Changes and Continuities in Patterns of Gendered Organizations During the COVID‑19 Pandemic: Evidence from the Russian Public Sector

Journal of Social Policy Studies. 2023. Vol. 21. No. 1. P. 95–106.

Davidenko M., Poretskova A., Utkina V.

In response to the first wave of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Russian federal government responded by introducing several reforms, including the transfer to remote work. This article conceptualizes the pandemic as an external shock that has affected working interaction in organizations at both the individual and structural levels. Focusing on women civil servants working in federal executive bodies, this article explores the following question: what are the features of gender-sensitive processes in the public civil service, and what significant changes have occurred in state bodies after introducing measures in response to the pandemic? To answer this question, we analyze the experience of women civil servants and their perception of the changes that have occurred in the workplace after the spread of coronavirus infection. Using analysis of the in-depth semi-structured interviews and detailed operationalization of Acker's theory (Acker 1990) on gendered organizations, the article compares gendered processes that have remained unchanged and have undergone changes in the introduction of measures against the spread COVID-19. Thus, the study's novelty lies in the conclusions on the main patterns and changes in organizational gendered processes in the Russian public sector.

Keywords: Россия, государственная гражданская служба, Russia, public sector, пандемия, pandemic, COVID-19, theory of gendered organizations, теория гендеризированных организаций, COVID-19