Feminism in Russia less pay than men doing the same work. In 2003, 43 percent of local administrators in St. Petersburg were women. In 2012, the feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot performed publicity stunts to show their opposition to Vladimir Putin, and have faced criticism from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Putin administration. Three members of the group were arrested in March 2012 after performing a "punk-prayer" against Putin in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. During their trial for hooliganism, they talked about being feminists and stated that this was not incompatible with Russian Orthodoxy. However, Larisa Pavlova,
2012 Russian presidential election 2012 Russian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Russia on 4 March 2012. There were five officially registered candidates; four representatives of registered parties and one independent. These election were the first after the constitutional amendments in 2008. In this election, the President was elected for the first time for six years, not four as before. At the United Russia congress in Moscow on 24 September 2011, President Dmitry Medvedev proposed that his predecessor, Vladimir Putin stand for the presidency in 2012, an offer which Putin accepted. Putin immediately offered Medvedev the opportunity stand on the United Russia ticket