⎯This paper used the results of a research project that was implemented at the Institute for Social Analysis and Forecasting of the Russian Academy of National Economy and State Service under the President of the Russian Federation in 2015. The data of the quantitative survey of school graduates from the 11th grade of secondary schools in small Russian towns, as well as the materials of expert interviews with representatives of the municipal education departments and school management. The main conclusion of the study is that there is a huge migration potential of youth in small towns, which is mainly related to receiving higher education in large cities, unfortunately without the real prospect of returning to the lesser motherland.

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is gratefully acknowledged. 1 Согласно Международной конвенции ООН о защите прав всех трудящихся-мигрантов и членов их семей от 18 декабря 1990 г., «трудящийся-мигрант-лицо, которое будет заниматься, занимается (или занималось) оплачиваемой деятельностью в государстве, гражданином которого он (или она) не является»

This paper addresses the under-researched issue of migrant domestic work in post-Soviet space. There is an emerging trend of increase in the female share of migrants coming to Russia and Kazakhstan from Central Asia republics. The growing demand for domestic work could be an explanation of the feminization of migration in the region. Using the data of the research project conducted in 2013 in Russia and Kazakhstan, this paper investigates conditions of employment of female migrants in the domestic sector. We find that domestic sector work in the post-Soviet space is rather prestigious and well-paid, while at the same time, highly informal relationships and employment arrangements in this sector seem to satisfy both employers and workers. These findings highlight regional peculiarities of migrant domestic sector work and are important to better understand the feminization of migration within post-Soviet space.