A full-scale war turned everything upside down in the lives of Ukrainians. The men changed their profession, put on military uniforms and stood up for the defense of the state. Some of them – on the contrary, in order to avoid visits to the TCC, do not want to get a job officially. Some of them quit, not wanting to receive summonses from their employers, and some even moved abroad.
At the same time, women joined the ranks of the Armed Forces, having mastered male specialties. According to the Military Media Center, as of January 2024, there are more than 62,000 women in the Ukrainian army, of which 45,587 are servicemen.
In addition, there is currently a shortage of workers in “male” professions in Ukraine. Thus, the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine noted that after the start of hostilities, the role of women in the economy increased rapidly.
“After the mobilization of men into the armed forces, there was a significant shortage of personnel at medium and large enterprises, so women are being transferred to vacant positions. Such a practice exists in the fields of metalworking and processing of agricultural products at factories with a high level of automation, if retraining can be carried out quickly. Often, working in a new position requires women to perform certain physical exercises. This practice is spreading, in particular, in the furniture industry.” – stated in a study conducted in the Confederation.
It should be noted that in 2017, Ukraine canceled the list of “non-female professions”, which consisted of 450 jobs prohibited for women due to difficult and harmful working conditions. Currently, the division of labor for both sexes is not limited by law.
According to the data of the State Employment Service, as of 2024, 101,400 people in Ukraine had the status of unemployed. Of them, 24,900 men (or 24%), 76,500 women (or 76%). That is, the labor market is now significantly dominated by women. At the same time, in recent years, the State Employment Service has had problems with closing vacancies for drivers, mine operators, electricians, tractor drivers, fitters, electricians, and electric gas welders at industrial plants and in the agricultural sector. For this reason, employers increasingly employ women in positions that were previously atypical for them. This trend is also noticeable in the gas station segment and in the positions of security guards and porters. Despite the fact that the construction industry has a more “male” face, as it requires a lot of hard physical work, it is not a problem to see a woman in this field. Skilled women and girls have taken the place of mobilized men and are working successfully.
In order to overcome the shortage of personnel, companies are ready to invest money in the training of female employees, now there are even grants that allow women to be retrained in “male” specialties. There are many opportunities for women who decide to retrain. For example, training at vocational education centers of the state employment service, training with vouchers (a voucher is a document that will allow you to study free of charge according to an approved list of professions and specialties – ed.). At present, the maximum value of the voucher is 30,280 hryvnias, it is paid by the Fund of compulsory state social insurance in case of unemployment, in most cases this amount covers the entire cost of education.
So, Ukrainian women are the driving force of society, it is on their fragile shoulders that a great burden in the military and civilian spheres currently lies.
