How the war is changing the role of women in Ukraine

The man fights at the front, the woman takes care of the house and children: old roles often become entrenched in wars. But Ukraine also shows that it doesn’t have to be that way.

In the small room of the “Women’s March” organization in Kiev, boxes and packages are stacked up to the ceiling. The shelves are filled with sanitary towels, medicine, children’s shoes and blankets. Tetiana grabbed a piece of paper and an empty parcel box.

“For example, this order includes: sanitary pads, menstrual cups, shopping bags, washing powder, water purification filter and a blanket. Also birth control pills, the morning after pill and a pregnancy test,” says Tetiana. The order comes from the Dnipropetrovsk region, from the village of Slavyanka.

Humanitarian aid for women

The feminist group usually organizes the annual March 8 demonstration for women’s rights. But large events are currently banned for security reasons. Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, the group has primarily provided humanitarian aid – especially for women.

Women are particularly affected by the consequences of the war because men take care of themselves – but the entire family depends on a woman, explains Olena Bykova: “She has to take care of the entire family, the children, their parents and her husband’s parents. The husband goes to war and she is left alone with all of this. She can’t go to work because she does care work.”

More than 70 percent of the unemployed are women

In addition, there is almost no work in the frontline regions, says Bykova. So women have no chance of earning money. That’s why “Women’s March” wants to help as much as possible. Data from the Ukrainian employment center show that more than 70 percent of people in Ukraine who were registered as unemployed last year are women.

According to the UN, eight million women and girls in the country are dependent on humanitarian aid. And domestic and sexual violence is also increasing. This comes as no surprise to women’s rights activist Olena Shevchenko. Every war in every country means a return to traditional values.

“That is always a danger. But it is up to society to decide what fundamental lessons we can learn from the past and what we will do now in this situation.” At the moment, says Shevchenko, she sees the situation as progressive.

Women are increasingly working in industry and crafts

What the figures from the Ukrainian employment office also show: women are moving into traditionally male-dominated professions. Not just in the military – but also in industry and trade. In the construction industry alone, the proportion of women has increased by 18 percent. In mining, almost every second vacant position was filled by a woman.

This would create opportunities for women’s social roles, says sociologist Hanna Hrytsenko, because it means that every person is included: “There is a lot of work and someone has to do it.

We can no longer rely on the male part of society working in manufacturing or in the military. Society would not function without women.” Hrytsenko is of the opinion that the image of women as Barbie or housewife is changing and as a result the traditional role is collapsing.

“Women need to support each other”

War as an opportunity for women – that initially sounds paradoxical. But hardship would lead many women to discover their own strength, says Olena Bykova from the Women’s March organization. There’s almost something feminist about it: “Such feelings are increasing among women because there are fewer men. And women have to support each other and help each other.” The average woman may not even know that she is a feminist and is afraid of the word, says Bykova, “but in itself her views are feminist.”