The State Duma criticized the idea of reducing the working day by an hour for women
Reducing the working day for women by at least one hour while maintaining wages can harm them in finding employment. Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, told Izvestia on October 1.
She recalled that a similar initiative had already been implemented in 2017 for women working in rural areas, where they were entitled to a 36-hour workweek while maintaining earnings.
"As practice has shown, this has in no way affected labor productivity in rural areas. At the same time, the transfer of a similar norm to all women would require legislative regulation, however, in rural areas, many combine work with farming.
"In urban conditions, in my opinion, thanks to modern technologies — detergents, vacuum cleaners, robots, dishwashers and washing machines — women no longer spend too much time doing household chores," the MP stressed.
She expressed concern that extending the initiative to reduce working hours to all women could have a negative impact on the labor market. According to Bessarab, this will lead to employers giving preference to men, reducing women's employment opportunities.
Regarding the impact of shorter working hours on fertility and work-life balance, the MP expressed skepticism.
"I don't think this initiative is stimulating the birth rate. Of course, this will be a pleasant social guarantee for women, but it is unlikely that it stimulates the birth rate in large cities," the expert concluded.
On September 26, it was reported that State Duma deputies from the Fair Russia — For Truth faction took the initiative to reduce the working day of pregnant women to six hours without cutting their earnings. The proposed initiative is aimed at alleviating the physical and emotional state of pregnant women, which often worsens due to fears of losing income or work.
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