This article examines the methodological features of the study of gender norms and practices in the state civil service in Russia. Such norms and practices are of interest, as the state civil service is characterized by a pronounced vertical gender segregation. That is, while women make up the majority of public service employees, they are underrepresented in decisionmaking positions. In this article, based on the theoretical ideas of the American researcher Joan Acker, public authorities are conceptualized as “gendered organizations”. Although many researchers note the analytical potential of Acker’s theory for the analysis of gendered processes in public administration, the existing empirical studies rarely provide a detailed operationalization of all the main components of this theory. This article fills this theoretical and methodological gap by providing a detailed operationalization of the five components of Acker’s theory.
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