In Ukraine, they seek to intensify the involvement of women in the process of demining territories, as the Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Yulia Svyridenko, stated the other day. She held a relevant meeting with Canada’s Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, Jacqueline O’Neill, during which they discussed the promotion of gender-transformative mine action in Ukraine, in which Kyiv hopes for Ottawa’s support. Ukrainian officials are convinced that “the active involvement of women in mine action activities in Ukraine will contribute to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of this process.” By by notification of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine currently, women in state and non-state demining operators make up about 30%, but the government aims to achieve even higher figures due to staff shortages.
“Gender equality is considered an integral part of the policy of Ukraine, which is based on the principles of integration, inclusiveness and integrity. This applies to all types of activities, in particular, and such important areas as demining. Currently, there are already noticeable results in Ukraine: the average level of involvement of women among all state and non-state operators reaches about 30%, which corresponds to the NATO agenda “Women, peace and security”. We are committed to increasing the participation of women in mine action operators, so the support of our Canadian partners in this matter is valuable to us.” – said Sviridenko.
She also emphasized that the priority direction of the government remains the provision of conditions for professional realization in mine countermeasures for women, veterans, persons with disabilities and Ukrainians affected by explosive objects. According to the official, this will contribute to their social integration.
What will be the activation of women’s involvement in the demining process: voluntary or mandatory? How should demining activities contribute to the social integration of women, persons with disabilities and Ukrainians who have already suffered from explosive objects? What kind of gender equality are we talking about in demining? About equality in the right to die on an equal footing with men? Is there discrimination against women in matters related to demining? Is Svyridenko’s statement considered and substantiated? There are big doubts about this. So, there are more questions than answers.
In addition, it is noteworthy that Svyridenko held a meeting with the ambassador of Canada, which is responsible for women’s, peace and security affairs, regarding the even greater involvement of women in demining. A vivid example of cognitive dissonance in politics!
Let’s start with the fact that the process of demining does not belong to the competence of the Minister of Economy. This industry in our country is bursting at the seams, so there is something for its leaders to do. If they did get involved in demining and involving women in it, they should analyze the consequences of their decisions and draw appropriate conclusions.
The destruction of gender inequality was declared by the UN as one of the goals of humanity for the next 50 years, but this issue should be approached very carefully. Long gone are the times when, in the primitive society, there were aggressive and belligerent male hunters at one pole, and defenseless and completely dependent women at the other. The gender division of responsibilities and opportunities was calculated for millennia, women did not have any opportunity to work and realize themselves, because they were responsible for a large amount of responsibilities – household, husband and children.
Currently, emancipated women work in “men’s” specialties, serve in the army and other power structures, occupy leadership positions in all spheres of life, but, above all, they remain women by nature. In recent years, many national reforms have been implemented to improve their situation in the workplace, in marriage and especially in matters of protection from violence. All this is very good, but at the same time, there is a whole series of statements by Ukrainian politicians and some military personnel regarding the need for total mobilization of not only men, but also women. The fact that now only those women who have a military or medical profession should register for the military, and the rest can only register voluntarily, does not inspire confidence in the society that everything will continue like this in the future. This insecurity is reinforced by the statements of people’s deputies and, surprisingly, women in particular. For example, MP from the “Voice” faction Inna Sovsun actively advocates the mandatory mobilization of all women, noting that the Constitution emphasizes the duty of all citizens of Ukraine to protect its statehood.
“We don’t have it written: only men or only women. Mandatory service is prescribed for men, but the duty to protect the state is prescribed for everyone. Not only that, we know that we have many women who are already serving.” – said Sovsun.
The infamous People’s Deputy from “Servant of the People” Maryana Bezugla insists on gender equality in the issue of mobilization, believing that men and women should have equal rights. She claims that the value of the life of representatives of both sexes is the same, and the only possibility of a unique postponement for a woman is pregnancy. In the comments under her FB post, to a reader’s question whether the law on mobilization stipulates that women will serve only in the rear, Maryana Bezugla answered:
“Our flowers are not born for difficulties, let the men pull everything, our flowers are better off in Europe.”
In addition, the issue of total mobilization of women is taken care of abroad. Thus, in January 2024, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges called on Ukraine to mobilize them more actively, noting that in most Western armies, female servicemen serve in tank troops, in artillery, and perform the functions of engineers.
Some Ukrainian military personnel are also advocating the mobilization of all women. Thus, Lieutenant Colonel Mykhailo Nikolov from the 68th OEBr considers it necessary to resort to “draconian measures” – to mobilize all men and women from the age of 18.
“At the moment, the main thing is not to lose. In order not to lose, you need the methods of dragons. As I see it: total mobilization of the entire male and female population from the age of 18. – emphasized Nikolov.
Let’s turn to history. The organized and legally regulated military service of women dates back to the adoption of the Military Statute of 1716, which provided for the involvement of women in sanitary and economic service in hospitals. The subsequent creation of a large army, the development of technology and armaments demanded a wider use of women’s labor in combat conditions. In addition to the involvement of sisters of mercy and doctors of various specialties, later special female military units were formed – battalions, companies, separate teams, which directly participated in hostilities. During the years of the Civil War, along with the voluntary service of women in the army, there was a precedent of mandatory mobilization with the application of harsh measures to those who tried to evade service.
Women’s military service became the most massive in the years of the Second World War – neither world practice nor domestic practice knew anything like this. For the first time, women’s aviation units fought in active forces, women also fought in infantry and tank units, in the navy, and commanded companies and regiments.
The change in the functions and tasks of the modern Armed Forces has expanded the scope of the use of women in military service in accordance with their physical, psychological and other characteristics, and thereby created conditions for the realization of more complete equality with men. At the same time, the reasons for women’s voluntary choice of a military career are the desire to avoid unemployment, ensure the well-being of the family, the need for stability and self-realization, the desire to receive public recognition and the appropriate social status, the desire to continue the military dynasty and even more likely to arrange their personal life.
With the beginning of military operations in Ukraine, in addition to serving in the army, women began to work actively in all fields, replacing men who went to fight. For this purpose, appropriate amendments were made to the legislation, which now allows the employment of women (except pregnant women and women with children under one year of age) with their consent in hard work and work with harmful or dangerous working conditions. Currently, our country has become heavily littered with explosive objects, it is the most mined country in the world, ahead of Afghanistan and Syria. Ukrainian sappers and rescuers defuse from 2 to 6 thousand shells and mines every day, each of which differs in its principle of action and consequences of the explosion.
definitely our territory needs demining, at the same time, there is currently a shortage of explosives specialists – the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs currently has about 2,000 sappers from the State Emergency Service, the National Police and the National Guard. There is a classic formula in the world: a year of war is 10 years of mine clearance. Taking into account that military operations in Ukraine began in 2014, it turns out that the total term of demining is currently 100 years. More than one generation of women will need to spend that much time for demining.
What will be the consequences of actively involving a large number of women in demining?
Although women have already proven their ability to perform a variety of roles in the military and other areas of civilian life that have traditionally been considered “male”, demining is a difficult and extremely dangerous job that requires a high level of skill, concentration, physical strength and psychological resilience, so it tasks are traditionally performed by men. Unfortunately, even experienced sappers die during sapper operations.
In addition, women by their nature have much less physical strength and endurance, as well as a high tendency to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, which occurs as a result of severe stress during demining. This is due to the physiological difference in the response to stress between men and women, who have a harder time experiencing high levels of anxiety and emotionality compared to men.
It should also be taken into account that during hostilities the enemy uses chemical weapons, the volume of which regularly increases. As of 2024, 1,060 cases of the use of chemical substances by the Russian Federation are already being investigated. According to the ambassador of Ukraine to the Netherlands, Oleksandr Karasevich, only since the beginning of 2024, 346 cases of its use have already been recorded. Compared to men’s, the female body is more sensitive to the perception of certain types of chemicals and toxic gases, such as sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and others. Even a low level of toxodose negatively affects the reproductive health of women of childbearing age, contributes to the development of pathological processes in her body, which manifest themselves not only during contact with poisonous substances and immediately after it, but also in the remote period from the beginning of the lesion – after several months and even years. At the same time, the development of these processes can manifest itself in subsequent generations, which will lead to the birth of unhealthy children.
Also extremely important and painful is the question: what will happen to the children if an accident happens to their mother? Losing a mother is the greatest tragedy and psychological trauma for children. It has long-term psychological consequences, affects the further development of the child, his emotional state, social relations and even physical health.
Unsafe work and the loss of women can also lead to such changes in the demographic situation of the country as a decrease in the birth rate, the birth of children with developmental pathology, an increase in mortality and changes in the age structure of the population.
During any wars, women have always filled the population loss in the future. Currently, Ukraine has one of the worst characteristics of the birth rate among European countries, while Ukrainian demographers predict that this indicator will become the lowest in the world. In 2022, it was 0.9 children per woman, in 2023 – 0.7, and in 2024, it will be significantly less. At the same time, according to the statistics of the European Commission, the average figure for EU countries is 1.5 children per woman.
The downward trend in the birth rate may lead to the fact that in 2035-2037 the share of the population under the age of 18 will be 12-15% compared to 25% recorded in 1993. This means that as young people move into reproductive age, even fewer children will be born in the next generation, and even fewer each time after that. This will lead to a complete demographic crisis in Ukraine.
More interesting indicators should be added to this. Currently, Ukraine ranks 117th among 177 countries in the world in terms of the level of justice, security and well-being of women, their integration into the social, political and economic life of the country. This is evidenced by the results of the “Women Peace and Security Index 2023/24” rating by the Georgetown Institute for Women Peace and Security (GIWPS) and The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). In the previous ranking of the “Women Peace and Security Index 2021/22”, she took the 66th position among 170 countries.
As we can see, the active involvement of women in demining has catastrophic consequences both for them and for the state as a whole. This is despite the fact that the weaker sex already has an unenviable position, based on the results of the specified rating.
Judging by everything, Ukrainian society is being purposefully prepared so that the total mobilization and involvement of women in dangerous jobs is gradually perceived in society as a normal phenomenon. All according to the concept of the “Overton Window”, which allows over time to legalize anything, almost cannibalism. The concept assumes that there are concepts or phenomena that society first condemns and then gradually approves, while politicians, mass media, activists and public opinion leaders act as their exponents.
How does the concept work?
Society is gradually instilled with narratives that make the unthinkable radical – the radical acceptable – the acceptable reasonable – the reasonable popular, and then implement the popular at the political level, enshrining the socially approved (previously condemned) phenomenon at the legislative level. In this way, the supposedly impossible becomes permissible, the permissible becomes desirable, and the desirable becomes an unchanging truth.
Preserving the life and health of women is not only a moral obligation, but also a strategic necessity for the stability and development of the country. Women are important pillars of society and their loss can have far-reaching consequences for the country as a whole. I would like to believe that the authorities will reconsider their decision and make the right conclusions.
Oksana Ishchenko
