SOCHI, July 21. /TASS/. Average pay to men in Russia differs considerably from salaries paid to women, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the televised "Serious Talk with Vladimir Putin" Q&A with children held at the Sirius Educational Centre for Gifted Children in Sochi on Friday.

"There is a global issue we constantly refer to. It is girls’ education. In many countries around the world, it poses a serious problem as girls are not allowed to study due to various religious issues related to cultural traditions in those countries," Putin said.

Russia does not face this problem, he added.

"However, we have other problems related to protection of women’s rights. It implies a level of pay, which is not typical just of [Russia]. If we have a look at developed economies, at countries in Europe, at members of the European Union, we will see the same thing, since women’s average pay is much lower than men’s average pay," the head of state said adding "bare statistics" confirmed that fact.

Feminism was born long ago as a movement defending women’s rights, he said.

"Actually, there is nothing bad here," he said. "On the contrary. I believe that the movement is right and good. So we should deal with this issue. The question is that any activity should not be distorted so that nobody would lose their mind about it. It happens sometimes."