Abstract
The study bears a metaphorical title – “The Invisible Battalion” – to reflect the finding that women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in volunteer battalions in the ongoing conflict in the Donbas are not given equal treatment to their male colleagues; their contributions are rarely recognized. The theoretical background of this article brings us to the sociology of the military, gender in organizations, and feminist perspectives of women’s participation in the armed forces. Fieldwork to study women’s participation in the ATO (summer-autumn 2015) was conducted using 42 in-depth semi-structured interviews with women (aged 20–47) who are, or were in the ATO.
Highlights
Recent events in Ukraine connected with the Euromaidan protests of 2013–2014 and later armed conflict in the Eastern part of the country brought changes into women’s lives and their roles both in society and their families
The field study was done with the usage of qualitative sociological methods: in-depth semi-structured interviews with women who participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO); interviews with male and female experts in military and/or gender equality spheres; content analysis of publications in Ukrainian media
We considered an overview of these issues to exactly reflect the changes in the armed forces and the changes in culture proposed by Segal’s theoretical approach
Summary
Recent events in Ukraine connected with the Euromaidan protests of 2013–2014 and later armed conflict in the Eastern part of the country brought changes into women’s lives and their roles both in society and their families. The threat of violence makes women more vulnerable towards the socio-economic situation. Women are the majority among IDPs (internally displaced persons) from Eastern Ukraine responsible for children, the elderly, and disabled relatives. On the other hand, during these turbulent events Ukrainian women managed to challenge traditional gender roles (as carers of others and victims of conflict) and reclaim visibility, recognition, and respect as revolutionaries and volunteers. Women actively participated in all form of activities in the protest space of the Maidan. Besides cooking, cleaning, and entertaining, women were fighting on barricades, negotiating, participating in peacekeeping, providing medical support, maintaining information support, participating in legislative work and logistics, and providing education and huge organizational support for protesters.
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