In a situation where men are increasingly being called up for military service, women in Ukraine are gaining new opportunities for career growth. As Deputy Minister of Economy Tetyana Berezhna noted, mobilization contributes to the fact that women are more often occupying management positions, and their average salary level is also increasing.
“In fact, we now have problems with accurate figures, because the State Statistics Service does not work the way it used to. Before the full-scale invasion, women earned 18.6% less than men. Now the situation has developed that employers hire women for high and responsible positions due to the high risk of mobilizing men. Companies do not always have the opportunity to reserve men, so women, thanks to this situation and their willingness to take on responsibility, are joining the professions, and their salaries are growing accordingly,” Berezhna said.
She noted that during the war, many women became entrepreneurs, they created jobs, and therefore, among new businesses, 59% were opened by women.
"We need to understand that when we talk about equalizing salaries between men and women, we also take into account the salaries of the military, and this is a significant amount. But if we separate such moments, then yes, we see a rapid increase in women's salaries," the Deputy Minister of Economy said.
According to her, women have also begun to occupy leadership positions in "male professions" where salaries are higher.
“The Ministry of Economy will soon launch a grant program to train women in stereotypically “male professions”: trolleybus driver, solar panel adjustment specialist, and drone operator,” Berezhna added.
Under martial law, women are more likely to choose atypical professions. According to the State Employment Service, the number of women training to become machine operators, machinists, and electricians has increased.
