In a situation where men are increasingly called up for military service, women in Ukraine are getting new opportunities for career growth. As Deputy Minister of Economy Tetyana Berezhna noted, mobilization contributes to the fact that women are more likely to occupy managerial positions, and their average salary has also increased.
"Actually, we currently have problems with accurate numbers, because the State Statistics Service does not work the way it used to work. Before the full-scale invasion, women earned 18.6% less than men. Now the situation is that employers hire women for high and responsible positions because of the high level of risk of mobilization of men. Companies don't always have the opportunity to book men, so women, thanks to this situation and willingness to take responsibility, join the professions, and accordingly their salaries increase," Berezhna said.
She noted that during the war many women became entrepreneurs, they create jobs, and therefore among new businesses 59% were opened by women.
"It is necessary to understand that when we talk about the equalization of wages between men and women, the wages of the military are also taken into account, which is a significant amount. But if we separate such moments, then yes, we see a rapid increase in women's salaries," said the Deputy Minister of Economy.
According to her, women also began to occupy managerial positions in "male professions" where salaries are higher.
"Soon, the Ministry of Economy will launch a grant program for training women in stereotypically 'male professions': a trolleybus driver, a specialist in setting up solar panels and a drone operator," Berezhna added.
In the conditions of martial law, women more often choose professions that are not typical for them. According to the State Employment Service, the number of women studying to become machine operators, machinists and electricians has increased.
