Ensuring Gender Equality in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Abstract

The article reviews Ukrainian legislation and Ukraine’s international obligations to ensure gender equality in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The authors note the aspects of gender policy in the institutes of education and media, which are also crucial for military policy. The main results of a series of sociological studies from the “Invisible Battalion” project are characterized, and the successes and problems on the way to the integration of women in the Armed Forces during the last ten years of the war, starting with the ATO, are highlighted. Gradual overcoming of the phenomenon of vertical and horizontal gender segregation in the military sphere, departure from paternalistic gender policy, granting women formal access to all combat specialties and to military education are listed among the successful results of the policy of ensuring equal rights and opportunities in the Armed Forces. For the professional integration of women in the Armed Forces, urgent issues such as the absence of a clear mechanism to address instances of sexual harassment, understanding the needs of women as combatants (implementation of a gender-sensitive approach), and enhancing the visibility of women within the military elite and expert military environment need to be addressed.Based on a survey representative of the Ukrainian population, public opinion on ensuring gender equality in the military sphere was studied for the years 2018 and 2023. The focus was on supporting the idea of equal employment opportunities for women and men in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, promoting the army as a professional field with equal access for both genders. In conclusion, it was discovered that, at the level of public opinion, both men and women are willing to engage in armed resistance to halt the Russian occupation of Ukraine.