The Gender Gap in Reaching "Old Age" in the Russian Federation: A Regional Approach

Reaching older age and longevity in later life is determined by health and mortality across the life course. In the case of Russia, the history of high male mortality skews the interaction between population aging and gender. These differentials can be viewed through a spatial lens in order to both understand their causes, and to better determine policy responses, especially in a federal political system. Using alternative conceptualizations of the "boundary to old age", we produce the first estimates of the gender gap in reaching "old age" for all Russian Federal Subjects using 2017 data. We identify some regional differentiations, but uncertainties around the consistency of registration as well as overall heterogeneity mean that clear-cut regional patterns are hard to ascribe. Our analysis shows the highly significant gender gap at the age of "becoming old" in Russia when disaggregated by region. When looking at the regional level and comparing to other countries, the range of male "boundaries to old age" is almost as great as the global range. We argue that when applying alternative "old-age thresholds", this gap represents a more accurate representation of interaction between space, gender, and mortality in Russia. We conclude with policy and research priorities to better understand and ameliorate the drivers of these spatial and gendered inequalities.