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Ukraine has been at war for over a year, on the day women’s rights are celebrated, reporter José Pedro Frazão tells us about the visibility of Ukrainian women in a conflict with no end in sight.
International Women’s Day does not pass on the sidelines of the war in Ukraine. Many women fled the country with their children, but many stayed in the country, helping in the economy but also in the military ranks.
Before the Russian invasion, 30,000 women were in the Ukrainian Armed Forces – about 20% of the total. According to data released by Kiev, that number has risen to 59,000, including 19,000 civilian women working for the military. An estimated 5000 are even in designated operations. 101 women died in this war.
Since 2021, Ukraine has had a woman as a brigadier general, that is, at the top of the ranks. Out of 22 ministers, five are women in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The war saw Ukraine drop in the world’s gender inequality index, which is now ranked 81st out of 162 countries.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Economy, the wage gap between men and women in Ukraine is 19%.
48% of the small businesses that opened during the war were started by women. 87% of the nearly 8 million refugees who have left Ukraine are women and children. Men cannot leave the country, and here, too, women represent a mainstay of the Ukrainian war effort.