Abstract
A study of Soviet wages following the transition to a market economy in Russia was conducted. The objective was to examine the winners and losers in the country's economic transition. Data were taken from a set of cross-section household surveys which were conducted before and after the economic reform. Results demonstrate an even greater widening of the wage inequality from 1991 to 1994 which was a level higher than that of the US. Women and older workers suffered distinctively through a sharp decline in wages.