Ukraine gained independence in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and as a sovereign nation sought to “develop and strengthen a democratic, social, law-based state.” The country’s current constitution drafted in 1994 declares, “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.” Yulia Tymoshenko became the first female prime minister of Ukraine when she was elected in 2005, serving two terms from February to September 2005 and again from December 2007 to March 2010. Despite significant progress toward advancing the rights of women, Ukraine’s deeply embedded patriarchal norms have hindered a more gender-equal society. Women currently make up only 21 percent of parliament, and according to the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, Ukraine was ranked 103rd of 156 countries in women’s political empowerment. Gender-based violence is also of great concern and a 2019 United Nations Population Fund survey found that approximately 75 percent of women had experienced some form of violence in their lifetime. The 2022 Russian invasion has only exacerbated these injustices as women are disproportionally affected by armed conflict. Historically, women are also on the frontlines of defense during war and Ukrainian women are proving no different. Roughly 15 percent of Ukraine’s army is female, and those not on the battlefields are providing support in the form of healthcare, medical supplies, and hotline services to help locate missing persons. Moreover, groups such as the Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, and the Feminist Workshop are working tirelessly to protect women, girls, and gender non-conforming people in Ukraine.
Ukraine has a rich sporting tradition with women among some of the most decorated athletes in the country’s history. Female athletes first participated in the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics with Oksana Baiul and Valentyna Tserbe-Nessina winning the country’s first medals. Baiul, the 1993 world figure skating champion, won gold at the Lillehammer Games and is still the only figure skater from Ukraine to ever win Olympic gold. Women first participated in the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics with Olena Akopyan becoming the first Ukrainian woman to win a Paralympic medal when she brought home three silver medals in the 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m freestyle swimming. She went on to accrue 15 Paralympic medals in her career and is one of the only athletes in history to have competed in both the summer and winter Paralympics. She was the bronze medal winner in the biathlon and cross-country skiing events at the 1998 Nagano Paralympic Games. Inesa Kravets set the world record in the outdoor triple jump in 1995, and a year later became the inaugural women’s triple jump champion when she won Olympic gold at the Atlanta Olympic Games. Her record jump of 15.50 m stood until the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Meet and support global leaders creating change in Ukraine:
Olga Aksyonova
Olga Dolinina
How does Ukraine compare to other countries?
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Women in Leadership
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT AS OF 2020
21%
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY POSITIONS AS OF 2020
21%
Has a Woman Ever Been Head of State or Head of Government?
Yulia Tymoshenko, 2005, 2007 - 2010
HAS A WOMAN EVER BEEN SPORTS MINISTER?
Syuzanna Stanik, 1996 - 1997
Valentyna Dovzhenko, 1997 - 2005
Maria Bulatova, 2001 - 2003
Title IX Timeline
1919
Women gained the right to vote (full suffrage).
1981
Ukraine ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
1991
Ukraine gained full independence on August 24 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
1994
Seventeen athletes became the first women to represent Ukraine in the Olympics, and Oksana Baiul (gold- figure skating) and Valentyna Tserbe-Nessina (bronze- biathlon) won the first Olympic medals for Ukraine.
1996
Five athletes became the first women to represent Ukraine in the Paralympics and Olena Akopyan became the first woman from Ukraine to win a Paralympic medal (silver- swimming).
2003
Ukraine ratified the optional protocol to CEDAW.
2005
Yulia Tymoshenko became the first female prime minister of Ukraine.
2016
Ukraine signed the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, affirming that peace and security efforts are more sustainable when women are equal partners in the prevention of violent conflict, the delivery of relief and recovery efforts, and in the forging of lasting peace.
Women in the olympics
participation through the years
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
128
-
366
-
287
-
92
Women in the Paralympics
participation through the years
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
11
-
107
-
165
-
58
Elite Sports Participation
First Year Women Participated In The Olympics
1994
Year Women’s Participation In Olympics Was Equal To Men’s
2014
First Time A Woman Won An Olympic Medal
Oksana Baiul: 1994, Figure Skating (Gold) Valentyna Tserbe-Nessina: 1994, Biatholon (Bronze)
First Year Women Participated In The Paralympics
1996
Year Women’s Participation In Paralympics Was Equal To Men’s
1998
First Time A Woman Won A Paralympic Medal
Olena Akopyan: 1996, Swimming (Silver)
FIFA
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
1992
Pay Gap Comparison
Pay Unknown
Gender Initiatives
FIFA is committed to the growth and development of women’s football around the globe.
For More Information
FIBA
Fédération Internationale de Basketball
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
1995
Pay Gap Comparison
Pay Unknown
Gender Initiatives
FIBA’s Her World, Her Rules project and social media campaign aims to promote women’s and girls’ participation in basketball throughout Europe.
Increasing the participation of women in basketball at all levels was named as one of FIBA’s eight strategic objectives (2019- 2027) and one of FIBA’s three strategic priorities (2019-2023).
For More Information
LOCAL
Sports
Initiatives
Community Organizations That Have Signed The Brighton + Helsinki Declaration
Ukraine Ministry of Physical Education and Sport
