Women can finally become metro drivers in Moscow

The interior of a driver's cabin of a Moscow metro (Russia).

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Stanislav Krasilnikov / TASS / Sipa / SIPA

The Moscow metro (Russia) announced this Sunday that it had recruited female drivers for the first time in its history.

Russian railways have also announced that they will employ female train drivers in 2021. Since Soviet times, Moscow's subways have been driven by men only.

This work was part of an official list, compiled by the government, of professions "harmful" to women's health.

These bans drew much criticism and last September the Ministry of Labor reduced the list from 456 to around 100 occupations.

Jobs finally open to women

The government argued that driving subway trains was dangerous for women because it involved long hours of underground work.

This argument has been rebutted, the Moscow metro easily employing women for cleaning, checkouts and escalator surveillance.

Quite a remarkable day: The Moscow Metro @MoscowMetro finally hired women as tube drivers.

Believe it or not, it was a male-only position until 2021. Wish luck to these beautiful pioneers 💪 pic.twitter.com/tAPYbO0Xao

- Yulia Mineeva (@russiagoingnuts) January 3, 2021

The previous list, approved in 2000, excluded women from jobs in mining and metallurgy, as well as the occupations of bus driver, sailor, parachutist, auto mechanic, and wind instrument maker.

Many of these jobs are now accessible to women thanks to the recent decree of the Ministry of Labor.

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