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The Fight Against the Gender Wage Gap in Belarus

Gender Wage Gap in BelarusThe gender wage gap has been a persistent problem across nearly all professional sectors since the integration of women into the workforce. Unfortunately, this issue remains prevalent in many workplaces today, notably in orthodox societies with traditional views on gender roles, such as Belarus, where the unadjusted gender wage gap favors men by 26.8%.

In Belarusian society, women are often encouraged to pursue lower-risk jobs with standard working conditions and flexible hours, as they dedicate on average 19.2% of their time to unpaid domestic and care work, such as raising children. In contrast, their male counterparts have the freedom to choose professions with longer hours and higher remuneration as they spend only 9.5% of their time on these tasks. As a result of these lower wages and high familial expectations, female workers are more at risk of falling into poverty than male workers. 

Despite ranking at #55 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum 2024 Global Gender Gap Index, Belarus is taking significant steps through legislation and internationally backed initiatives to climb the ladder and end discriminatory practices against women in the workplace. These are two key ways that Belarus is fighting against the gender wage gap.

International Aid Efforts

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is an international organization focused on supporting efforts for social and economic progress worldwide, currently working to improve women’s working conditions in Belarus. As a result of a partnership with UNICEF and the National Statistical Committee, the UNDP is now able to collect sex-disaggregated data, enabling it to find national solutions and track their progress in combating the gender wage gap. 

Progressive Legislation

In conjunction with these social efforts, Belarus has recently passed multiple pieces of legislation that are already producing positive results. 

In 2017, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus adopted the National Plan for Gender Equality. With the goal of developing a more gendered approach to public policy to level the professional playing field and empower women to hold more managerial positions, the action plan has been largely successful since its implementation. Not only do women possess more upper management positions than before, but they also make up 70% of the 69,000 cultural workers in Belarus as they work in the fields of media, education and culture.

In the National Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, a review in which the government presents answers to questions generated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and UN Women, the Belarusian government explains that they have increased the salaries of employees in the women-dominated public sector. Although they do not give specific figures, professions such as teachers, medical workers and pharmaceutical professionals were the main beneficiaries and are expected to receive further salary augmentation before the end of 2025. This legislation seeks to close the gap between the salaries of these predominantly female professions and the predominantly male industrial professions in Belarus, who consistently earn far more than their female counterparts.

Political Arena

Women have also been rising to prominence in the political arena. Despite the rigid, male-dominated, autocratic regime, in both 2015 and 2020, multiple women were registered as single candidates in the presidential elections, signaling progression towards gender equality across many professions.

While the gender wage gap in Belarus is nowhere near eradicated, these progressive measures put in place by the government and international entities are positive steps towards gender equality in the workplace. These steps provide progressives and feminists across Belarus with cautious optimism. Despite the work that remains, feminist leader Irina Solomatina believes that “being a woman in Belarus is good,” as she hopes for future equality between genders in the workplace and, in turn, a lower risk of poverty for Belarusian women.

– Jack Schuchard

Jack is based in Herndon, VA, USA and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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USAID Programs in Belarus: Civil Society and Economic Resilience

USAID Programs in Belarus: Strengthening Civil Society and Economic ResilienceRecent years have seen tight restrictions on foreign aid programs in Belarus, but the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) still promotes targeted programs that make it to Belarus through regional partnerships. Indeed, such initiatives, on a smaller scale, concentrate on civil society assistance, public health and modest economic development. For a state undergoing political repression and economic uncertainty, even modest international programs can potentially enhance the quality of life and preserve access to provisions that are frequently unavailable through state systems.

Supporting Civil Society Under Pressure

Belarus is one of the least hospitable places for independent organizations in Eastern Europe. Independent groups are under legal pressure, state surveillance and have little ability to raise funds. Despite the obstacles, USAID works with international organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) based in neighboring Lithuania and Poland to engage Belarusian activists, educators and community leaders.

Through these partnerships, USAID facilitates online legal livelihood education, digital safety training and capacity-building workshops for NGOs and independent media. Other programs concentrate on training Belarusian organizations to function safely, navigate legal risks or move their operation and work in exile. Other organizations offer training for journalists and youth leaders who focus on local development projects or social advocacy campaigns. These programs might be small in scale, but they are helping to maintain a store of civic knowledge that is under abundant pressure in the country, where independent institutions find themselves under increasing threat.

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Access

In the health field, USAID has long concentrated on the prevention and care for those with HIV/AIDS. Belarus continues to be included among countries in regional health programs prepared by international organizations, such as UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO). USAID supports these efforts by underwriting outreach, training of health workers and community-based testing and education.

These projects are at the forefront of spreading the best global practices of care and nondiscriminatory treatment to Belarusian clinics and health care workers. This is especially vital in rural and underserved areas where stigma, ignorance and funding challenges impede efforts to combat the disease. While health programming does have to operate within state-approved spaces, it is one of the few spaces where international cooperation actually remains possible.

Basic Economic and Digital Skills Training

Belarus has faced increasing economic pressure in recent years, with rising unemployment, low wages and brain drain among young professionals. USAID-funded training programs, delivered online or through regional hubs, help fill this gap by teaching financial literacy, digital skills and basic entrepreneurship.

Participants — often young adults or individuals from marginalized communities — gain practical tools to start small businesses, improve budgeting or enter new job markets. Some programs focus on the IT sector, while others support craft-based entrepreneurship, agriculture or logistics. While the reach of these programs is modest, they offer opportunities to build resilience and reduce economic dependency on unstable state systems.

USAID Programs in Belarus

Although Belarus is not a major recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, USAID’s indirect engagement continues to provide vital support where it is most impactful. These programs don’t aim to change political systems — they aim to improve access to knowledge, health and opportunity for everyday people navigating life in a restrictive environment.

For the U.S., maintaining these connections is a strategic one. Supporting civil society, health care and economic education — even at a small scale — helps create long-term conditions for stability, dignity and local leadership.

– Polina Makarova

Polina is based in New York, USA and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Sex Trafficking and Child Poverty in Belarus  

Sex Trafficking in BelarusBelarus is a country in Eastern Europe which only recently gained its independence in August 1991 after a long history of the Soviet Union. The country, occupied by the Russian Empire since the 18th century, fell into Nazi hands years after the Russian Revolution, and following World War II, the country returned to Soviet Union’s control in 1944. In 1994, three years after declaring independence, Aleksandr Lukashenko became president and has been in office since his initial election.

Vulnerable Communities

In 2017, the rate of child poverty in Belarus stood at 11.3% while the population as a whole stood at 5.9%. The most vulnerable communities and families have been and still are those that live in more rural areas of the country, single-parent homes and homes with three or more children.

The multidimensional child poverty (MDCP) is higher than the overall poverty rate in the country. It is 16.7%, but the number varies across individuals. For larger households with three or more children and families in rural areas, the rate stands at 29.5% and for single-parent households, the rate is 23.8%, UNICEF reports.

UNICEF defines MDCP as “the situation of children suffering from multiple deprivations, rather than just income deprivation. Children may lack necessities or basic rights such as access to water and sanitation, a healthy, diverse diet, adequate living space or access to a personal computer to aid learning.”

Child Sex Trafficking in Belarus

Due to child poverty in Belarus, these underprivileged groups are especially vulnerable to trafficking, one of the major issues in the country. According to Interpol, Belarus has been identified as the country in Eastern Europe with the single most individuals identified in child abuse material. In 2013, there were a total of 91 victims in explicit abuse photographs and videos from Belarus.

The number of cases only increased. In 2015, there were a total of 506 separate cases of “commercial exploitation of children,” according to ECPAT. The traffickers often take victims abroad to countries like Russia, Poland and Turkey where their exploitation continues. The number of victims each year has fluctuated, but has remained consistently high, with the government identifying 251 victims in 2019.

The Good News

Although sex trafficking and child poverty in Belarus remain prominent, there is international support from NGOs and international aid groups to provide resources to victims and low-income households, according to the U.S. Department of State.

The number of victims of child trafficking has slowly increased since 2020; although, the government of Belarus has made small steps in providing resources for these vulnerable individuals. The government provides housing for up to six months in centers for children between the ages of three to 18 as well as free legal assistance, the U.S. Department of State reports. In July 2019, Belarusian and Israeli officials worked together to coordinate an operation to take down a sex trafficking ring composed of Belarusian and Ukrainian women, leading to the arrest of 15 people.

To address child poverty, the country has begun to provide aid to low-income families and families with underage children. There are also one-time benefits provided to families experiencing hardships and children up until 2 years old are provided with food supplies, regardless of income. Belarus is making efforts to address the issues of child poverty and human trafficking. No matter how slow, there are still efforts being made.

– Maya Renfro

Maya is based in Chicago, IL, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr