Gender disparities in wages in the Sverdlovsk region

Relevance. Fact that the elimination of gender disparity in the remuneration of men and women will allow for the effective development of business, increase competition between subjects of labor relations, reduce unemployment, improve the standard of living and acceleration of socio‐economic development in a particular region and in the country as a whole. Aim. To study the causes of gender asymmetry in wages in the Sverdlovsk region. Methods. Systematization and generalization of data, comparison, statistical analysis. Results. The paper considers the values of the Gender Gap Index and the Gender Development Index of Russia. The author has analyzed the gender statistics data on the population size and employment for 2019–2023, the distribution of employed people by education level for 2021–2023 in the Sverdlovsk region and compared the salaries of men and women in the region by types of economic activity. The author identified the types of activity with the highest and lowest average wages and stated the main reasons affecting the gender gap in regional wages and the consequences of such inequality. Conclusions. The paper notes a significant level of disparity in the wages of men and women. The presence of a high level of education and labor activity does not ensure equality of women in the labor market of the Sverdlovsk region. The gender gap in wages is associated with both objective and subjective factors; the size of wages largely depends on the industry and work schedule. Based on the results of the study, the author stated the measures to minimize gender inequality in the labor market of the Sverdlovsk region.