346 | Russian Railways Calls to Abolish List of Banned Professions for Women, February 28, 2018

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-railways-calls-abolish-list-banned-professions-women-60643
https://archive.fo/rqyLZ

Russia's state-run rail company has called on the government to abolish an official list of professions banned for women and to allow businesses to make their own hiring decisions.

The Soviet-era list includes over 400 professions in sectors such as metalworking, construction and mining and was originally introduced to protect women’s safety and reproductive health. A section of the list is specifically dedicated to railways, with women legally prohibited from working as train drivers, driver’s assistants, shunters and railway inspectors.

Russian Railways has proposed to abolish the general list of banned professions and to establish a list of criteria for employers to assess risk factors for women themselves, according to an article in the company-run Gudok magazine published Monday.

Russia’s Labor Minister Maksim Topilin replied to the discussion on Tuesday by saying that the list would remain under the government’s supervision.