USING DOING & UNDOING GENDER STRATEGIES IN RUSSIAN WOMEN’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

In Russia, the overall number of educated, qualified, healthy, working women is significantly higher than that of men. Nevertheless, women face unequal wage distribution and feel the income gap, rarely reach managerial positions, are not represented at high managerial levels, and are excluded from political life, which is a manifestation of gender inequality. The research was based on the concept of gender strategies of Doing & Undoing Gender Strategies.
 The aim of the study was to identify and examine gender-specific career development strategies of Russian women as a way of narrowing the gender gap. The study involved 51 women aged 22 to 60 who were asked to complete a semi-structured interview.
 The results were processed by content analysis and frequency analysis. The main results were to confirm the existence of gender strategies as a way of overcoming the gender gap in the organization and to identify and describe the specifics of Russian women’s application of gender strategies in their career development. The Doing Undoing Gender Strategy was used more frequently than the Undoing Gender Strategy. However, the scope of Undoing Gender was significantly wider and more variable. Those women who used a combination of gender strategies rated themselves as “strong performers”, emphasized high subjective satisfaction with their lives (having a family and children), and noted a successful career path, unlike those who used only one of the strategies. A combination of gender strategies can help to promote women’s careers in the best possible way and bridge the gender gap in the organization.