’s engagement in politics is now very common for Russians. More than three-quarters of respondents (79%) say that they are positive about women’s participation in politics. Those who favor female political engagement are mainly women themselves (87%) and older respondents (81-84%); rarer – men 70%) and young persons (68% among those aged 18-24).

Most of respondents accept that women should have right to equally participate in political life (82%). Seventeen percent oppose this idea: those who are more radical are men (23%) and young people aged 18 - 24 (35%).

Over the last fifteen or twenty years, the women’s involvement in political life has increased. Whereas in 1998 almost half of respondents  (45%) considered that the number of female politicians should be increased in Russia, today this share makes up 37%; at the same time, the number of those who think that this percentage is sufficient has considerably gone up  (from 27% to 38%). As before, about 10% say that there should not be any women engaged in political life at all (10% in 1998; 8% in 2016).

If some respondents treat certain characteristics of female politicians as their advantages, others consider them as disadvantages. Their mild manner and kindness are considered as weak points, on the one hand (12%), and strong points, on the other hand (10%). Emotional capacity, professionalism, “women’s reason” are assessed ambiguously. According to Russians, the main advantage of female politicians, compared to men, is their better understanding of social issues (16%). Generally speaking, most of respondents perceive women’s distinctive features in a positive way.

The VCIOM telephone survey was carried out on August 27-28, 2016, using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of telephone numbers operating in Russia, and involved 1600 respondents. The data were weighted according to selection probability and social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the field work can introduce bias into the survey.

Note: Using materials from the websites www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory.