MODERN WOMAN: BALANCING FAMILY AND WORK: VCIOM: Russia Public Opinion Research Center

In your opinion, who has more chances to get promoted at work – men or women? (close-ended question, one answer, % of MEN)

Ages 18-24

Equally men and women

Don’t know

Photo: Валерий Шарифулин/ТАСС

MODERN WOMAN: BALANCING FAMILY AND WORK

For over more than three decades Russians views of women’s priorities have not considerably changed. More respondents believe that work and career are as important for women as family. However, Russians believe getting promoted at work is easier for men.

07.03.2024

IN BRIEF

• Half of Russians say family and life are equally important for women (53%, +18 p.p. since 1990).;

• 47% are confident that men have more chances to get promoted at work (-18 p.p. compared to 1990).;

• Most of Russians think that the key to women’s successful future lies in having a good job (63%, 16% in 1990) rather than being successfully married (20%, 65% in 1990).

MOSCOW, 7 March 2024. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VSIOM) presents the findings of a survey devoted to International Women’s Day.

Family, work, and all at once?

The survey revealed that over the recent three decades Russians opinions regarding women’s priorities had dramatically changed. Today about a quarter of Russians consider that for modern women family is more important than anything else (26%); in 1990 this share was twice as big (56%). In modern times the focus switched towards the equal priorities of both family and work for women – 53% (35% in 1990). Work is getting increasingly important for women compared to family (14% in 2024; 4% in 1990).

The younger Russians are, the more often they say that modern women value job rather than family (27% of those aged 18-24 vs 9% in older cohort).
37% of the residents of North-Caucasian federal district say women pay more attention to family (vs. 26% across the entire sample).

Men and women have different views regarding what is important for modern women, and this gap persists in all age groups. Overall, women tend to say that both family and work are important to them (61% vs. 43% of men). This opinion strengthens with age and reaches its highest point among women aged 45-59 (65% vs. 51% of female respondents under 25), whereas men across all ages are more likely to link women’s life priorities to family.

Modern young women under 25 prioritize work twice as often than family (31% and 14% respectively).

Job promotion

There is a widely held opinion that men move up the career ladder and in equal starting position they get an executive position quicker and more easily. Almost half of Russians share this stance (47%; -18 p.p. compared to 1990).

Four-in-ten respondents report equal chances (42%); since 1990 this share has doubled (21%), having shown a positive dynamic. And only 6% of Russians believe that women have more chances to get high-level positions; this opinion has not changed over the recent thirty years (5% in 1990).

Women are more likely to say that men have more chances to get promoted at work (51% vs. 43% of men). Men themselves say that chances are equal for both men and women (46% vs. 39% of women). This tendency persists in all age groups.
Opinions of the under 25s seem particularly noticeable. In this group, 65% of young females say men have all the opportunities to get high-level positions (vs. 43% of young males); 25% point out equal opportunities (vs. 54% of young males).

Another indicator of positive social change is getting a desired job as a woman. Every second Russian (53%) considers that it is achievable for all women or most of women who strive for that. Since 1990 the percentage has increased by 1.7-fold (31% in 1990). At the same time, the majority of respondents said only few women could get the position they wanted (53% vs 38% today). Men and women have similar opinions on this topic (51% of men and 55% of women agree that most of women can get the job position they want).

Daughters’ future

A VCIOM’s survey conducted in 1990 revealed that most of Russians linked the future of their daughters primarily to successful marriage (65%), and only 16% pointed out good job. Three decades later the situation drastically changed. Today the future of teenage girls is often linked to having a good job (63%) rather than being successfully married (20%).

However, men and women have similar views regarding daughters’ future. Men are more likely to pay attention to successful marriage (25% vs. 17% of women), while women desire a good job (69% vs. 57%). The older Russians, the more they adhere to the conventional view (30% of those aged 60+ favor successful marriage vs 11% of those aged 18-34). Thus, the younger Russians are, the more often they link women’s success in the future to a good job (77-76% of those aged under 35).

Young women themselves (aged 18-34) are least likely to consider that a happy marriage is a key to success: only 5% choose this option, whereas 85% would like their daughters to find a good job first, and then a husband.

VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide telephone survey was conducted 24 February, 2024. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18+ took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interviews, stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. Data were weighted for 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 to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.

Key effectiveness indicators, survey of February 24, 2024: cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.8074; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0153; response rate (RR)*** = 0.0635. Calculations are based on the corporate standard: https://profi.wciom.ru/principy_standarty/korporativnyj-standart-po-izmereniyu-rezultativnosti-oprosov-sputnik-vciom/

* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.

** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.

** RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.

In your opinion, what is more important for most of modern women – family or work? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	1990*	2024
Family is more important	36	15
More family than work	20	11
Family and work equally	35	53
More work than family	3	10
Work is more important	1	4
Neither work, nor family but something else	1	3
Don’t know	4	4

In your opinion, what is more important for most of modern women – family or work? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	Total	Men	Women	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Family is more important	15	15	15	14	12	16	12	18
More family than work	11	13	9	4	13	13	11	10
Family and work equally	53	43	61	49	47	51	56	56
More work than family	10	12	8	20	15	8	8	6
Work is more important	4	4	3	7	4	4	4	3
Neither work, nor family but something else	3	4	1	6	4	4	2	1
Don’t know	4	9	3	0	5	4	7	6

In your opinion, what is more important for most of modern women – family or work? (close-ended question, one answer, % of MEN)
	Men	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Family is more important	15	17	8	18	12	19
More family than work	13	4	16	12	15	12
Family and work equally	43	46	36	39	44	50
More work than family	12	18	22	11	10	7
Work is more important	4	4	4	5	4	4
Neither work, nor family but something else	4	8	6	7	3	1
Don’t know	9	3	8	8	12	7

In your opinion, what is more important for most of modern women – family or work? (close-ended question, one answer, % of WOMEN)
	Women	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Family is more important	15	11	15	15	12	17
More family than work	9	3	10	15	8	8
Family and work equally	61	51	58	62	65	60
More work than family	8	22	8	6	7	6
Work is more important	3	9	5	2	5	2
Neither work, nor family but something else	1	3	1	0	1	2
Don’t know	3	1	3	0	2	5

In your opinion, who has more chances to get promoted at work – men or women? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	1990*	2024
Men	65	47
Women	5	6
Equally men and women	21	42
Don’t know	9	5

In your opinion, who has more chances to get promoted at work – men or women? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	Total	Men	Women	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Men	47	43	51	54	52	40	43	52
Women	6	7	6	4	4	6	9	7
Equally men and women	42	46	39	40	41	52	43	36
Don’t know	5	4	4	2	3	2	5	5

In your opinion, do most of women manage to get the position they want, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	1990*	2024
Anyone can get the position they strive for	13	18
Most of those who really want to get it can do it	18	35
A minority can get what they want	24	19
Hardly anyone can get it	29	19
Don’t know	16	9

In your opinion, do most of women manage to get the position they want, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	Total	Men	Women	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Anyone can get the position they strive for	18	15	20	13	12	21	16	21
Most of those who really want to get it can do it	35	36	35	45	41	35	37	27
A minority can get what they want	19	18	20	26	22	22	19	14
Hardly anyone can get it	19	19	19	15	19	14	16	24
Don’t know	9	12	6	1	6	8	12	14

In your opinion, do most of women manage to get the position they want, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of MEN)
	Men	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Anyone can get the position they strive for	15	18	13	16	13	18
Most of those who really want to get it can do it	36	50	47	34	32	26
A minority can get what they want	18	19	18	22	19	13
Hardly anyone can get it	19	11	17	14	20	25
Don’t know	12	2	5	14	16	18

In your opinion, do most of women manage to get the position they want, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of WOMEN)
	Women	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Anyone can get the position they strive for	20	8	11	25	20	22
Most of those who really want to get it can do it	35	40	35	36	42	27
A minority can get what they want	20	33	26	21	20	14
Hardly anyone can get it	19	19	22	14	13	24
Don’t know	6	0	6	4	5	13

If you had a teenage daughter in your family, what would you link her future to? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	1990*	2024
Successful marriage	65	20
Good job	16	63
Don’t know	19	17

If you had a teenage daughter in your family, what would you link her future to? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents)
	Total	Men	Women	Ages 18-24	25-34	35-44	45-59	60 +
Successful marriage	20	25	17	11	11	16	22	30
Good job	63	57	69	77	76	68	61	51
Don’t know	17	18	14	12	13	16	17	19

* Before 2017, surveys were conducted through household face-to-face interviews (“Express” project); stratified multi-stage quota-based sample; quotas based on socio-demographic parameters, representative of the Russian population aged 18+ by settlement type, sex, gender, education and federal district. Sample size: 1,600 respondents.

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