Career in Russian: Just no office plankton!

Pictures of top models and oligarchy wives in fur determine our perception of Russian women. However, women account for 36 percent of Russian middle-market executives; Even the emancipated Swedes only reach 27 percent. It is worthwhile to ask: The promoted Germanist and author Daria Boll-Palievskaya explains in the interview what is behind the stereotypes, how Russian men can be clamped and what vodka has to do with the success of the Russians.

Mrs. Boll-Palievskaya, we talk about stereotypes: The Russian woman is either top model or Babuschka with headscarf and self-drawn vegetables ...

... and they are all called Olga or Natasha. The picture here is strongly influenced by the media, and so some phenomena get a weight that does not correspond to reality. Let us take the example of the partner brokerage: only a small percentage of the Russians are looking for a German man, but in the media it seemed as if the majority of the women wanted to emigrate.

They themselves came to Germany to study. What differences did you notice?

The first thing I noticed was that I was no longer seen as a woman. There is an absolute equality here. In Russia, a man has to show that he wants to conquer a woman. The roles are thus much clearer: A man has to pay in the restaurant in principle, brings flowers with him and enlivens the woman.

And how do these role patterns show up in the profession? 

This is very ambivalent. On the other hand, a Russian woman would never move furniture as long as a man is nearby. With this "weak" role Russian women like to play, while German women this is very difficult. But although Russian women like to be helped by men, they have a very hard time in their professional life. According to the latest UN figures, Russian women earn 30 percent less than men. Top positions are mostly occupied by men.

Moreover, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, all the state programs and structures of women were simply dissolved. These included, for example, state-guaranteed nursery and kindergartens. Today the care has to be organized privately. This is either very expensive or leads to the fact that Russians from the province in the cities care for children and leave their own home. Only now does the Russian government draw up a law on equality between men and women. And yet, 36 per cent of all managers in medium-sized companies in Russia are occupied by women (just 11 per cent in Germany). More than three-quarters of all small businesses are women. How they do it, it's a mystery. For everyday life they usually have to stand alone.

How do I understand this?  

It was always a matter of course for Russians to work, which had nothing to do with emancipation, but with social expectation and financial necessity. Even today, very few families can afford to have a parent stay at home. This is only a relatively new phenomenon. In addition, many marriages, about two-thirds, are divorced. For the children the woman is afterwards, and most men refuse to pay maintenance. The women work, educate their children, are at the same time well educated and attach great importance to their appearance.

Therefore, the image of the Russian in high heels comes on icy roads.

The picture is right. Russian women love to wear themselves feminine and go out in rock, thin pantyhose and high heels even when the weather is cold. In a survey, it was found that a Muscovite woman or Petersburgerin spent 30 percent of her salary on cosmetics. Some German managers who work in Russia are also beginning to enjoy the Russian gallantry and play with it.

It is said that many women have mastered the transition from communism to capitalism.

At least they have proved to be more flexible and creative than most men. In the nineties men and women lost their jobs. But while many men drowned their frustration in alcohol, women went off and began to act. But they did not get the very big pieces of cake. Because there were no high party officials, there was no woman in the first generation of oligarchs. In the second generation, there are now many women who have either built their own successful companies or have been placed in high management positions due to their excellent training.

Russians are also regarded as very educated and diligent.

Many Russians have a very high educational ideals: I have to be ambitious, because I can prove myself through performance. These people can not understand when others are satisfied with the fact that they have to co-ordinate office plankton and have no goals in life. Russians show a great willingness to commit themselves to their goals.