Inequalities in male mortality by occupational class, perceived status and education in Russia, 1994-2006

Russia's market reforms in the early 1990s led to marked social inequalities. We analysed inequalities in risks of dying for Russian men by occupational class and perceived social status in the post-transition era.

Cox proportional analysis of the hazard of dying by occupational class, education, household income and perceived social status was performed for 593 deaths that occurred between 1994 and 2006 using a representative sample of Russia's male population (n = 6586 people, 40 046 person-years). Occupational class was coded based on the European Socio-Economic Classification; social status was based on survey questionnaires about people's perceived economic, power and respect status.

Manual occupational class is significantly associated with greater hazards of dying among men, after adjusting for age, education and other potential confounding variables. Groups at highest risk were men who were manual workers, manual supervisors and technicians, and lower sales and service workers. Substantial gaps in life expectancy at age 21 of up to 10 years were observed between male managers and professionals and manual workers.

Substantial inequalities in risks of dying exist by both occupational class and perceived status in Russia, with patterns by class differing from those in the west.