Moscow, Aug 31 (ANI): The Russian foreign ministry is a sexist 'bastion of Slavic males' where all the top jobs are given to men and women are not taken seriously, new US diplomatic cables released by whistleblower WikiLeaks have revealed.
The US cable said women accounted for only about 15 per cent of Russia's approximately 4,500 diplomats.
According to the Telegraph, the cable quoted current US ambassador John Beyrle, as saying that many 'Russian diplomats are poorly paid neo-Soviet male chauvinists'.
"It appears more like the Department (of State) did in another age, with no attempt to hide sexism, a rigid top-down management style, limited use of modern communications technology, and what appears to be a Soviet-like effort to maintain control of information and contacts," the American diplomat wrote.
Alleging that sexism in the Russian diplomatic service was 'rampant,' the US ambassador said that he and his colleagues had frequently heard Russian male diplomats make remarks about their female co-workers.
He said that they often suggested female diplomats were best suited for more lowly administrative work.
"While the US Foreign Service may have become a more diverse institution, the Russian MFA remains a bastion of Slavic males who went to Moscow's top schools," the ambassador wrote.
"Women seen within the building are typically secretaries or freshly minted attaches who have yet to go overseas," he added.
The cable also cited Vladimir Morozov, the Russian foreign ministry's director of personnel, as defending the large disparity in the male-female staffing ratio.
"He justified this legacy by explaining that men were better equipped to handle long-term absences from home, harsh climates, and the 'complex political and military situations' in which Russian diplomats often found themselves," he said.
The Russian foreign ministry has not commented on the leaked cable. (ANI)
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