The survey was conducted by the Rating Sociological Group for the Rating Lab Research Laboratory. The release and presentation were prepared by Rating Lab. For questions regarding the results of this study, please contact the director of the Rating Lab research laboratory, Doctor of Psychology, Professor Marianna Tkalich: Tel.: +38 (050) 322-09-25 (WhatsApp, Signal), e-mail: tkalych@ratinggroup.ua

INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES

The comparison of opportunities in various spheres included areas in which women have always faced restrictions, which can be divided into:

• subjective (self-discrimination and self-restriction of women, gender stereotypes, sexism, prejudice, the “glass ceiling” for women's career growth, the “maternity track”);

• objective (lack of access to political activity, voting rights; access to education and, accordingly, to careers and jobs that require qualifications and offer the opportunity to earn more; difficulties in finding work, opening bank accounts, obtaining loans, etc.).

Objective reasons can now be eliminated to a greater extent, but subjective reasons continue to have a significant impact: political activity in Ukraine remains male-dominated, with women having fewer opportunities and only partially able to claim equality. Career growth also gives a third of men more opportunities, while women can only partially count on equality, rather than advantages for their gender (only 7% believe that women have carte blanche in their careers). Remuneration is a more objective phenomenon: its amount is more often determined not by gender, but by the pay scale and official salary, especially in the public sector, so there is equal opportunity here – 61%.

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Gender and gender differences do not exist on their own as separate personality traits or social phenomena. They are always combined with other important characteristics, such as age and class (social status, employment, income level, etc.). Our study allows us to trace the differences between men and women of different ages and social status (through employment).

Men of all ages see less inequality than women, which is natural because inequality does not affect them. What women see as a lack of opportunities, men can explain by other reasons. Women are more critical: young women see significant limitations for women in political activity and career growth (because this is the age for career development, which is a sensitive issue for them). Women aged 51+ see significant inequalities in pay and political activity. The pensions of women in this group are usually lower than those of men, and therefore there is a significant gap: 20% fewer women than men of this age see equality of opportunity.  

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Middle-aged women and men recognize the least inequality, and the gap in assessments is also smaller: women rate equality in pay (68%) higher than men (61%). This is a period of maturity, social and professional achievements, when children are usually more independent and require less attention, so women have more time and opportunities, and therefore the balance is better in this age group.

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Women's political activity in all age groups is assessed as an area of inequality, unlike men, who believe that women have sufficient equal opportunities in this area.

Working women are more critical in their assessment of career opportunities, income, and political activity than women who do not work, because they have their own real experience rather than assumptions about these issues. Working men, on the other hand, assess women's opportunities more positively than men who do not work, again based on their own experience. Therefore, experience and its assessment are subjective. Pensioners' perceptions are linked not only to their change in status, but also to their age: women of retirement age traditionally see more inequality in these areas because they experience it the most and have more traditional views on gender role distribution.

Over the past two years, the situation with gender equality has improved, especially in terms of pay. Less so in terms of career growth and political activity. However, women still do not have greater opportunities than men in these areas and have even lost the preferences they had in 2021 in politics and career growth.

March 2021 is the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, June 2023 is the second year of full-scale war. Both are destabilizing factors. However, war is also a time of opportunity: significant changes in the economic and social landscape, internal and external migration, the emergence of new and restructuring of traditional areas of professional activity, changes in the requirements for competence and soft skills of people in politics and in the workplace. War, as a crisis event of the highest order, accelerates changes in the gender division of labor and vertical and horizontal segregation, which are already gradually disappearing over time.

Over the past two years, women have seen fewer positive changes in terms of opportunities than men, and they are generally more critical in their assessment of gender equality. For them, there have been positive changes since 2021, but for men, these changes are much more noticeable: 68% consider pay conditions to be equal, and 65% consider career opportunities to be equal. It is likely that the changes that have taken place in recent years are significant for men, as women are increasingly entering areas that were previously male-dominated, while women's expectations still exceed the reality of their situation in these areas.

ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN

The assessment of women's opportunities is generally optimistic. These indicators can be divided into two areas:

• career and income

• protection, support, and security

The situation is best in terms of income and career opportunities. Greater access to military specialties is not far behind—women have been making their way into the Armed Forces since 2014, and February 2022 brought even more opportunities and opened the door to military service for women even wider. Political activity is still less accessible, but during wartime it is difficult to assess, as the state of war objectively restricts the rights and freedoms of citizens, including political rights, not only for women but for all citizens and political figures.

Protection, support, and safety are less secure for women, with the exception of support for motherhood, but this is not about gender equality, but about the traditional value of motherhood—this indicator is equally supported by people with different views on gender equality. The safety of public places for women is generally at a good level, but protection from domestic violence and, especially, sexual harassment still needs attention from both the public and the responsible authorities: more than a third of respondents rate women's safety as low. Relevant statistics from humanitarian and government organizations also confirm that the level of domestic violence against women is still high for a European country.

Military actions in Ukraine have also heightened awareness of the importance of security and care for women in particular, as they are a group at risk of military crimes such as rape.

Traditionally, men have a more positive view of the opportunities for career advancement and income, as well as the security and support that women receive, with one exception: access to military specialties—women are more confident about their access to this previously closed sphere. Support for motherhood does not differ in terms of gender.

Since men have more opportunities in terms of career and income and do not need additional support and security, they perceive the world as one that offers opportunities for everyone.

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Young people under 35 see more opportunities for women in terms of income and career, and partly in terms of access to political activity, because their age group has the following advantages: these are times of less pressure from gender stereotypes and gender social control, better education and access to it, greater economic and social freedom, and geographical mobility.

This also applies to the assessment of the safety of public places, which may be related to the more confident behavior of young people in such places, as well as the fact that public places are indeed becoming safer.

Older women see the least opportunities for women in general; this age group has had insufficient opportunities to take advantage of the changes in gender balance that we are seeing in the 21st century. This also applies to protection and safety—these women lived in a time when violence and harassment against women were tolerated rather than condemned.

The situation with career opportunities and income for women looks best for men under 35, followed closely by their female peers, who also rate access to military specialties most highly, as it is precisely for young women who choose a military career today. Men in this age group already have more egalitarian views, are free of some stereotypes, are more willing to share the male world and support women, believing that they need more protection and support. This generation is more humanistic, tolerant, individualistic, and hedonistic. They are more open and flexible in their perception of the world.

No linear trends related to gender and age have been observed, which also confirms that in times of change, all social transformations can be contradictory and uneven.

Men from rural areas are less likely than urban men to see opportunities for women in most areas. For rural residents, access to opportunities is generally more limited than for urban residents, and women from rural areas, as a group with less access to quality education and professions, may experience additional limitations from the perspective of men. At the same time, women from rural areas themselves assess opportunities more positively than women from urban areas, who may have higher expectations and are dissatisfied with the current level of opportunities for women. In addition, lifestyle and professional employment in rural areas may have a slightly different distribution of roles, which affects assessments.

ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE INTRODUCTION OF SEPARATE CARRIAGES FOR WOMEN

Despite heated discussions about separate carriages for women, most citizens support this initiative. Among women, of course, there were more supporters, but not significantly more. So, the fear that women would support this innovation and men would oppose it did not come true.

For 17% of both men and women, this issue is not worth paying attention to—they do not care whether such cars will be introduced or not. Thus, only 18% of men and 11% of women are actually opposed to separate carriages for women. Therefore, Ukrzaliznytsia's initiative is appropriate and has received public approval.

This also indirectly determines the willingness to accept change and not resist it — a sign of flexible, adaptive societies. Because this is not just about train cars, but about change in general, new practices, and society's attitude toward the new and unfamiliar. Ukrainian society is ready to support the new.

The existence of separate carriages for women is not considered discriminatory – 77% believe that such carriages do not discriminate against anyone. This is not discrimination against either men or women, and separate carriages are not perceived as a violation or restriction of rights. It is not perceived as mistrust of men or unjustified preference for women. Only 11% of men perceived this as discrimination against themselves, but 6% of them noted that it also discriminates against women. Among women, there are understandably fewer such responses.  

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These figures seem reasonable, as women's safety and protection from domestic violence and sexual harassment are rated lower than anything related to income and career. There is an understanding in society that safety issues still need to be addressed, and carriages are one of the practical measures to improve the safety of public spaces for women.

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RESUME

Today, women around the world are becoming increasingly visible in all areas traditionally reserved for men, as well as in matters concerning their own needs. The narrative that a person is a man and everything else is secondary is gradually changing, with women now having a voice, preferences, achievements, and opportunities.  

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Both perceptions and the actual state of affairs regarding women's opportunities in career development, remuneration, and political activity have been transforming over the past decades. In Ukraine, gender balance and equality, as well as the “visibility” of women in traditionally male-dominated spheres, are now perceived more consciously, and the situation is gradually improving—women's opportunities are expanding.  However, legislative changes, additional attention to transparency in remuneration, the introduction of objective, unbiased practices for evaluating candidates for positions, and the adaptation of the world of work, politics, and military affairs to people who can be anyone, not just men, would contribute to improving the situation.

Women in Ukraine are still underrepresented in political activities: in parliament, local government, and government positions—and this is confirmed by the results of the study: politics is the area with the fewest opportunities for women in Ukraine. Military professions are considered more accessible to women today, but this is a trend that changes in wartime, when such professions and those who are ready to defend the country are given the green light.

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The assessment of opportunities for women in Ukraine varies depending on gender, age, social status, and employment. Men assess opportunities more positively, while women are more critical, because gender inequality affects women in particular, and their level of expectations is still higher than the opportunities that modern Ukrainian society can offer them.  Women themselves have different views on their opportunities and perceive different social norms differently, so the female group is also significantly different in its views, for example, depending on age: the views of young women under 35 and women over 51 are sometimes very different.

Support for motherhood in Ukraine is perceived as sufficient because motherhood as a traditional value is important to people with different views on gender equality, balance, and opportunities. Protection from sexual and domestic violence is still an area of growth for Ukraine, which became particularly acute during the war and showed how vulnerable women really are.  

Issues of safety for women in public places, protection from domestic and sexual violence, and care for motherhood are important aspects of gender equality and women's well-being. In recent years, many countries have adopted legislation and implemented policies aimed at preventing violence against women and ensuring their safety in public places, as studies have shown that public spaces are not safe.

This includes installing surveillance cameras, providing safety education, ensuring awareness of women's rights and opportunities, and creating safe spaces for them. Ukraine has also joined this process by launching separate women's carriages on Ukrzaliznytsia, which has been approved and supported by the public.  

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As a result, career and income issues are now being addressed more effectively and are perceived by the public as more gender-balanced, although women still tend to be more critical of their opportunities. The safety, protection, and care of women require greater attention from the state, non-governmental organizations, and foundations, especially during wartime and in overcoming the consequences of psychological trauma on society and vulnerable groups, which primarily include pregnant women, young mothers, and elderly women, who are most in need of new measures.