ADVERTISEMENT Who clocks in at work when over 880,000 people leave their jobs to join the Ukrainian armed forces?
Over the past two years, women have filled the gaps in the civilian workforce in Ukraine, stepping into traditionally male-dominated jobs.
Among those who had jobs before the war, women were far more likely to face extreme financial insecurity than men (23% compared to 14%).
These developments are addressing a critical consequence of the war: the severe financial hardship faced by Ukrainian women.
Among those who had jobs before the war, women were far more likely to face extreme financial insecurity than men (23% compared to 14%).
When more than 880,000 people quit their jobs to enlist in the Ukrainian military, who shows up for work? Women.
In the last two years, women have stepped into traditionally male-dominated jobs in Ukraine to fill the gaps in the civilian workforce. They have turned into miners, truck drivers, farmers, and factory workers, and they have no plans to stop even after the war is over.
Although Ukraine has made great strides toward gender equality in recent years, much more work needed to be done before the conflict.
Women were unable to fully participate in the workforce because of gender stereotypes and the stigma associated with their physical labor skills. Until 2017, women were prohibited from working in occupations like carpentry, firefighting, and train conduct that were considered “harmful” to their reproductive health.
Those who had formal jobs were concentrated in low-paying industries, while many were forced into unpaid caregiving. Women held only 23% of management positions and made 23% less than men. Overall, the men in their lives had a significant impact on their financial security.
Not just a short-term reality of war.
These dynamics changed in 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During the last two years, the population has decreased by 8 million, and more than 1 million people have joined the Ukrainian military, the vast majority of whom are men (as of the beginning of 2024, there were fewer than 70,000 female service members in the Ukrainian military).
Furthermore, the population is aging (more than 22% of the population is over 65, making Ukraine one of the oldest nations in the world) and the fertility rate is just above Hong Kong and comparable to South Korea.
The demographic composition of many Ukrainian towns was significantly altered as a result. There were only 11 men remaining in her town, all of whom were older, according to a project coordinator in a city outside of Dnipro.
Employers began bringing on women in traditionally male-dominated fields like construction and agriculture as a result of these changes in the nation’s labor force and demographics.
Women were actually prohibited from working in occupations like carpentry, firefighting, and train conductor that were considered “harmful” to their reproductive health until 2017.
This represented not just the short-term realities of war for women, but also the possibility of a more significant shift in their roles within Ukraine’s economy and society. They are now grabbing the chance to follow their own goals.
“Now that we’re in this space, we’re not letting go,” summed up a female participant in a focus group for one of UNFPA’s job training programs. “.”.
But history has a lesson to teach us. In contrast, women’s participation in the U.S. A. workforce increase from 28% to over 34%, the biggest proportional increase in female labor in the 20th century, but these gains were short-lived.
Half of these women were no longer employed by the end of the decade. The Ukrainian women are resolved to go against the grain and continue to play an important role in the labor force.
At the core of recovery is equality.
Gender equality must be central to Ukraine’s long-term recovery in order for that to occur. Recognizing the nation’s new demographic reality and making sure women, who have taken on previously unheard-of roles in the economy, are supported in doing so are two ways to achieve this.
Maternity leave and childcare assistance are examples of inclusive workplace policies that the government must enforce, while also acknowledging the care work that is already being provided. In the area, women spend over twice as much time providing unpaid care as men do, and this is the main reason why women avoid or leave the workforce early.
It is imperative that the international community assist the Ukrainian government in making sure that gender considerations are incorporated into all recovery efforts, from post-conflict reconstruction to agricultural assistance.
This involves setting aside funds to help women who have entered these fields advance their skill sets. By assisting with job training programs in IT, manufacturing, agriculture, and energy, we can give women the marketable skills they need to support Ukraine’s economic recovery and future.
More than 4 million Ukrainians were internally displaced at the beginning of the year, and unemployment was pervasive. Women were much more likely than men to experience severe financial insecurity among those who held jobs prior to the war (23 percent versus 14 percent).
Programs for job training are already having an effect on the ground. Consider the case of Oksana Batiy in Sumy, a northern Ukrainian industrial city severely damaged by the ongoing conflict. She is now enrolled in a course that trains auto mechanics.
“I want to learn this profession not just as a temporary job but as a new career path,” she states. There must be someone to keep things going while so many men are away fighting. My goal is to serve my community. “,”.
Women now play a significant role in agriculture, helping Ukraine maintain its reputation as Europe’s breadbasket.
An internally displaced woman from Kherson named Yuliya Teslia learned to drive when she was twelve years old and is currently using her skills in the industry. She says, “We don’t have enough [tractor] operators, and many men are injured.”. “I’ve been working hard since I was a child; I’m just doing it in a different environment now. I’m not scared of hard work. “.
One significant effect of the conflict that is being addressed by these developments is the extreme financial hardship that Ukrainian women have experienced. The economic effects of the conflict in Ukraine have been catastrophic, especially for women.
dreaming of the nation of the future.
Over 4 million Ukrainians were internally displaced at the beginning of the year, and unemployment was pervasive. Extreme financial insecurity was far more common among women than men among those with jobs prior to the war (23 percent versus 14 percent).
Because many of these women are dependent on erratic sources of income and are experiencing extreme needs due to displacement, female-headed households have reported lower monthly household incomes than male-headed households.
Despite the terrible suffering caused by this war, Ukrainian women hope for a future where their daughters will be accepted and able to work.
They always remember that the war will end one day. Additionally, let’s ensure that women continue to be in the lead.
Massimo Diana is the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) representative for Ukraine.
Ten years after the first search for missing flight MH370 ended, the Malaysian government has agreed in principle to accept a second “no find, no fee” proposal from a US company.
Ocean Infinity participated in earlier airline searches that concluded in 2018.
Anthony Loke, Malaysia’s Minister of Transport, stated that the business had agreed in principle to look for a new region in the southern Indian Ocean. The Malaysian government will give them $70 million (€67 million) if they are able to find the wreckage of the missing airline.
Based on the most recent data and information analyzed by specialists and researchers, Ocean Infinity has proposed a new search area. “The proposal from the company is credible,” he said in a statement.
A new 15,000 square kilometer site in the ocean will be searched by the Texas-based marine robotics company from January to April of next year.
“This decision demonstrates the government’s dedication to carrying out the search and giving the families of the MH370 passengers closure,” Loke stated.
Long-standing enigma.
MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, shortly after takeoff. The plane veered off course to pass over the southern Indian Ocean islands, according to satellite data.
Several pieces of debris that have washed up along the coast of Africa and Indian Ocean islands are the only concrete evidence of the plane’s fate, despite a costly multinational search and a separate private investigation in 2018.
One of the biggest aviation mysteries in the world today is the disappearance of the aircraft. According to the families of the 239 passengers, one of the pilots may have intentionally crashed the aircraft as part of a murder-suicide. Aviation officials have also hypothesized that the crew may have become unconscious due to hypoxia, based on the flight data that is currently available.
So far, the hypotheses have never been confirmed. Malaysian investigators have not, however, ruled out the possibility that the plane was purposefully diverted from its intended path.
Numerous relatives of those who were on the flight have been adamant in their efforts to resume the plane’s search.
“This announcement stirs mixed emotions — hope, gratitude, and sorrow,” Intan Maizura Othaman, the wife of cabin crew member Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, told the New Straits Times. It has been extremely difficult for us to deal with the uncertainty and pain of not having answers after almost 11 years. “,”.
According to reports earlier this year, Oliver Punkett, CEO of Ocean Infinity, stated that the company has advanced its technology since 2018. According to him, the company is collaborating with a number of specialists to analyze data and focus the search on the most likely website.
