There has been criticism from the extreme right (Or is it the extreme left? Who supposedly likes Putin these days? It’s so confusing! — Of course it’s not really confusing at all; the GOP hates everything Biden; ideology is so last century!), or we’ll say criticism from the nominal right, that the left and much of the world is “uncritically” supporting Ukraine. So I decided to take a semi-deep dive into Ukraine prior to the war, specifically their record on women’s rights. (Some of this information was taken from Wiki because it’s a good summary; the most salient points were fact checked using separate Google searches.)
In theory, the women of Ukraine have equal rights with the men. Their current Constitution was adopted and ratified in 1996, shortly after Ukraine gained independence from the USSR. It was last revised in 2014. Article 24 is the pertinent Constitutional article — and reads better than ours! (Bolding mine):
Article 24:
Citizens have equal constitutional rights and freedoms and are equal before the law.
There shall be no privileges or restrictions based on race, colour of skin, political, religious and other beliefs, sex, ethnic and social origin, property status, place of residence, linguistic or other characteristics.
Equality of the rights of women and men is ensured: by providing women with opportunities equal to those of men, in public and political, and cultural activity, in obtaining education and in professional training, in work and its remuneration; by special measures for the protection of work and health of women; by establishing pension privileges, by creating conditions that allow women to combine work and motherhood; by legal protection, material and moral support of motherhood and childhood, including the provision of paid leaves and other privileges to pregnant women and mothers.
Notably, most Constitutional rights apply not just to Ukrainian citizens in Ukraine, but to all humans in Ukraine, as well as to all Ukrainian citizens outside of the country. There are also enumerated rights of children and families. The link (English translation of their entire Constitution) is fascinating — what our Constitution might have been if it were written in modern times (on a good day)!
However, that does not necessarily translate into equality in practice, of course. Although there have been feminist movements since Ukraine’s independence, and more than 60% of Ukrainian women have studied at the college level and above, women make up less than half the workforce but 80% of the unemployed. Ukrainian women have their own problems with glass ceilings and relatively low wages, about 70% of what men earn. Only 2% of large companies are led by women. Most political positions are held by men, the percentages varying with the position.
You have probably heard that women are active in Ukraine’s military. However, women pushed for that paid activity. They started out as volunteers, when allowed in at all. And they only have held official combat positions since 2016. Currently, some women are leaving Ukraine to get their loved ones to safety and/or to collect supplies, and then returning to fight; others who emigrated from Ukraine earlier are now returning to Ukraine in order to join the fight for their country.
Currently, one of the most prominent Ukrainian feminist groups appears to be the Ukrainian Women’s Fund. They state that they have been active in multiple projects, including peace initiatives. In addition, they report providing funding for others, including women’s voice and leadership projects.
Nevertheless, Ukraine still has work to do in education, where girls avoid STEM subjects; and in parenting, where only 3% of men take parental leave.
But does any of this mean that Ukraine deserves to be invaded by a foreign country? Emphatically NO!! First of all, they are in many ways no worse than the US, and we would not tolerate such an invasion. Secondly, in some ways they are better than us. Thirdly, Russia is not exactly going to be able to create for them an equal society! Like the US and Ukraine, Russia is equal in theory but not in practice. Constitutionally, women and men are equal, but women are expected to prioritise home and children, and Russian feminists struggle to advance women’s rights.
So we now have a clear-eyed look at the situation in Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion. And can still say without hesitation, Ukraine has the right to self determination and autonomy. Get out from where you’re not wanted, Russia!
