Feedback Starting from February 17, additional professions in Russia have become accessible to women. This follows the enactment of Decree No. 724n by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation on December 25, 2024. The decree amends the official list of industries, jobs, and positions with harmful or hazardous working conditions that restrict women’s employment, originally established by Order No. 512n on July 18, 2019.
As a result, several mining specialties are now open to women, including roles such as excavator operator, loading machine operator, and driver of self-propelled machines in open-pit mining. Women are also now allowed to work in under-construction mines, as well as in enrichment, agglomeration, and briquetting processes. Additionally, they can operate crushers in the processing of brown coal and ozokerite ores, provided the work is not performed manually.
However, at the same time, new restrictions have been introduced. In the “Shipbuilding and Ship Repair” sector, a new ban prohibits women from working on the ‘freezing out’ (vymorozka)1Vymorozka, which translates as ‘freezing out’, is the process of cutting away the ice from around a ship’s hull with chainsaws, then pickaxes and hammers, exposing areas needing repair, which are usually below the waterline.. Yelena Generalova, a crane operator from Yakutia, has worked on the ‘freezing out’ during the winter months for over a decade. In a documentary about the ship ‘freezing out’ profession, she speaks fondly of her work.
Efforts to fully abolish restrictions on women’s employment have faced setbacks. In December 2022, draft bill No. 251841-8 was introduced in the State Duma to repeal Article 253 of the Labour Code, aiming to eliminate legal grounds for professional and economic discrimination against women. However, in May 2023, the bill was rejected after its first reading. Lawmakers argued that allowing women into physically demanding or hazardous jobs could harm their reproductive health, reduce their social security, and ultimately have a negative impact on Russia’s demographic situation.