The main purpose of this study is to analyze the current situation in the economic and demographic development of the population and households in the central Russia small cities, with special attention to the gender aspect. The method of statistical analysis was applied here. Additionally municipal statistics and population census data was made use of. The results show that small cities of central Russia over the past decades have undergone the processes of population decline, its (population) concentration in regional centers, its aging, and the growth in the share of single-person households. All these processes are accompanied by feminization of the population. At the same time, women represent a large share of workers and get lower incomes than men (the gender gap is an equal or higher than the Russian average). The described situation is not only deplorable for the present and future status of women, but it also is a significant challenge for the future sustainable development of small cities, because investigated processes show a tendency to intensify. One of the important practical conclusions is the statement that even a high level of social support (which exists in a number of small cities) does not guarantee the mitigation of challenges. It is necessary to develop the programs aimed to boost networking and inter-municipal cooperation for pooling resources.
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