Violation of Women’s Rights in the Private Sector (1999)

Assisted by the Women’s Network Program of the Institute of Open Society, the Soros Foundation, a coalition of women’s organizations from Moscow (Center for Gender Studies, E.A.Ballaeva), St.Petersburg (League of Women Electors, E.V.Diyachkova), Arzamas (Crisis Center for Women, I.G.Gurina), and Naberezhnye Chelny (Women’s NGO «Femina», E.V.Mashkova) participated in the project «Women’s Rights: Step by Step» in 1998-1999.

Reforms in this country, on the one hand, contributed largely to the emergence of the private economy sector, which may be regarded as a generally positive fact. On the other hand, however, the labor laws currently effective in Russia have not been observed across the private sector. Flagrant violations have been committed against workers, especially female, because women losing their jobs become employed by small private business and trade (shop and market vendors, etc). Given the lack of state control mechanisms, the private sector appears to operate regardless of the labor laws.

The survey «Violation of Women’s Rights in the Private Sector» aimed to reveal facts of labor law violations against hired workers in small private business (in particular, saleswomen of small shops and marketplace vendors); to study the organization of labor process in the private sector and the degree of observing labor laws.

The survey looked into the way contracts were signed between employers and female employees; the remuneration system and working conditions in the marketplace and private shops; organization of work and rest of the private sector saleswomen; protection from racketeering; evidence of sexual harassment; and saleswomen’s attitudes to their work in the private sector as a whole.

«Many fear to lose subsistence and to be fired.»

«I do fear, that concerns my job, I fear to lose it; as the shop I worked in was closed, I kept looking for a job for so long, but I failed. It’s real hard to find a job at my age. They would rather take younger women. I’ve got another 2 years to work till I retire, so I try to do all I am required.» (Khasiba, 53, a meat shop saleswoman, Naberezhnye Chelny).

«Am I afraid to lose my job? Yes, given the mass unemployment we’ve got now. Actually, unemployment in our city has kept on growing, up and up, never stopping ... I, for one, am scared to lose my job, out of my wits.»(Alexandra, 44, a private business employee, Arzamas).

The key survey findings are described in the article Socio-Economic and Legal Situation of Female Workers in Small Business by E.A.Ballaeva (Ph.D.in Economics) and E.V.Mashkova (Ph.D.in Economics).