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Russiangirls generally have lower salaries than men - reportedly between 33% and 50% lower, despite the fact that many women are more educated than their male counterparts. Russian culture and society view Russiangirls as being primarily responsible for their families, in their role as wife and mother. This label makes it very difficult for women to effectively balance their family and professional lives. Patriarchal values have led to a prevailing opinion that women should be in the home as demonstrated in a 2003 opinion poll revealing that 78% of all Russians hold such a view. Abortion rates in Russia are among the highest in the world, and ¾ of all Russian abortions take place after the first trimester of pregnancy, dramatically increasing the long-term health risks to Russiangirls.
The death rate among Russiangirls has increased over the last three years by 25%. Suicide among all Russian 10-19-year olds has increased over 80%. Such a population decline has had a devastating impact on the family formation, the labor force, and military recruitment. Russia has a fast growing rate of HIV/AIDS new cases. The incidence of HIV infection among Russiangirls increased from less than 200 cases in 1997 to an estimated 30,000 in 2001. The number of HIV positive Russians has increased nearly three-fold during the past three years. Interfax News Agency quoted Vadim Pokrovsky, Head of the Russian Federal Center to Fight HIV/AIDS, "Only 4 per 100,000 Russians were HIV-positive in early 2000, and the rate has increased by nearly 3 times to 12 per 100,000 by November 2004." The incidence of HIV however, is still much less than in the West.
There has been an increase in the level of sexually transmitted diseases/STD's among teen-agers. The rate of syphilis went up 30 times in the past 10 years. This is said to be due primarily to the rise in child sexual abuse and teen-age prostitution. The rate for Russiangirls is much less than for the men. From 1991-1999 the number of teen-agers diagnosed as "drug addicts" in Russia increased by 200%, while the number of young people diagnosed as alcoholics increased by 32%. The rate of substance abuse is much less for Russiangirls. Russiangirls are underrepresented in the Russian political sphere. The number women in the Duma, Russia's lower parliamentary house) dropped significantly when, in 1991, Soviet gender quotas were eliminated.
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