Moscow Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Project
Wider Opportunities for Women is pleased to introduce the first international extension of its work to promote self-sufficiency and economic security for families and working individuals. Inspired by and drawing from WOW’s Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Project, Olga Bessolova, the President of Russian Federation of Women Graduates and a member of Moscow City government, developed a Self-Sufficiency Standard for the capital city of Russia. Featured on this page are fact sheets that explain the project and the standards for the various entities of Moscow culture.
This fact sheet provides background information on the project and looks at the effect children have on a family’s income, expenses, and self-sufficiency. The fact sheet explores the living expenses and articulates the Self-Sufficiency Standards for different categories of Moscow City families. Additionally, similarities between the Moscow Standard and WOW’s U.S. Standard are shown.
Like many women worldwide, mothers in Moscow find it difficult to both work and raise a family. This fact sheet explains this phenomenon. Graphics illustrate the characteristics of Moscow City women – mothers of young children – as a segment of the workforce, displaying information on their life strategy preferences and education.
New mothers in Moscow City often find it difficult to obtain employment after leaving a job for maternity reasons, despite the fact that women in Russia are given an extended length of time off. Prevailing gender stereotypes and lack of oversight on the implementation of Russia’s maternity laws lend to this struggle for Moscow’s working mothers. The fact sheet articulates policy recommendations to address these issues and promote work-life balance for Moscow’s working mothers.