The paper is devoted to the contradictions of position of women in Russia in the sphere of science and education of Russia. The problem of gender inequality can be viewed as an object of social and humanitarian knowledge based on interdisciplinary theoretical and empirical studies of Russian and foreign authors.
The paper is based on statistics and analytical reviews, results of sociological surveys and experts interviews with 20 highly educated women teachers of universities and scientists.
Analysis of gender inequality in the scientific and educational fields makes us think about the causes and origins of this imbalance, reveal the main aspects of this issue. The author analyzes the contradictory and paradoxical nature of the current situation as a manifestation of gender asymmetry and inequality in one of the most important social areas of modern Russia.
We found out several contradictions in the position of women in education and science:
– the contradiction between the state ideology of equality and stereotypes of the mass consciousness (“women must first have a family”, “men are the best teachers, lecturers, scientists”, “women are not smart”);
– the contradiction between the legal guarantees of the state and the actual actions of employers (the choice between a man and a woman holding an important position, priority is usually given to a man, they prefer not to use women with children, they give women more ordinary tasks, while men have an interesting project) ;
– the contradiction between the feminization of education and science and low wages in these areas;
– the contradiction between the high intellectual potential of women and a good education and the implementation of painstaking, routine and responsible work with a very small chance of promotion.

Tatiana N. Litvinova, Doctor of Sciences (Political Science). Professor of Regional Governance and National Politics Department, MGIMO University, Moscow, Russia. Author of three monographs concerning ethnopolitical problems in the Russian Federation. Has more than 80 publications in authorized Russian scientific and analytic collections and journals. Field of scientific research is the ethnic and political problems in modern Russia, democratic reforms in Russia. Teaching disciplines: Political Science, Public Administration, Political Technologies, Applied Political Analysis.

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