Gender equality and extension of women rights in Russia
within millennium development goals

1. Introduction

The population is nonuniform. There are firm indices based on which it falls into groups, for example sex or race, nationalities. One of the most stable differences are differences based on sex – gender differences. That is why strategies concerned with human development must take it into account and include gender approach.

Gender approach means estimation of actions or processes with relation to their effect on men and women, not on the whole population on average.

Millennium Declaration proclaimed by UN defines eight directions of development, eight goals in social sphere, third of which is achievement of gender equality:

1. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger;
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development.

The purpose of report is the analysis of situation related to different forms of gender inequality in Russia and determination of main directions of policy to achieve the third millennium goal taking into account specific situation in Russia. The following issues are considered in report to achieve the goal in view:

• To select specific properties of Russia with relation to provision of gender equality
• To define main trends and principles of gender inequality in economic area
• To analyse influence of economic gender inequality on differences in men and women position in social and political area
• To suggest directions of policy to achieve gender equality and increase of women's possibilities and rights equality

This report uses Goskomstat RF data, Russia longitudinal monitoring survey (RLMS) data and materials of other special surveys available for the author.