Best practices for gender equality in Ukraine and worldwide - FROM OPPORTUNITIES TO REAL CHANGES
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FROM OPPORTUNITIES TO REAL CHANGES Best practices for gender equality in Ukraine and worldwide
1 Ukrainian Women’s Congress (UWC) is a permanent public platform that defines the gender policy agenda for the Ukrainian Parliament, Government, local communities, private and public sectors, and media community. The Congress was established in 2017 by Members of Parliament Olena KONDRATIUK, Maria IONOVA, Svitlana VOITSEKHOVSKA, and Aliona BABAK who represented different political forces, and co-chaired the Equal Opportunities Caucus at the Ukrainian Parliament. They united around the project for supporting equal opportunities in the society. UWC became a unique national high-level discussion platform for promoting equality policy in Ukraine. Since then, the national UWC takes place annually and brings together the country’s leaders, Ukrainian and foreign Members of Parliament, representatives of international and national organizations, mass media, local self-government bodies, Ukrainian and foreign experts, and all those who care about gender equality. For strengthening the discussion at the local level, regional UWCs are conducted. So far, such congresses took place in Odesa (2018), Lviv (2018), and Mariupol (2019). In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UWC introduced a new offline/online format for its events whereby it brought the speakers together in a studio while the audience was watching the event streamed online. Using this format, UWC ONLINE was held in July, and the Fourth UWC was organized in November 2020 to continue the national discussion on gender equality despite the challenges and restrictions imposed by the global pandemic. Since 2018, Ukrainian Women’s Congress civil society organization has been supporting the UWC platform, building its institutional capacity, and developing the national network of representatives for implementing gender equality policy both at the national and local levels.
2
CONTENT
ANALYSIS OF 2020 LOCAL ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE 5
WOMEN AND PEACEBUILDING 16
GENDER SENSITIVITY IN BUSINESS 26
WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT 41
GENDER EQUALITY:
NATIONAL AND GLOBAL AGENDA 55
REGIONAL POLICY AND DECENTRALIZATION:
WHAT ARE GENDER EQUALITY PROSPECTS? 66
RELEVANT RESEARCH AND MATERIALS 78
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 813
INTRODUCTION
On November 24–25, 2020 the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress took place in an
online format, which was a response to COVID-19 related challenges faced by Ukraine
and the world.
Six discussion platforms of the Fourth UWC that brought together about 50 speakers were
streamed live and addressed the most pressing and burning problems related to achieving
gender equality in Ukraine. The key issues discussed at the Congress included analysis of
the 2020 local elections in Ukraine, women’s role and participation in the peacebuilding
process throughout the world and in Ukraine, gender sensitivity in business, women’s
economic empowerment, national and global gender equality agenda, and gender
equality prospects in the context of regional policies and decentralization.
For the first time, the Fourth UWC was held as a tele-bridge joining Lviv, Kyiv, and
Mariupol in the course of the discussion about the regional dimension of equality policy
in Ukraine.
The Fourth UWC was organized by Ukrainian Women’s Congress civil society
organization and supported by international partners. Among the speakers and
moderators of the discussions, there were representatives of the legislative and executive
branches, international organizations and embassies of other countries as well as
representatives of socially responsible businesses, and non-governmental organizations.
7
49 22
speakers donors
9 5
moderators media partners
discussions
Countries represented by speakers: For the first time, Number of viewers online
Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, tele-bridge and number of countries:
Germany, Canada, Poland, Belgium, 371 000 views
Sweden, Israel Lviv - Kyiv - Mariupol in 64 different countries4
Olena KONDRATIUK, Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine
during the opening of the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress
Discussion “ANALYSIS OF 2020 LOCAL ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE” during the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress5 ANALYSIS OF 2020 LOCAL ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE
6
OPPORTUNITIES
On October 25, 2020 local elections were held in Ukraine. Despite lockdown restrictions
and difficulties caused by insufficient explanations of the new election legislation, the
impact of COVID-19 on the proper organization of the election process, and difficulties with
voting in some communities of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (as reported by international
observers1), local elections in Ukraine were held with the registered voter turnout of
36.88%2 and without centrally planned violations, according to the data published by the
Civil Network OPORA3.
Local elections were held under the new Election Code of Ukraine that became effective
on January 1, 2020 and, among other novelties, introduced the so-called gender quotas.
Clause 9 Article 219 of the Election Code of Ukraine:
“When compiling the unified and territorial electoral lists, a party organization has
to ensure that both men and women (minimum two candidates of each gender) are
present in each group of five candidates on each electoral list (places from the first to
the fifth, from the sixth to the tenth etc). If the party organization compiles unified and
territorial electoral lists with the number of candidates, which is not a multiple of five,
the last numbers on the list of candidates (from one to four) are required, one by one, to
be candidates of different genders.”
It is important to notice that gender quotas in electoral law became one of the priorities in
the activity of the Parliamentary Caucus “Equal Opportunities” since 2011. An important
step on the way to including this principle to the 2020 Electoral Code was passing the
amendments to the Law “On Political Parties” (2013) as well as the amendments to the
Law “On Local Elections” (2015) that allowed to fix the representation of the candidates
of same sex in the electoral lists at least on the 30% level.
Another important aspect of the 2020 local elections is the fact that they took place
amidst the final stages of decentralization and amalgamation of territorial communities
whereby local authorities received wider powers and control of available resources 4.
1 Ukraine Election Watch – Final Bulletin / NDI. 30.10.2020. URL: https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/NDI%20Ukraine%20Local%20
Elections%20Statement%20-%20October%202020%20-%20UKR%20final_v2_0.pdf.
2 Voters turnout at local elections totaled 36.88% – CEC. Ukrinform. 26.10.2020. URL: https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-
elections/3123843-avka-na-miscevih-viborah-stanovila-3688-cvk.html.
3 OPORA acknowledges the competitive and lawful nature of local elections in Ukraine; the reported violations were not centrally
planned / OPORA. 26.10.2020. URL: https://www.oporaua.org/news/vybory/mistsevi-vybory/mistsevi_2020/21972-opora-konstatuie-
konkurentnii-ta-zakonnii-kharakter-mistsevikh-viboriv-v-ukrayini-zafiksovani-porushennia-ne-buli-tsentralizovano-splanovanimi.
4 Ukraine Election Watch – Final Bulletin / NDI. 30.10.2020.
URL: https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/NDI%20Ukraine%20Local%20Elections%20Statement%20-%20October%202020%20-%20
UKR%20final_v2_0.pdf.7
Ukrainians elected
Candidates who gained
plurality of votes are
mayors of more than
elected.
1, 400 cities, settlements,
and villages
For the cities with more
than 75, 000 voters the
over 43, 000 council winner has to gain more
members of oblast, rayon, >50% than 50% votes.
city, settlement, and village
of seats will be allocated to the Voting took place
40% candidates who received the most votes
in multi-mandate districts.
in nearly
of seats will be assigned based 32, 000
60% on a new open-list proportional
representation system.
polling stations
5
Data provided by the National Democratic Institute
At the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress, participants of the discussion Analysis of 2020
Local Elections in Ukraine analyzed the election process and tried to offer assessment of
amendments to the Election Code of Ukraine as well as the impact of gender quotas on
representation of women in politics at a local level.
Gender quotas forced political parties not only to pay attention to women politicians but
also to invite them to stand for election representing different political forces. The speakers
of the Fourth UWC were unanimous about this.
Compliance with the gender quotas resulted in an increased number of women
on the electoral lists of political parties. For instance, there were 43% women on the
parties’ lists of candidates nominated for both oblast councils and 24 city councils in
oblast centers, the cities of Kyiv, Kramatorsk, and Bakhmut, while during the 2015 local
elections the respective figures were 30% for oblast councils and 32% for city councils6.
5 Ibid.
6 Statement № 4 on the Interim Results of Gender Monitoring of Ukraine’s Local Elections held on October 25, 2020 / Ukrainian
Women’s Fund. January 2021. URL: https://www.uwf.org.ua/news/12053.8
2O2O 44,66%
44,66%
36,84%
55,34%
63,16%
55,34%
36,84%
280 601 CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERS
OF LOCAL COUNCILS
63,16%
42 439 MEMBERS OF LOCAL COUNCILS
WERE ELECTED
72,21 69,17
65,68 67,41
62,15 58,70
56,23
43,77 37,85 41,30
34,32 30,83 32,59
27,79
FOR
COMPARISON
2O15 35,60%
35,60%
49,53%
64,40%
50,47%
64,40%
49,53% 50,47%
213 307 CANDIDATES FOR MEMBERS
OF LOCAL COUNCILS
161 062 WERE ELECTED
85,05 81,67
75,98
70,78 66,70
53,90 55,67
46,10 44,33
33,30
24,02 29,22
14,95 18,33
Data of the special project “From Opportunities To Changes” published in cooperation with «Українська правда. Життя»
Hence, introduction of gender quotas has a clear positive effect, but further work on
consolidating gender equality in politics is important and necessary because the mere
existence of quotas does not guarantee qualitative changes in politics or society in general
regarding non-stereotypical and non-discriminatory treatment of women.9
What we have here is cautious optimism and objective assessments of the extent to
which quantitative changes caused by the mandatory gender quota on electoral lists
of parties can develop into a new quality, and whether a higher number of women in
politics will lead to qualitative transformations in the political process.
Indeed, compliance with the gender quota increased the number of women on party
lists, but the presence of women on the parties’ electoral lists at the level of 43% did
not lead to the same representation of women among the elected candidates.
Quotas were most helpful for women in terms of being elected and receiving access
to decision-making in those communities where their representation was the lowest.
In contrast, in the local councils where representation of women before the 2020 local
elections was relatively high, the situation has changed less dramatically or even
worsened – the number of women decreased from 44.66% in 2015 to 36.84% in 20207.
REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN AFTER THE 2020 LOCAL ELECTIONS
9.5% 29.7% 9.5% 23.4% 8.3% 23.7% 9.5% 28.6% 9.5% 26.2%
20,3% According to the preliminary
26,6% election results, out of all
oblast or city councils, only
In Dnipro, the percentage
of women in the city
one will achieve 40% women’s
council increased from representation – Zhytomyr
20.3 to 26.6%. city council (40.5%).
Data provided by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund 8
7 Gender Monitoring of Local Elections / Central Election Commission. 15.12.2020.
URL: https://cvk.gov.ua/actualna-informaciya/187243.html
8 Ibid.10
As of January 2021,
32
28% elected oblast council members
are
72% 1,659 (72%) men and
462 (28%) women.
women
will become city
Elected members of city
community leaders, 30%
councils in 20 large cities are
but none will be the 1,064 (70%) men and
head of an oblast 70% 320 (30%) women9.
center.
Among the reasons why the positive impact of quotas on women’s representation in
government was limited, one can name a formalistic approach by parties. In addition
to this, there were reports of violation of the quotas by political parties that submitted
the lists to territorial election commissions (TECs), which had more men among the first
five candidates. Some TECs ignored such violations and registered the respective electoral
lists10.
Furthermore, the quotas did not work to the full extent due to imperfection of the new
election legislation. For instance, the Election Code envisages a mechanism of imposing
sanctions for non-compliance with the quotas by parties, which implies a rejection of a
respective party list submitted for registration. However, there is no mechanism that would
ensure compliance with the quota when candidates are withdrawn from the list. This
legislative gap created a loop for getting around the gender quota; thus, 63% candidates
for members of city councils in Kyiv and in oblast centers marked as “withdrawn” in
the ballots were women11.
9 Е. Sardalova, N. Petruk. The lower a level, the higher a number of women councilors. How many women were elected to local
government during the 2020 elections? Radio Svoboda. 31.12.2020. URL: https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/zhinky-na-miscevyh-
vyborah-2020/31027881.html?fbclid=IwAR12bZIb4GZ_kVNKyYm1BXug0-HtepDgmK9rDKNacz2SXDsvTr3x1We05I0.
10 Statement № 3 on the Interim Results of Gender Monitoring of Ukraine’s Local Elections on October 25, 2020 / Ukrainian Women’s
Fund. November 2020. URL: https://www.uwf.org.ua/news/11940.
11 The number of women in local government has increased, but only to reach the passing score of democracy / Ukrainian Women’s
Fund. November 2020. URL: https://www.uwf.org.ua/news/11944.11 It is more difficult for women to stand for elections since their resources are limited. On the one hand, women do not have sufficient funds to pay the election deposit which is quite big in large cities. On the other hand, the work of a local council member is not paid, which impacts women’s participation considerably because women often perform unpaid household work and take care of family members in addition to professional employment, which complicates their active involvement in politics. Women politicians and activists experience political bullying and discrimination more often than men, they encounter pressure and threats from their opponents as well as objectification in the media, which influences their involvement in politics at all levels significantly. One third of the respondents of independent gender monitoring #вибориБЕЗсексизму [#electionsWITHOUTsexism] faced election violence during local elections. Instances of violence included bullying in the social media and damage of campaign materials, phone calls with threats, breach of the candidate’s Facebook page, and even physical violence against a campaign group12. It is important to mention that #вибориБЕЗсексизму [#electionsWITHOUTsexism] campaign was the first to provide legal and psychological assistance before the elections through the chatbot and hotline to the candidates who experienced political pressure during the 2020 election campaign. National information campaigns are an important instrument for combating political violence and discrimination. In 2018, Ukraine joined the #НеЦінаПолітики / #NotTheCost13 campaign - a global movement initiated by Madeleine Albright to raise awareness about combating discrimination, stop violence against women in politics, and draw attention to real-life stories of violence against politically active women. Real- life stories of women who suffered violence and discrimination in politics became a part of the thematic report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women at the UN General Assembly in October 201814. 12 Statement № 2 on the Interim Results of Gender Monitoring of Ukraine’s Local Elections on October 25, 2020 / Ukrainian Women’s Fund. October 2020. URL: https://www.uwf.org.ua/news/11934. 13 See.: Women are 50% of Ukraine’s Success. March 2021. URL: https://50vidsotkiv.org.ua/tag/netsinapolityky/ 14 Violence against women in politics / United Nations Organization. August 2018. URL: https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc. asp?symbol=A/73/301
12
In 2020, before the local elections, a national information campaign “You Are Not Alone
On Your Way To Politics”15 was conducted in Ukraine to express support for women
who were running for office for the first time or already had experience in politics. This
campaign was continued after the elections in the form of the #ламаюстереотипи
[#breakingthestereotypes] flashmob on social media, which drew attention to the
difficulties women face in politics and emphasized the importance of support in
combating sexism and stereotypes.
However, strong gender stereotypes in the society and imperfect legislation did not
become an obstacle to achieving a positive result of introduction of the gender quotas,
which “worked as a mechanism, although not as successfully as expected”16. More
practical steps need to be taken in the future by both the state authorities and political
parties so that opportunities for women’s political participation become a real change
in the society.
15 See: You Are Not Alone On Your Way To Politics. March 2021. URL: https://neodna.org.ua/about
16 Statement № 3 on the Interim Results of Gender Monitoring of Ukraine’s Local Elections on October 25, 2020 / Ukrainian Women’s
Fund. November 2020. URL: https://www.uwf.org.ua/news/11940.13 REAL CHANGES Ukrainian Women’s Congress calls upon the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to: ll at the legislative level, ensure adherence to the principles of non-discrimination and elimination of violence and sexism against politically active women during the entire election process and political activities, and to introduce efficient tools for protection and prevention of such instances; ll identify (together with the Central Election Commission) gaps in the election legislation and introduce respective amendments to the Election Code of Ukraine in order to avoid different interpretation of its provisions; ll amend the Election Code of Ukraine in order to ensure preservation of balance between men and women on the electoral lists of parties in the event candidates are replaced or withdrawn before and after elections; ll initiate development of inclusive policies and gender-sensitive strategies for ensuring political participation of women belonging to under-represented groups. Ukrainian Women’s Congress calls upon political parties to: ll create conditions for involving women in party activities, and facilitate their professional development for further participation in elections, including provision of additional opportunities as well as resources, such as financial support, for their election campaigns, political mentorship, and development of internal party women’s wings; ll introduce the practice of appointing women to leadership positions in a party, and involve women members and activists to decision making in the party, in particular on compilation of the lists of candidates (recruitment and nomination of candidates);
14
Ukrainian Women’s Congress calls upon civil society organizations to:
ll keep the public constantly informed about manifestations of sexism and cases of
violence against women during the elections;
ll carry out long-term information campaigns, also during the period between
elections, encouraging women of different ages to take part in political life in
Ukraine.
Ukrainian Women’s Congress calls upon Ukrainian and international donor
organizations to:
ll support independent media for presenting impartial information in contrast to the
media owned by oligarchs that provide biased coverage of the election campaign.15 Discussion “WOMEN AND PEACEBUILDING” during the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress Yulia TYCHKIVSKA, Moderator at the Fourth UWC Tobias THYBERG, Maria IONOVA, Co-Founder of the UWC Speaker at the Fourth UWC
16
WOMEN AND
PEACEBUILDING17 OPPORTUNITIES In 2020, the global community celebrated the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Resolution 1325) – the first of the resolutions adopted within the sphere of UN activities, and the Program of Action on Women, Peace, and Security regarding women’s rights in conflicts17. Resolution 1325 was an important achievement of the global women’s movement making the impact of war on women visible and drawing attention to the important role of women’s leadership in preventing conflicts and peacebuilding. Resolution 1325 does not need ratification; it is implemented through recommendations to the states and international organizations on involving women in resolution of conflicts as well as through national action plans that serve as practical tools for integrating equality standards into the processes of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. By the decision of the Government, Ukraine adopted the National Action Plan for implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security in February 2016 becoming the first country in the world that adopted such plan amidst a military conflict18. The National Action Plan was re-approved in October 2020 with the principal focus for the following five years on creating proper conditions for ensuring equal participation of women and men in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, restoration processes, countering security challenges, systemic combating of gender-based violence and conflict-related violence19. 17 Women, Peace, and Security: Information and methodological collection for employees of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of Ukraine / UN Women. 2016. URL: http://www.un.org.ua/images/documents/4461/UN_Women_WPS%20MoD%20Guide_UKR.pdf. 18 On approving the National Action Plan for implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Women, Peace, and Security for the period ending 2020: Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine № 113-р as of 24.02.2016. Government portal. URL: https://www.kmu.gov.ua/npas/248861725. 19 Second National Action Plan for implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 Women, Peace, and Security adopted in Ukraine to commemorate the 20th anniversary of adoption of the Resolution. Government portal. October 28, 2020. URL: https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/do-20-yi-richnici-prijnyattya-rezolyuciyi-radi-bezpeki-oon-1325-zhinki-mir-bezpeka-v-ukrayini- prijnyato-drugij-nacionalnij-plan-dij-z-vikonannya-rezolyuciyi.
18
As of August 2020, 86 UN member states
(45% of all UN member states) have na-
tional action plans for implementation of
Resolution 1325.
1325 Ukraine is the only country that
adopted the action plan amidst a
military conflict.
Data provided by Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom20
The objective of Resolution 1325 is to strengthen women’s role as equal partners
in conflict regulation and peace building in the countries affected by military
conflicts. Following this objective, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) change their
approaches gradually and become more open for women’s participation involving them
in implementation of the state security and defense tasks. According to AFU General Staff
data, as of 2020 there are 29, 760 women serving in the Ukrainian army, which is 14% of the
total operating strength21.
The military conflict in the east of Ukraine also made visible an important role of women
who are directly involved in military action as part of the AFU. Approximately 15, 000
women, which account for 4% of the total number, have the state of war veterans22.
UN study demonstrates that women’s participation in the conflict resolution process
increases the chances of achieving lasting peace by 35%, yet women were involved in
peace negotiations only in 10% of cases in 1990–2010. The level of women’s participation
in the peacebuilding process remains low throughout the world23.
20 National-Level Implementation / PeaceWomen. URL: http://www.peacewomen.org/member-states.
21 Women Are Key to Success. 1325.org.ua. URL: http://1325.org.ua/participation-2/.
22 Ibid.
23 A Global Study on the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 / UNWOMEN. URL: https://wps.
unwomen.org/.19
GLOBAL STUDY
9%
ON IMPLEMENTATION OF
RESOLUTION 1325
When women
sit down at the peace negotiation
mediators
table, it means: are women
20% of the probability of
concluding a peace However, only 9% of
increase agreement for 2 years; mediators in peace
negotiations were women
from 1992 to 2011 during
35% of the probability of
concluding a peace 31 significant peaceful
increase agreement for 15 years. regulation processes.
Data provided by the UN Security Council (2015)24
Disproportionate impact of the armed conflicts on women and girls, the vital role that
women are playing in peace and security, as well as the importance of considering gender
perspective in all areas of its activity determines the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO). The whole NATO’s activity – starting from the policy and trainings up to the missions
and operations – obligatorily includes gender components. NATO is constantly working
on creating a maximum inclusive environment by involving women to the activities at all
levels, by cancelling the gender identified activities, as well as by withstanding the sexual
exploitation and misuse.25
NATO’s approach to the “Women, Peace and Security” agenda is based on the principles
of integration – as inclusion of gender equality to all NATO’s politics, programs
and projects, inclusivity – as an opportunity to create environments advantageous
for full-pledged and important participation of women in peacebuilding and security,
and integrity – as a requirement to keep the highest behavior standards and zero
discrimination to women.26
24 Ibid.
25 NATO and “Women, Peace, and Security”: Power in Gender Diversity and Equality / North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 15.10.2020.
URL: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_178803.htm?selectedLocale=uk
26 Women, Peace and Security / North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 01.10.2020. URL: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/
topics_91091.htm?selectedLocale=en20
During the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress participants of the discussion Women and
Peacebuilding analyzed the challenges and prospects for involving women in the peaceful
regulation process in Ukraine, and assessed the changes in the state and civil society
environment that facilitate higher access of women to conflict resolution in the East.
In Ukraine, which has been experiencing military aggression since 2014, the peacebuilding
process is slow. However, such a situation is not unique, especially with regard to resolution
of complicated frozen conflicts involving various actors. As an important lesson, Ukraine
can use the Transnistrian conflict. Back in the early 1990s, Moldova chose a so-called soft
approach to its resolution, according to which Transnistria became part of the negotiations
format, local business received an equal trading regime with Moldova, and over 300
documents were signed for conflict resolution. However, all these steps did not bring
positive results, which fact, among other things, was mentioned by Maia Sandu, the newly
elected President of Moldova, urging Ukraine to avoid such experience and mistakes27.
Despite some change of approaches in the Ministry of Defense to the peacebuilding
process – currently, members of negotiation groups are representatives of political spheres,
internally displaced persons, religious groups and media – women remain virtually not
involved in the peace negotiation process: there are only two women in the Ukrainian
delegation for participating in the trilateral Contact Group (so-called Minsk Group) for
peaceful regulation of the situation in Donbas28.
Important experience and example of leadership within the framework of the Minsk Group
in 2015-2019 was demonstrated by Member of Parliament Iryna Herashchenko who since
June 2014 was the Presidential Envoy for Peaceful Settlement in Donetsk and Luhansk
oblasts, and for four years since May 2015 – Ukraine’s representative in the Minsk Group’s
Working Group on Humanitarian Affairs.
During this period, she submitted 35 draft laws to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 15 of
which became laws aimed at addressing security and humanitarian issues; she furthermore
initiated submission and adoption of 20 resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada with appeals to
international community on the aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, on release
27 S. Sydorenko. Russian troops must leave Transnistria, and Crimea is Ukraine: Interview with Maia Sandu. European Pravda.
20.11.2020. URL: https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/interview/2020/11/20/7116719/.
28 Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the membership of the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG. President of Ukraine: official web-site.
05.05.2020. URL: https://www.president.gov.ua/news/volodimir-zelenskij-zatverdiv-sklad-delegaciyi-ukrayini-dlya-60993.21 of hostages, prisoners of war, and political prisoners; she also visited Donbass regularly to deliver humanitarian aid to the soldiers. These national initiatives were followed up by international activities. Thus, Iryna Herashchenko as a representative of the Ukrainian delegation to the PACE together with her colleagues worked on the resolutions for strengthening sanctions against Russia and release of hostages. Thanks to her involvement in the peaceful regulation process and coordinated international advocacy efforts, “3,240 people were found/released since the beginning of the anti-terrorist operation”29. Women’s involvement in the peacebuilding process should also be analyzed from the perspective of conflict impact on the one hand, and possibilities for women’s involvement in its resolution on the other. Women are most affected by the conflict in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine since after their internal displacement they have to deal with the challenges caused by family separation, and the need to provide for their families. In 2018, gender analysis was carried out in Ukraine to study the results of the national survey on protection of the rights of internally displaced parsons (IDPs), which demonstrated that “women find themselves in a more economically vulnerable situation: IDP women live with large families three times more often than men, almost twice more often – in low-income families, and 9% more often –families in difficult life circumstances”30. Only 35.9% of the surveyed women were employed, while 60.5% responded that allowance paid to IDPs for covering accommodation expenses is the source of income for their families. IDP women also experience the lack of funds more often than men, and they are forced to economize31. At the same time, women act as agents and leaders in social work, in particular with regard to gluing the society together and healing the wounds inflicted by the military conflict. Important civil society initiatives that should be mentioned in this context as examples of successful national projects on unification of the society, include Women’s Veteran Movement and Women Are Key to Peace project. 29 Report on the work of Iryna Herashchenko. Holos Ukrainy. 22.05.2019. URL: http://www.golos.com.ua/article/317309. 30 Report on gender analysis of the results of all-Ukrainian survey on respect for the rights of IDPs. Impact Group. 2018. URL: https:// www.vplyv.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Zwit_pro_gendernyi_analiz_2018.pdf. 31 Ibid.
22
Women’s Veteran Movement was created in 2018, and it advocates systematically the idea
of protecting the rights and equal opportunities for female service members and veterans,
draws attention to their urgent needs, and creates opportunities for their implementation
in the society through lawmaking and promoting the professional security sector. Events
organized by this initiative, also in partnership with the Equal Opportunities Сaucus in the
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, consolidate women veterans thanks to their regular meetings
held several times a year in different regions of Ukraine; they facilitate commemoration
of their friends and sisters by planting the Memory Alley in different localities of Ukraine,
and they also draw attention to provision of proper health care assistance and services to
female service members and veterans32.
Women Are Key to Peace is a project implemented with support from the UN Women
Ukraine that draws attention to reintegration of female service members into civilian life
after their participation in the armed conflict. Using examples of nine “stories of resilient,
determined, and strong-willed Ukrainian women” who returned from the frontline and
became entrepreneurs, volunteers, community mobilizers, and doctors, the project
demonstrates convincingly that – despite all trials – people can and should change their
life and help others who need it33.
Another important partnership supporting peacebuilding includes the activities of the
Slavic Heart Charity Foundation established in 2014, the projects of which are aimed at
working in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, in particular close to the contact line. In summer
of 2020, the Foundation became a partner of Donetsk police in combating domestic
violence, and created three mobile teams of volunteers to help women in difficult life
situations34. Continuing close cooperation with the Main Department of National Police
in Donetsk Oblast, the Foundation developed series of events for children and the youth
living along the contact line called Safe Vacations35. In addition to this, the Foundation
distributes humanitarian aid (hygiene packages) to vulnerable families with children living
in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts36.
32 See web-site of the civil society organization Women’s Veteran Movement: https://www.uwvm.org.ua/.
33 See web-site of the project Women Are Key to Peace: http://1325.org.ua/.
34 During quarantine, a partner of Donetsk police, Slavic Heart Charity Foundation continues to provide assistance for survivors of
domestic violence / Bakhmut raion police station. 27.03.2020. URL: http://bahmut-police.dn.ua/news/view/6375.
35 Safe Vacations organized for children and the youth living along the contact line / Slavic Heart Charity Foundation. 13.07.2020. URL:
http://www.slavicheart.org/dityam-ta-molodi-z-liniyi-zitknennya-organizuvaly-bezpechni-kanikuly/?lang=en.
36 Hygiene packages for vulnerable families / Slavic Heart Charity Foundation. 10.07.2020. URL: http://www.slavicheart.org/
gigiyenichni-nabory-vrazlyvym-simyam/?lang=en.23 Together with the issue of overcoming the consequences of the armed conflict in the Eastern Ukraine, an important role in promoting the principles of equality and non- discrimination is playing the Parliamentary Caucus “Equal Opportunities”. In 2016-2019, the People’s Deputies of this Caucus have supported the advocacy campaign aimed to cancel eliminations for women serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as well as for women studying in the military colleges. The People’s Deputies have also actively cooperated with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine that allowed not only to gain the attention to this problem, but also has fastened passing these two resolutions that have severely expanded the list of position to become open for women serving in the Armed Forces. That resulted into the access for women to many combat positions in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (gunners, snipers, investigators etc.). A substantial change became also the opportunity for women to hold military officer positions that contributes to better representation of women in Ukrainian military. Due to parliamentary control, the issue of gender equality in defence and security is kept in the national agenda. Thus, in 2018, the Law “On Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Military Colleges” has been passed, and in one year, girls got the opportunity to start their study in the military lyceums.
24
REAL CHANGES
Ukrainian Women’s Congress calls upon the Office of the President of Ukraine and the
National Security and Defense Council to:
ll ensure participation of women in official peace processes and negotiations in
order to include in the agenda the issues related to protection of human rights and
elimination of various forms of discrimination and violence;
ll increase representation of women in peacebuilding activities and ensure equal
rights and opportunities regarding access to service in the Armed Forces of
Ukraine and other agencies of the security and defense sector;
ll take efficient measures for preventing and combating gender-based violence
related to the conflict;
ll create programs of employment for IDP women taking all specific aspects
into account; enhance access to information and services (all state authorities
and local self-government bodies, courts, etc.) through respective channels of
communication;
ll submit to the Verkhovna Rada for ratification the Council of Europe Convention
on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.25 Discussion “GENDER SENSITIVITY IN BUSINESS” during the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress Oleg PANIUTA, Kostyantyn YEVTUSHENKO, Natalia YEMCHENKO, Moderator at the Fourth UWC Speaker at the Fourth UWC Speaker at the Fourth UWC
26
GENDER
SENSITIVITY
IN BUSINESS27
OPPORTUNITIES
In 2015, McKinsey Global Institute published the study, according to which elimination of
gender inequality can add 12 billion dollars to the global GDP by 202537. Hence, one
can talk about gender equality not only as an important moral and social factor, but also as
an economic factor that requires close cooperation between the public, private, and social
sectors.
There are still a lot of stereotypes and biases in the Ukrainian and global societies,
elimination of which, without exaggeration, will become part of an important
cultural shift. An important global factor in this process is systematic and large-scale
implementation of 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN and agreed by the
governments of 150 countries in 2015, including gender equality as Goal 5. Successful
implementation of these global tasks to overcome the global imbalance is possible
only with active participation of all players: national and international, government and
corporate actors, civil society, and the media38.
During the Fourth Ukrainian Women’s Congress, the Gender Sensitivity in Business
discussion brought together representatives of the state governmental and banking
sectors as well as representatives of the media, IT and pharmaceutical business who tried
to answer sensitive questions pertaining to the modern corporate culture in Ukraine ,
which – in line with the global trends – is changing toward gender sensitivity, and on this
way it overcomes numerous stereotypes, difficulties, and obstacles.
Data of the survey conducted by Ernst
& Young in conjunction with Peterson
Institute for International Economics
companies that demonstrate
have at least 30% an increase of their convincingly speak in favor of a corporate
women in their probability
management by about 6%
culture of equality: companies that have at
least 30% women in their management
Data from the survey conducted by Ernst & Young and implement gender equality programs
demonstrate an increase of their
37 How advancing women’s equality can add $12 trillion to global growth: report / McKinsey Global Institute. 01.09.2015. URL: https://
www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/how-advancing-womens-equality-can-add-12-trillion-to-global-
growth.
38 The 17 Goals / Department of Economic and Social Affairs UN. URL: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.28
profitability by about 6%39. Therefore, it is important that business owners – private
investors, a group of investors or the state – should have a modern understanding of
equality in the corporate sector, and gradually implement such practices in the daily
activities of companies.
Although the sole originator of efficiency is always the owner of the company, the “added
value” is also important for business, which begins with building proper internal policies
and appropriate work with people. In other words, it is about forming a corporate
culture that includes not only equal working conditions and equal opportunities for
further education, but also equal involvement of women in all processes, including
management.
The global standard in the process is the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs),
which is a comprehensive agreement offered by the UN to businesses in order to
create better opportunities for women in the workplace, in particular by implementing
internal policies on tolerance and equal opportunities, maintaining equality in parental
leaves, eliminating stereotypes about so-called male and female positions, gender-
balanced recruitment, and raising staff awareness about equal opportunities as well as
carrying out advocacy campaigns and data analysis to combat gender discrimination40.
In Ukraine, one of the four companies that joined the global initiative and signed the
Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) is StarLightMedia, management of which
identified ten key goals for the year and developed specific mechanisms for achieving
them in order to ensure proper implementation of gender equality principles in the
company. Some of the best practices that can be used as a model by other Ukrainian
companies are:
• corporate audit of salaries, which confirmed the absence of a gender gap in
payments;
• integration of information on the value of gender equality and respect for human
rights in vacancy announcements, job descriptions, and reference materials for
new employees, introduction of the practice of gender-balanced recruitment;
39 Noland M., Moran T., Kotschwar B. Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey. Working Paper. February 2016.
URL: https://www.piie.com/publications/wp/wp16-3.pdf.
40 For more details, see the web-site Women’s Empowerment Principles: https://www.weps.org/.29
• launch of a parenting support program (from work schedule optimization to
training courses for parents) and a campaign to involve parents in child-raising;
• use of a checklist for gender-balanced materials;
• introduction of educational meetings for employees on discrimination and equal
opportunities as well as creation of a corporate hotline for reporting the cases of
violations or instances of discrimination in the company.
As of 2020, the international Women’s Empowerment Principles
were signed by 4 250 companies.
>300
200-300
100-200
50-10030
As a result of implementation of the equality principles, within just one-year
StarLightMedia was able to increase its rate in the respective WEPs Gender Gap Analysis
Tool from 11 to 47% 42.
Another efficient initiative for companies is the SheWorks partnership launched in
2014 by the International Finance Corporation to encourage the private sector to create
equal and fair conditions in the workplace. The SheWorks partnership was immediately
joined by 13 leading companies, which undertook to improve working opportunities and
working conditions for 300,000 women within two years (duration of the partnership).
The partner companies committed themselves to introduce minimum three gender-
sensitive workplace interventions, including sponsorship and/or mentorship programs,
efficient mechanisms of preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, and gender
assessment43.
It is extremely important that these principles do not remain declarative statements,
but become real examples set by specific companies in order to further promote change.
Such examples can include gender quotas in company management, new corporate
governance rules in the company, for instance, “blind interviews” or 50/50 candidates
for a specific position, pilot projects with greater involvement of women, and large-scale
advocacy campaigns.
Several European countries have laws providing for gender quotas in company
management (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain) and/or implement
additional national-level measures such as a fixed gender quota (40%) in the company
management except for CEO positions (France) or gender quota (30%) for supervisory
boards of the largest companies identified by the state (Germany). The European practice
also provides an opportunity for the company to decide independently on the number of
women in management, including the positions of top managers44.
42 StarLightMedia Annual Report on achieving the goals of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
URL: https://slm-weps.report/.
43 For more details on the implemented practices and their outcomes, see: SheWorks: Putting Gender-Smart Commitments into
Practice: Executive Summary / International Finance Corporation. 2016. URL: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/9e601ca4-765b-
43c7-9c33-974334486881/SheWorks+Knowledge+Report_Executive+Summary-bm.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=lDw.eH2.
44 See: 2020 Women on Boards Gender Diversity Index. URL: https://5050wob.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2020-Gender-
Diversity-Index-Report-FINAL.pdf.31
The research shows that introduction of gender quotas has positive results. These
include, among other things, increased number of women in company management
and positive impact on women’s career development in lower positions, improved
and harmonized decision-making, higher attendance at company management
meetings, and better monitoring of the company executive structures. On the other
hand, introduction of gender quotas can create problems in the company’s internal
communication and the threat of attracting women with insufficient professional
experience to senior management positions45.
A good example for Ukraine regarding introduction of equality in the corporate sector
is The 30% Club, which is an advocacy campaign set up in the UK to increase the
number of women to 30% in the top management of companies with the largest market
capitalization on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE 100). When the campaign was
launched in 2010, only 12% of FTSE 100 leaders were women. The campaign initiators
decided that achievable goals should be set, so they focused on 30%, although in their
mission they strive to achieve equality and gender balance.
The most successful initiatives of The 30% Club, which has offices in Europe, North and
South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia were:
1. Investor Group, which is an initiative aimed at explaining the need for gender
assessment of business before and after investments into its development, and
simulation of the invested business to enhance women’s representation in executive
positions.
2. Mentoring Scheme, which proved itself to be the most practical and efficient way
to achieve gender equality at all levels of management of organizations having
involved 9, 324 mentors and mentees from 193 organizations in 30 various economic
sectors since 2014.
3. The Future Boards Scheme, which provides opportunities to senior women to
receive one year of experience of working in the company management bodies for
climbing the career ladder.
In addition to this, a lot of attention is paid to educational activities provided through
business schools and leadership training programs46.
45 Smith N. Gender quotas on boards of directors. IZA World of Labor. URL: https://wol.iza.org/articles/gender-quotas-on-boards-of-
directors/long.
46 For more details, see: Who We Are. 30% Club. URL: https://30percentclub.org/about/who-we-are.32
Despite national and international initiatives and a strong focus on equality in the
corporate sector, some challenges still remain. The progress in equal opportunities policy
in business depends on overcoming these challenges. For instance, survey conducted
by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (ОЕСD) that is
based on analysis of databases of certain international companies and their branches
demonstrates that, despite some improvements, the “glass ceiling” still prevents
women from taking top positions in supervisory councils of companies in different
industries. Moreover, the “glass ceiling” continues to exist also inside the supervisory
councils of companies themselves.
The survey failed to confirm the hypothesis, according to which the younger a company
the smaller a gender gap in its management47.
Only 16% members of supervisory The “glass ceiling” is also
16% councils in top-500 international
companies are women.
lingering within supervisory
boards of companies –
women account for 23%
Only 24% women in supervisory of independent advisors,
24% boards are aged 50 to 60. This figure
is four times higher than the number
of women aged 60 to 70.
while there are only 7%
women holding the key
management positions.
Data provided by the OECD Analytical Database on Individual Multinationals and their Affiliates (ADIMA) 48
Tools for achieving gender equality in the corporate sector include working on internal
company policies, i.e. documents that define the code of conduct for employees and
company management. Grant Thornton consulting company carried out an interesting
study, in which it provides ten recommendations to business leaders on increasing gender
diversity based on its having monitored the change of women’s position in business for
14 years, analyzed its own activities, and reflected on the global level of gender equality49.
47 What big data can tell us about women on boards / OECD. March 2020.
URL: https://www.oecd.org/gender/data/what-big-data-can-tell-us-about-women-on-boards.htm?fbclid=IwAR1V-aSh-
RXnhppspAxpQF4monM3WV-mXThf2C-jg6mszQQ2DwFRMNcAHtw.
48 For more details, see: Measuring Multinational Enterprises / OECD. November 2020.
URL: https://www.oecd.org/sdd/its/measuring-multinational-enterprises.htm.
49 Women in business: beyond policy to progress / Grant Thornton. March 2018. URL: https://www.grantthornton.global/
globalassets/1.-member-firms/global/insights/women-in-business/grant-thornton-women-in-business-2018-report.pdf.33
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR ACHIEVING GENDER DIVERSITY:
Demonstrate commitment to the idea since demonstration of their
Champion the cause attitude by the senior leadership is the first step toward achieving
gender equality.
Diversity and inclusion as
Make diversity and inclusion the core value of the company.
values
Clear goals Set clear goals to achieve diversity and inclusion.
Payment incentives Link progress in achieving gender equality to pay.
Representative inclusion Avoid tokenism50, whereby only the number of women in leadership
of women positions matters, and not their representation.
Reduce ‘mini me’ recruitment and promotion by not giving preference
Reduce “mini me”
to representatives of the same gender as yourself.
Seek women inside the Introduce mentorship/sponsorship in the company finding women not
company outside, but first inside it.
Investigate benefits because evidence of the commercial gains
Benefits of gender diversity brought by gender diversity will help to convince sceptics and provide
justification for the necessary changes and new initiatives.
Leaders need to realize that changes toward gender equality will be
Comfortable with discomfort
neither easy nor fast.
Share your story. It should be not only about successful practices, but
Your story
also about mistakes and problems.
Data provided by Women in Business: Beyond Policy to Progress
50 Tokenism is a concept, according to which group dynamics is influenced by the ratio of people belonging to different cultural
categories (representatives of national minorities, women, etc.). Women, due to their small number in top management positions,
are more noticeable, and therefore perceived more stereotypically; their characteristics are exaggerated, and they become “tokens”
(symbols) in the male business world.34
In the process of gender policy implementation in the corporate sector, it is important
to offer solutions that will force business to look for equal opportunities and diversity,
and to make extra effort to achieve bigger and more impressive results. Practical
examples of how gender domination can be gradually overcome are two simple and
effective methods in recruitment campaigns, including examination of at least two
candidates of different sexes for each vacancy, and “blind selection” when all gender
characteristics are removed from candidates' resumes. These approaches demonstrate
successful practices of avoiding stereotypical thinking, and increase the chances of a fair
assessment of candidates regardless of their gender.
ACCORDING TO FORBES, OUT OF TOP-100 LARGEST PRIVATE COMPANIES
IN UKRAINE IN 2020 ONLY EIGHT ARE LED BY WOMEN
Income,
Company Industry Head / СЕО
billion UAH
ADM Ukraine Agriculture 23.1 Iryna Prysiazhniuk
Vodafone Communications 15 Olha Ustynova
Auchan Retail trade 14.2 Viktoria Lutsenko
Wholesale, fuel and energy
Katma Group 11.4 Halyna Primak
company
Eldorado Retail trade 9.7 Vira Vitynska
Kyiv Oblast Energy Supply
Fuel and energy company 9.4 Svitlana Sokhatiuk
Company
АV Metal Group Wholesale trade, metallurgy 9.1 Olena Tulchynska
McDonald’s Public catering 7.8 Yulia Badritdinova
Data provided by Top-100 largest private companies in Ukraine in 2020 according to Forbes51
Opportunities for implementing gender equality policy in the corporate sector can
also be creased at the national level, among other things, with the help of instruments
for international trade and investment activities: by including gender equality norms
in the texts of agreements on the free trade zone as in the EU-Ukraine Association
51 Forbes: TOP-100 largest companies in Ukraine in 2020. InVenture. 06.10.2020. URL: https://inventure.com.ua/tools/database/
rejting-forbes:-top-100-krupnejshih-kompanij-ukrainy-v-2020-godu.35 Agreement (Chapter 21)52, supporting enterprises owned by women, bringing them to an international level, and diversifying suppliers in accordance with the needs for such enterprises as well as by analyzing gender-segregated data to be used as a basis for developing the state investment and trade policy in line with the principles of equal opportunities for women and men53. In terms of public-private partnership, an important issue for developing the state social policy is creation of equal opportunities for responsible parenthood: providing support, including financial support, for the choice of each parent to use parental leave without losing opportunities for professional development and fulfilment. The paternity leave is quite common in the European states. For instance, in Sweden the family receive lower child payments without both parents taking the parental leave; Portugal has penalties for fathers not taking a paternity leave as provided for by law; in Spain, fathers have ten weeks of paternity leave with 100% salary; in Island fathers have three-month leave, and in Japan – one year, which facilitated creating career opportunities for women54. In Ukraine, paternity leave gradually becomes a new reality. Thus, despite a low number of Ukrainian men taking a paternity leave (according to various sources – from 3 to 5%), and stereotypical language of the Ukrainian legislation on the right to a parental leave being a derivative from the mother’s right that can be delegated to a father or another relative55, on December 1, 2020 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine made a step forward to create equal opportunities for responsible parenthood having adopted in the first reading the draft law № 3695, which envisages, among other things, a paid leave (14 days) for a father after a child is born as well as a possibility for shorter working hours for fathers of children under 14, and equal right of both parents to take a parental leave for looking after a child under three years old and/or a child with disabilities56. 52 Annex XL to Chapter 21 Cooperation on Employment, Social Policy and Equal Opportunities, Title V Economic and Sector Cooperation. Government portal. URL: https://www.kmu.gov.ua/storage/app/media/ugoda-pro-asociaciyu/40_Annex.pdf. 53 Maclaren B. Why integrate gender in the process of facilitating trade and investments? Methodological recommendation for Ukraine / CUTIS. 2017. URL: https://cutisproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Integrate-Gender-in-Trade_ukr_print.pdf. 54 V. Kobyliatska. Paternity leave for fathers as a trend. Povaha. 06.04.2017. URL: https://povaha.org.ua/dekret-dlya-cholovikiv-yak- trend/. 55 Explanatory note as of 19.06.2020 to the draft Law of Ukraine on Amending Some Legislative Acts on Ensuring Equal Opportunities for Mother and Father Looking after a Child. Ukrainian Legislation database / Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. URL: http://w1.c1.rada.gov.ua/ pls/zweb2/webproc4_1?pf3511=69204. 56 Ibid.
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