RAPID GENDERANALYSIS OF UKRAINE
4 MAY 2022

© 2022 UN Women and CARE International
All rights reserved.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of
UN Women, CARE International, the Governments of Canada, Denmark and Norway, the United Nations or any of
its affiliated organizations.
Cover Photo: Moldova - People fleeing the military offensive in Ukraine. UN Women/Aurel Obreja

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine (4 May 2022)
was produced by UN Women and CARE International.
UN Women and CARE International acknowledge
with appreciation the contributions of those who had
the primary responsibility of developing and finalizing
this publication: Merit Hietanen (Lead Consultant),
Oksana Potapova (Consultant), Christina Haneef(CARE International), Ganna Kvit (UN Women) and
Felicia Dahlquist (UN Women).
Much gratitude goes to the 179 women and men who
participated in interviews during the data collection
process and generously shared their experiences
and perspectives on how the war has impacted theirlives. A big thank you also goes to the 36 enumerators involved in conducting interviews and analysing
the data under very challenging circumstances. Their
bravery, strength and dedication has allowed for the
many rich and powerful accounts from women andmen across Ukraine to be included in this report.

Particular thanks go to the UN Women team—in
Ukraine, at the Europe and Central Asia Regional
Office and at Headquarters—as well as the CARE
International team for their significant contributions.
A special thanks goes to Erika Kvapilova, Nicolas
Burniat, Isadora Quay and Siobhán Foran for theirstrategic guidance throughout the development process. Thanks also go to Vitória Silva, Leah McLaren andthe team at Here I Am Studio for their technical guidance throughout the digital data collection process.
The development of this report was supported byfunding from the Governments of Canada, Denmarkand Norway, as well as from CARE Germany. UN
Women and CARE International express sincere gratitude to all stakeholders who generously contributed
their expertise and resources towards this exercise.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine3

TABLE OF CONTENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

3

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

5EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

6

1. INTRODUCTION

10

2. METHODOLOGY
2.1 Data-collection methods
2.2 Limitations
2.3 Ethical and safeguarding considerations
3. GENDER ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIESAND RELATIONS
3.1 Paid work
3.2 Unpaid work
3.3 Women’s and men’s role within volunteer
efforts
4. ACCESS TO SERVICES ANDRESOURCES
4.1 Safe and accessible shelter
4.2 Cash, financial and social support
4.3 Food security and nutrition
4.4 Health, including sexual and reproductive
health services
4.5 Education
4.6 Civil status documentation
4.7 Access to information and communication
with communities

5. SAFETY AND PROTECTION

37

5.1 Gender-based violence
5.2 Physical safety
5.3 Child protection
5.4 Mental health and psychosocial support

37
39
41
42

12

6. PARTICIPATION, DECISION-MAKING
AND LEADERSHIP

44

12
12
13

6.1 Participation at all levels of decisionmaking processes
6.2 Decision-making about relocation

48

14

7. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE COPINGMECHANISMS

50

7.1 Coping with (in)security
7.2 Response to financial difficulties
7.3 Mental health and overall well-being
7.4 Volunteering as a coping mechanism

50
51
52
54

14
18
20

21
24
26
28

8. RECOMMENDATIONS TO ALL
DONORS, HUMANITARIAN
LEADERSHIP AND ACTORS

44

55

30
33
35
35

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ACRONYMS ANDABBREVIATIONS
PSEAHProtection from sexual exploitation,
abuse and harassment

RGA

Rapid Gender Analysis

Gender-based violence

RUAF

Russian Armed Forces

GEWE

Gender equality and women's
empowerment

SADDD

Sex-, age- and disability-disaggregated
data

HEI

Higher education institutions

SEAH

IDPs

Internally displaced people

Sexual exploitation, abuse andharassment

IOM

International Organization for
Migration

SRH

Sexual and reproductive health

UAH

Ukrainian hryvnia

LGBTQIA+Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer, intersex and asexual

UN
Women

MAT

Medication-assisted treatment

United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment of
Women

MHPSS

Mental health and psychosocial support

UNFPA

United Nations Population Fund

MNCH

Maternal, newborn and child health

UNHCR

MPs

Members of Parliament

United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees

NFI

Non-food items

UNICEF

United Nations Children's Fund

OCHA

United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

WASH

Water, sanitation and hygiene

WHO

World Health Organization

AFU

Armed Forces of Ukraine

CSO

Civil society organization

ECD

Early childhood development

GBV

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The lives of people across Ukraine have been profoundly impacted by the humanitarian crisis broughton by the invasion on 24 February 2022. As of 29 April,
5.5 million refugees have already fled Ukraine,1 andthe number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has
reached 7.7 million.2 Of those who have fled the country, it is estimated that 90 per cent are women andchildren, while most men aged 18–60 are required tostay behind under martial law.3 Based on current datafrom the International Organization for Migration,
60 per cent of the adult internally displaced population are female, while 40 per cent are male.4 As thecrisis quickly evolves, so do the needs and priorities ofwomen and men across Ukraine.
This Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA), carried out by UN
Women and CARE International, seeks to draw attention to the gender dynamics in the humanitarian crisis
resulting from the war in Ukraine. The RGA also proposes recommendations for humanitarian leadership,
actors and donors to ensure consideration of the gendered dimensions of risk, vulnerability and capabilities
in response to this crisis.
The RGA is a progressive publication based on bothprimary and secondary data sources that comparespre-crisis data with up-to-date information as the situation evolves. This RGA builds upon the RGA Ukraine
Brief5 developed by CARE International during the firstweek of the war and on the UN Women and CARE RGA
published 29 March6 based on an analysis of secondary
data. For this report, the RGA team reviewed English,
Ukrainian and Russian sources and interviewed 179
women and men from local communities across
Ukraine, as well as representatives from civil society
organizations (CSOs), UN agencies and government
bodies. Particular effort was made to ensure that thevoices of women and men in vulnerable situations andfrom different marginalized groups were included.
1 UNHCR (8 April 2022). Ukraine Refugee Situation. Available at: link.
2 IOM (17 April 2022). Ukraine Internal Displacement Report Round 3.
Available at: link.
3 United Nations (24 March 2022). “One month of war leaves more thanhalf of Ukraine’s children displaced.” Available at: link.
4 IOM (17 April 2022). Ukraine Internal Displacement Report Round 3.
Available at: link.
5 CARE (March 2022). Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine Brief. Available at:link.
6 UN Women and CARE International (29 March 2022). Rapid Gender
Analysis of Ukraine: Secondary Data Review. Available at: link.

Key Findings
1) Women are playing a key role in the humanitarian
response but are not fully involved in decision-making.
The RGA reveals that women are performing vitalroles in the immediate humanitarian response in local
communities. Women’s CSOs and women volunteers
are mobilizing quickly to ensure that their communities and IDPs receive the support they need to accesscritical services and humanitarian aid. Women’s leadership and their role in decision-making has increased
at the family level and partially at the community level,with women reporting that they participate on equalterms in family decisions in response to the crisis.

“When it comes to the humanitarian needs of
IDPs, locals and households, women do mostof the work—they drive, they provide hospitals
and locals with medication and food, [and] theycare for their disabled relatives and children.”(Woman community member)
However, at the formal decision-making level, thecentralization of power and increased role of themilitary has made it more difficult for women toexert influence in formal political and administrativedecision-making processes, thus decreasing women’s
overall participation. Issues of social development andgender equality tend to be sidelined, and the voices ofwomen are not included meaningfully in planning anddecision-making around the humanitarian response
or wider peace processes. Decisions are often madequickly and do not adequately reflect the needs andpriorities of different groups of women and men,
including those most vulnerable and marginalized.

“The decision-making process has changed.
Leading positions are held exclusively by men,as a requirement of wartime, and [the process]here is not very democratic. Instead, many issues
are resolved via directives.” (Representative of awomen’s CSO)

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

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A family seeking shelter in Kyiv underground. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine

2) The crisis is largely exacerbating pre-existing gender and intersectional inequalities and discrimination.
In recent years, there has been notable progress
towards gender equality and women’s empowerment(GEWE) in Ukraine, but women still face numerous
barriers to their full, equal and meaningful participation in society. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified
many inequities between women and men, including
the gender wage gap, the difference in formal labour
participation, and concerning reports of domestic
violence.7 The ongoing crisis is revealing further exacerbation of gender inequities, particularly among
women facing multiple forms of discrimination.
Women’s care burden has increased significantly, withthe lack of access to education facilities due to security
risks, women’s engagement in volunteer activities andmen’s absence due to engagement in the armed forces.
The war will increasingly impact unemployment rates
among all categories of the population and will likely
7 UN Women (May 2020). Rapid Gender Assessment of the situation andthe needs of women in the context of COVID-19 in Ukraine. Available
at: link.

continue to push women into the unprotected informal sectors of the economy. Poverty and dependency
on social payments, especially among female-headedhouseholds, will be expected to increase.

“I was forced to give up my job because I haveto constantly take care of my son, who has a disability and whose condition has deteriorated due
to stress.” (Caregiver, single mother)
The crisis is quickly revealing the different needs ofwomen and men, girls and boys. The data confirm thatthe impact of the war is particularly disproportionate for marginalized groups, such as female-headedhouseholds, IDPs, Roma people, LGBTQIA+ and people
with disabilities. Women facing multiple forms of
discrimination, such as women from minority groups,
face particular challenges in accessing humanitarian
support and have increased protection needs. The
impacts on mental health are a key area of concern.
Expectations on traditional gender roles are likely to

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine7

Chernihiv. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine

have compounding impacts, with women more likely
to take on additional emotional care responsibilities
within the family and men less likely to seek support
for mental health concerns.
3) Women are disproportionally affected by the multisectoral and compounded impact of the crisis.
While men’s lives are deeply impacted by the conscription requirement, the multisectoral impact of thecrisis is affecting women disproportionally. Women
constitute the majority of those displaced within andoutside of the country, and they face significantly
increased safety and protection risks. Incidents ofgender-based violence (GBV), particularly domestic
violence and conflict-related sexual violence, arereportedly increasing, but services for GBV survivors
are not provided in full. In many parts of Ukraine, thepolice are no longer responding to cases of domestic
violence. Women are also confronted with particularchallenges in accessing necessary services and areexperiencing a greater loss in sources of livelihoods.
At the same time, they face increased pressure toprovide for their families while male family members
are involved in defence activities. These compoundedpressures on women mean that they are disproportionately affected by the crisis.

“For women, this situation is very tense, and [it isworsened by] the fact that the lights are turned
off in the city, or women in their homes in thecommunities are left alone, without communication. [...] How can a person get to another safer
place? How long may a person be in that place?”(Representative of a women’s CSO)
Certain sectors require specific attention to thegender-differentiated needs within the crisis. These
include addressing issues related to:• Limited access to and availability of safe and sexand family-segregated shelter• Inconsistent access to adequate WASH, such as
menstrual health and hygiene needs• Restricted availability of adequate food, including
food distributions that address the dietary needsof pregnant/breastfeeding women and newborns• Gender-specific needs in health care, such as accessto psychological support, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including maternal, newborn andchild health (MNCH)

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

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CALL TO ACTION!
During this crisis, it is critical to ensure that humanitarian assistance addresses the different
needs of women, men, girls and boys in vulnerable situations and from different marginalizedgroups. It is vital to ensure a holistic response to the crisis that prevents and responds to genderinequalities. Women from all levels, and especially those in vulnerable situations and from different marginalized groups, need to be fully and meaningfully involved in the planning anddecision-making processes to inform the way forward. The planning and programming of thehumanitarian response should incorporate the cross-cutting, intersectional and sector-specificrecommendations of the RGA and other gender data and analyses. Please see Chapter 8 for acomprehensive list of recommendations.

UN Women in Ukraine

CARE International

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality
enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works
for the elimination of discrimination against womenand girls, the empowerment of women and theachievement of equality between women and men
as partners and beneficiaries of development, humanrights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts,
UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on genderequality and gender mainstreaming translate into
action throughout the world.

Founded in 1945, CARE International is a leading
humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.
CARE International has more than seven decades ofexperience helping people prepare for disasters, providing life-saving assistance when a crisis hits, andhelping communities recover after the emergency
has passed. CARE International places special focus
on women and children, who are often disproportionately affected by disasters. To learn more, visit www.
care-international.org.

In Ukraine, UN Women will continue to prioritize theneeds of women and girls during the crisis caused
by war and to channel funding to women’s civil society organizations that are key to the humanitarian
response. Through various rapid gender analyses, UN
Women seeks to inform the broader humanitarian
response and advocate for the priorities of all, including those from the most vulnerable groups.
For more information about UN Women’s work in
Ukraine, please get in touch at unwomen.ukraine@
unwomen.org.
UN Women in Ukraine
20, Esplanadna Str., Kyiv, 01023, Ukraine
unwomen.ukraine@unwomen.org
www.unwomen.org
www.facebook.com/unwomenukraine
www.twitter.com/unwomenukraine
www.youtube.com/unwomen

As part of the Ukraine response, CARE International
is currently partnering with humanitarian organizations both inside Ukraine and in neighbouring
countries, including Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Aid
distributions include relief items such as food, hygiene
products and sleeping bags. CARE International also
provides cash to affected populations and offers shelterand psychosocial support. CARE International places aparticular focus on working alongside women-led organizations and women in the humanitarian response.
CARE International
Chemin de Balexert 7-9, 1219 Chatelaine (Geneva),
Switzerland
cisecretariat@careinternational.org
www.care-international.org
www.twitter.com/CAREGlobal
www.youtube.com/user/CAREinternational

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine91. INTRODUCTION

Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast, 6 April. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine

Many areas of Ukraine have been devastated by the
war that began on 24 February 2022. As of 29 April,
5.5 million refugees have already fled Ukraine,8 andthe number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has
reached 7.7 million.9 Of those who have fled the country, it is estimated that 90 per cent are women andchildren, while most men aged 18–60 are required tostay behind under martial law.10 Based on current datafrom the International Organization for Migration(IOM), 60 per cent of the adult displaced population
are female, while 40 per cent are male.11 There havebeen reports of war crimes12 perpetrated against civilians, including the use of sexual violence as a weaponof war,13 and targeted violence against civilians and8 UNHCR (8 April 2022). Ukraine Refugee Situation. Available at: link.
9 IOM (17 April 2022). Ukraine Internal Displacement Report Round 3.
Available at: link.
10 United Nations (24 March 2022). “One month of war leaves more thanhalf of Ukraine’s children displaced.” Available at: link.
11 IOM (17 April 2022). Ukraine Internal Displacement Report Round 3.
Available at: link.
12 Human Rights Watch (3 April 2022). Ukraine: Apparent War Crimes in
Russia-Controlled Areas. Available at: link.
13 Insecurity Insight (April 2022). Sexual Violence and the Ukraine
Conflict. Available at: link.

civilian infrastructure14 (including hospitals, schools,
public buildings and private homes) in many cities.15
On 1 March, the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched a Flash Appeal
for Ukraine projecting that 12 million people were inneed of humanitarian assistance.16 At the end of April,
an updated Flash Appeal was released to reflect thecurrent reality.17
At the beginning of 2022, before the war broke out, anestimated 2.9 million people in Ukraine were alreadyprojected to need humanitarian assistance (54 percent of whom are women), with some 55 per cent living in non-government-controlled areas.18 In terms of
14 Ukraine: Statement of International and Local NGOs Regarding the
Attacks on Civilian Population and Civilian Infrastructure (April 8 2022).
Available at: link to Ukrainian source.
15 OHCHR (4 April 2022). Comment by UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Michelle Bachelet on bodies in the town of Bucha in Ukraine.
Available at: link.
16 OCHA (1 March 2022). Ukraine Flash Appeal (March–May 2022).
Available at: link.
17 OCHA (April 2022). Ukraine Flash Appeal: March-August 2022. Available
at: link.
18 OCHA (February 2022). Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

10

The village of Novoselivka, near Chernihiv. Photo: Oleksandr
Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine

Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast, 6 April. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak /UNDP Ukraine

displacement within Ukraine, according to the statistics from the Ministry of Social Policy, there were almost
1.5 million people displaced within Ukraine from theprevious conflict, of whom an estimated 60 per centare female.19 In the years before the war, Ukrainian
women made some measurable gains in terms ofrights and the advancement of gender equality, andUkraine saw the development of a strong civil societythat included women- and minority-led organizations.
Yet entrenched gender discrimination (disproportionately affecting the socioeconomic status of women),the compounding effects of eight years of conflict inthe east, including displacement, and the increasing
rates of violence against women experienced during
the pandemic threaten to undo the gains made.20 Preexisting gender and intersectional inequalities worsen
during a crisis, and any advances made will be further
negatively affected by the current war.

• In Donetska and Luhanska oblasts, 71 per cent of
the heads of households in government-controlledareas were female. For the population over the ageof 60, the share rose to 88 per cent. The situationin non-government-controlled areas was expected
to be similar, but no reliable or consistent data are
available at this time.23

Demographics prior to the war

The data on people with disabilities are not reliable.
According to the State Statistics Service, the number
was 2.7 million (6 per cent of the population), but thisis a recurring figure that does not appear to have been
updated in at least 12 years.26 There were reportedly
162,923 children with disabilities, although this figure
too should be treated with caution.27• The population of Ukraine was made up of 54 percent women and 46 per cent men, due in part to thehigher life expectancy of women, which translates
into a large population of older females.21• In Donetska and Luhanska oblasts, older persons
constituted 30 per cent of the people in need,representing the highest level compared to otherglobal emergencies.22 The majority of older persons
were women.
19 UNHCR (5 March 2021). Registration of Internal Displacement inUkraine. Available at: link.
20 UN Women (May 2020). Rapid Gender Assessment of the situation andthe needs of women in the context of COVID-19 in Ukraine. Available
at: link.
21 CARE (March 2022). Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine. Available at: link.
22 HNO and HRP Ukraine 2022.

• Ukraine had more than 130 ethnic groups andmany minority language groups.24 The Roma, witha population of up to 400,000 living in Ukraine,25
formed the largest ethnic minority populationand faced significant discrimination. Other groups
included Ukrainian nationals with diverse ethnic
backgrounds and third country nationals, includinginternational students, labour migrants, refugees
and asylum seekers as well as different statelesspopulations who lack civil status documentation.

23 HNO Ukraine 2022.
24 State Statistics of Ukraine (2001) All-Ukrainian Census. Available at: linkto Ukrainian source.
25 Council of Europe (2021). Kyiv International Roma Inclusion. Available
at: link.
26 CARE International (March 2022). Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine.
Available at: link.
27 State Statistics Service of Ukraine (2021). Social protection of the
population of Ukraine in 2020. Statistical data. Available at: link to
Ukrainian source.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

112. METHODOLOGYThis Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) seeks to draw
attention to the gender dynamics in the war in
Ukraine—both pre-existing and emerging—and proposes recommendations for humanitarian leadership,
actors and donors to ensure consideration of the gendered dimensions of risk, vulnerability and capabilities
in response to this crisis. This RGA builds upon the RGA
Ukraine Brief28 developed by CARE International in thefirst week of the war and the UN Women and CARE
RGA published 29 March29 based solely on secondary
data analysis. In addition to the primary data, thesecondary resources include English, Ukrainian andRussian language information sources. This RGA is
also complemented by anecdotal conversations with
UN Women partners in Ukraine.

from newly occupied areas, cities under attack andlocations with a high influx of IDPs.

2.1 Data-collection methods

Overall, the enumerators carried out 179 interviews(123 women, 54 men, two who preferred not to say),which included 133 community members and 46 key
informants from CSOs, UN agencies and government
bodies. One hundred community members wereinterviewed with a tool that included quantitativeand qualitative data questions, while the others wereinterviewed with qualitative, storytelling tools. With
the exception of four, all interviews were conducted
remotely. Thirty-two female and four male enumerators located in different parts of Ukraine carried out
the data-collection process. Enumerators included
people working for different civil society organizations(CSOs), researchers and UN Women staff.

The RGA used a mixed-methods approach, with tools
adapted from the CARE RGA Toolkit. The primarydata were gathered between 2 and 6 April throughindividual interviews with both community members
and key informants using three different tools for thefollowing: (1) community member interviews; (2) storytelling interviews; and (3) key informant interviews.
The sample included women and men, including thosefrom the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community, Roma,people with disability, carers, female heads of households, IDPs, older women, and people in occupied andgovernment-controlled areas. In a recently published
UN Women report focusing on at-risk groups, theRoma were identified as the main minority population in Ukraine and one that faces multiple forms of
discrimination. Therefore, specific effort was made toseek out the inputs of Roma people, specifically Roma
women.29 Nineteen regions (oblasts)30 were represented among the interviews, which included people

28 CARE (March 2022). Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine Brief. Available at:link.
29 UN Women and CARE International (29 March 2022). Rapid Gender
Analysis of Ukraine: Secondary Data Review. Available at: link.
30 Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia,
Kherson, Odessa, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr,
Donetsk, Luhansk, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Poltava.

For all interviews, the data-collection team used a
combination of convenience and purposive sampling
approaches. The use of convenience sampling recognizes different people’s ability to participate in the
research in the current volatile context in Ukraine,
while the use of purposive sampling ensured sufficient
sampling across different intersectional groups, groups
in vulnerable situations, genders and age groups. The
sample is not fully representative of the populationof Ukraine but seeks to provide more understandingof the realities of women, men, girls, boys and othersfrom diverse groups within the current crisis.

2.2 Limitations• While the RGA aimed to include diversity among
the ages, locations and vulnerabilities within theinterviewee sample, it is not representative of all
diverse groups in Ukraine. Additionally, children
were not interviewed directly; the findings related
to them come from conversations with their parents and caregivers.
• Given the security context in Ukraine, interviews
were primarily carried out remotely. Face-to-faceinterviews were only carried out in limited cases
where the interviewee did not have access to aphone.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine12• To the extent possible, male enumeratorsinterviewed male respondents while female
enumerators interviewed female respondents.
However, due to the limited number of male enumerators, women also interviewed men in a limited
number of cases.
• The RGA aimed to include different marginalizedgroups within the sample and succeeded in capturing inputs well from rural women, Roma people,
people with disabilities, older women, caregivers,
female heads of households, mothers of newborn
babies and displaced people. However, further
information would be needed on the situation of
LGBTQIA+ people as well as ethnicities other thanthe Roma.
• In order to inform programming and planning, theRGA was carried out quickly, which limited the time
available for tool creation and development, datacollection and transcription and analysis. Many ofthe enumerators themselves were experiencing
difficulties in their own lives during the process,including but not limited to constant air raid sirens
requiring evacuations to bomb shelters and unreliable Internet connectivity, which was essential
for the use of the digital tools. Despite these challenges and limitations, the RGA provides importantqualitative trends for programming considerations.

2.3 Ethical and safeguarding
considerations• Remote interviews: Most interviews were conducted by phone using digital tools. However, in
occupied areas where phone networks do not work
and where interviewing was considered to have ahigher risk, respondents were requested to answer
a questionnaire. The choice to conduct individualinterviews remotely was made to avoid people congregating in critically insecure situations.

• Informed and ongoing consent: All surveys and key
informant interviews were conducted on a fully voluntary basis and with the interviewees’ informed
consent. Informants and respondents were able tostop the interview at any point.
• Remuneration for interviewees: Interviewees
received remuneration for their interview, considering that many people have lost their livelihoods
in Ukraine and those who still have work gave theirtime to the interview.
• Protection: The interviews did not specifically ask
questions on gender-based violence (GBV). This wasdue to the intended rapid nature of the process,staff not being specialized or trained to conduct
GBV assessments, and the safety of the respondents, noting the sensitive nature of asking suchquestions during a rapid assessment while using
remote methodology. However, the enumerators’
training included that on the survivor-centred
approach to responding to the disclosure of GBV
and sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment(SEAH). This approach included sharing information
on hotline numbers with GBV survivors for reporting SEAH. The RGA team appointed a safeguarding
focal point who could be alerted to any cases thatcame up, but the interviewees did not disclose any
cases of GBV or SEAH.
• Mental health and psychosocial support and services (MHPSS): Enumerators received a list of active
MHPSS services in Ukraine that they could sharewith interviewees. They were also advised that, if
an interviewee found it difficult to answer a question, they could finish conducting the interview atanother time and instead focus on supporting theinterviewee. All enumerators have been offered
one-on-one support from a UN Women stresscounsellor and access to a dedicated webinar withsupport on vicarious trauma.

• Confidentiality and data protection: In order tomitigate the risks of manual data collection, a
digital tool called Fatima was used to make phone
calls to the interviewees. All data collection was
confidential, with no personal identifiable data collected. Interviews were recorded within Fatima anddeleted once data analysis was complete.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine13

3. GENDER ROLES,RESPONSIBILITIES AND
RELATIONSGENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• Gender roles are changing in Ukraine. With many people becoming unemployed and primarily
men joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), women report taking on new roles and multiple
jobs to make up for the lost family income.
• Women’s care burden has increased significantly with the lack of education facilities and institutions open, their engagement in volunteer activities and men’s absence due to engagementin the AFU. However, men who are not engaging in the AFU also report an increasing care roleas they are less engaged in income-generating activities.
• Women lead and are more engaged in community humanitarian efforts that provide opportunities for humanitarian actors to seek women’s participation and guidance in the design andimplementation of humanitarian action.

3.1 Paid work
Before the escalation of the war in 2022, women weremore dependent on social services, vulnerable in
the labour market and affected by pervasive genderstereotypes in the workplace (for more information,please refer to the RGA Secondary Data Review). In
2020, the proportion of employed women and men in
Ukraine was 51 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively.31
A 23 per cent gender pay gap32 and 32 per cent genderpension gap made women more vulnerable to crises.
Women also represented 72 per cent of social protection recipients prior to the war and their access to suchassistance is suspected to be at risk.33
In interviews with community members (bothdisplaced persons and host communities), 28 percent of female respondents and 33 per cent of male
31 Yana Tkachenko (June 2021). Gender Equality: Women Who Manage.
Available at: link.
32 UNDP (2019). Gender Profile of Ukraine: Fast Facts. Available at: link.
33 UN Women (3 March 2022). “Women flee and show solidarity as amilitary offensive ravages Ukraine.” Available at: link.

respondents reported that their income has been oneof the areas most impacted by the war. Some of themain reasons for the job losses are displacement, business closures, damage/destruction of infrastructure
and logistics, physical inaccessibility of the place of
employment (e.g. located in an occupied territory),shelling and other physical security threats, which areespecially relevant in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and territories under immediate attack.
Men, who are seen more often in Ukraine as those
responsible for a family’s financial security, experience
increasing pressure because of these challenges.

“Well, of course, [there have been] specificchanges in the sense that now, the opportunity
to earn money [and] provide for one’s family has
decreased, [so] this also imposes a certain burden and worry for the future.” (Man living in a
war-affected area)

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

14

March 2022, pregnant women are forced to spend nights in the basement seeking shelter from ongoing shelling. The neonatal
resuscitation is organized in a tiny room underground. Photo: UN Women/Serhii Korovainyi“I can't fully participate in the business. The work
became partially unavailable. Fifty per cent ofour business is located in the territory where thefighting is taking place.” (Mother of a newborn)
Yet many women have been left to care for their families on their own, including by being responsible for
earning an income for their household. This can be
due to their husband being unemployed, conscripted
or deceased or due to family separation.

“Now gender roles have changed due to the factthat some men are fighting, some men are hiding. That is, now mostly women work—the men
are supported by the women.” (Woman living inan area of Ukraine occupied since 2014)“Responsibilities have changed dramatically.
Instead of earning a living and going to work, I
am constantly at home, running the household,taking care of the children. At the same time,[my] wife continues to go to work. The entire financial burden fell on her.” (Man living in an area
occupied since 2014)

Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country. However, not all ofthem are being conscripted; those who are excluded
from conscription continue to live with their families
and work if feasible.34
IDPs have been affected the most by disruptions to
paid work. Women and children, who comprise themajority of those displaced, are disproportionately
affected. An IOM survey carried out between 24 Marchand 1 April shows that the proportion of displaced
women reporting a monthly household income ofless than UAH 5,000 (equivalent to US$165) was 18
per cent before the war and 65 per cent after the startof the war. For male respondents, this was 6 per centand 57 per cent, respectively. One third of displaced
34 There are four stages of conscription as noted in NRCU (February2022), Mobilization in Ukraine: Who is currently being sent to the army
and whether to wait for conscription. Available at: link to Ukrainian
source. Ukraine is currently in its second round of mobilization; thus,
not all men have been mobilized. The first round includes servicemen
who have served since 2014. The second round includes graduatesfrom military departments of universities. The third round mobilizes
reserve officers, while the fourth round includes the mobilization of allresidents of the country who do not have physical or age restrictions.
Those who are mobilized receive an income; for some, this will mean
an increase in salary, while for many, it will be a reduction. There arealso around 13 categories of men who are exempted from mobilization.
Among them are those who have certain health conditions, men who
provide for three and more children or for children with disabilities,
single fathers, employers of key infrastructure entities and students.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

15

households indicated that they had no income in thepreceding month.35 Some displaced people seek jobs
in their host communities, but the job markets werelimited even before the war, and now the number ofavailable jobs is scarce. Displaced women noted theirinterest in engaging in vocational training to find new
livelihoods opportunities that fit the changing context.

work, caused by the risk of forced conscription into theRussian Armed Forces (RUAF).37 To avoid mobilizationand conscription into the RUAF and the local units
supporting them, men living in the occupied territories of Ukraine are forced to maintain a low profile.
However, not everyone chooses this strategy or succeeds in doing so.

“Most of the internally displaced people now use
their savings. They don't have jobs, and as soon
as [their savings are done], they will be out ofmoney.” (Representative of a women’s CSO)

“My husband is hiding from the mobilization in
the republic. He has not been outside since 22
February 2022.” (Woman living in a territory occupied since 2014)“There is a lot of information on the Internet: wetry to learn and master it as much as possible.
[We] find out what opportunities internally displaced persons have [and] what kinds of support
they can apply for.” (Mother of a newborn)
According to the 2019 data, women constitute themajority of people in need (54 per cent), and 71 percent of all heads of households are female.36 The interviews revealed that women with restricted mobility,
including older women and female caregivers, have
limited access to paid employment. The effects of thewar have been particularly negative for householdswith less diversified sources of income who are more
dependent on one paid job. This includes single mothers and female-headed households. Some interviewed
women caregivers noted the need for remote parttime work, yet others noted that such work would alsoneed to come with support for their dependents.

“My 6-year-old child no longer has access to
education and care. I was forced to give up myjob because I have to constantly take care of myson, who has a disability and whose condition
has deteriorated due to stress.” (Caregiver, single
mother)In the occupied territories, respondents spoke about
the limitations on men’s mobility and access to paid

35 IOM (1 April 2022). Ukraine Internal Displacement Report. Available at:link.
36 OCHA (February 2022). Humanitarian response plan Ukraine. Available
at: link.

Pre-war estimates of the Roma employment ratein Ukraine range from 22 per cent38 to 38 per cent,39
with a lower employment rate among women. Prior
to the escalation of the war, Roma women and men
experienced discrimination in the labour market. The
lack of civil status documentation and low educationlevels particularly among Roma women diminishes
their ability to secure employment,40 with the conflict
only further exacerbating the existing discrimination. According to the interviewed Roma people, both
Roma women and men have experienced a reduction in income-generating activities as a result of
the hostilities and consequent displacement, withsome reporting continuous discrimination in thelabour market because of their ethnic origin and,in some cases, the colour of their skin. As a result of
the war, employment rates in general are expected
to fall further. Given that men are traditionally themain breadwinners in Roma families, unemployment
among men directly affects Roma women as well interms of family income. There are accounts of Roma
women taking more responsibility in income generation to make up for the loss of employment of men in
the household.

37 H. Coynash (March 2022). “Russia is forcing Ukrainians from occupied
Crimea and Donbas to fight in its invasion of Ukraine.” Available at:link; N. Adamovych (April 2022). Zmina: “One month hid and thenfled: the story of a young man who escaped mobilization in the ‘DPR’.”
Available at: link to Ukraine source.
38 Romani early years network (2015). Roma population in Ukraine.
Available at: link.
39 UN Women (2018). The Rights of Roma Women in Ukraine. Available
at: link.
40 Roma Women Fund Chirikli (17 February 2017). Written commentson the situation of Romani Women in Ukraine to the United Nations
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

16

The railway station in Lviv has become a hub for those fleeing to EU countries from the war in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Serhii
Korovainyi“I’m looking for a job right now. My wife got a
job as a seller in the market, and that’s how welive. […] I know how to repair cars. The problem
is that here [in the place of displacement], the[Roma] are not too welcome to take this job. I canwork in the shop as a loader, but even for this job,
unfortunately, because I am a [Roma], they don’t
want to take me. My wife managed to get a job;
she said that she was not a [Roma], so she wasmore fortunate with finding work.” (DisplacedRoma man)“There is no work. We used to trade in the market,
but that is over. We have no place, no goods—wehave nothing left.” (Roma woman)
To mitigate the consequences of the war, some
employers implement flexible working arrangements and payment strategies such as unpaid leave,
part-time work, salary reductions and teleworking
where feasible. Based on interviews, women and men

whose work can be conducted remotely have beenless impacted by the war. A significant percentage ofthe remote work in Ukraine belongs to the IT sector,
which is male dominated. Most of the IT staff haverelocated or left Ukraine before or at the beginningof the war.41 If they can continue to have access to acomputer, electricity and an Internet connection, they
can work regardless of their location and, thus, provide
for themselves and their families.
However, these solutions may only be feasible for the
short term. The continuation of the war will increase
unemployment and prolong the negative impacts
on women and men, especially the most vulnerable
groups.
Poverty and dependency on social payments, especially among a growing number of female-headedhouseholds, is expected to increase. Age, disability, displacement status and other characteristics will further
affect access to employment and financial resources
and are likely to impact the socioeconomic situation
41 Ibid.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine17

of the citizens of Ukraine during the war. Before thewar, the informally employed population made up
about 24 per cent, of whom 58 per cent were men
and 42 per cent women.42 As a result of the war, however, informal employment will likely increase. Some
respondents also mentioned that, in order for families
to bring in enough income, more children aged 16–17
are entering the labour market as they “need to earna living instead of learning,” as one activist woman
noted.

“She began to work unofficially at two jobs,[because] her husband was left without work.”(Woman living in a territory occupied since 2014)

3.2 Unpaid work
Prior to the escalation of hostilities in February 2022,
unpaid domestic work in Ukraine had become a double
and triple burden for women, with women spending
24.6 hours per week on such work compared to men’s
14.5 hours.43 Respondents consistently noted thatsince the beginning of the war, the volume of unpaid
work for both men and women has increased as social
services, medical, education and childcare facilities are
disrupted by the war. Unpaid work now includes carework, domestic work and volunteering.

“Housework and care work have increased by 50
per cent. It increased because of COVID-19 andnow even more. I would say that voluntary work
also takes lots of effort. We have a lot of elderly
people and people with low income who needsupport and have low food security. We speak
to them, bring them bread and care for people. I
have no life—I do nothing except [unpaid] work
and walk my dog.” (Woman living in a city under
immediate attack)
Women in particular bear more responsibility thanmen for the care of children and dependent family
members due to the forced family separation (such as

through displacement and the conscription of men) or
the death of male family members. To compensate forthe loss of services due to the war, women do muchof the care work for their own families, including
eldercare, childcare and homeschooling. This is especially relevant for single mothers who have to earn
an income, care for their children and now organize
online education, as noted by the respondents.
According to some interviews, men’s care burden has
also shifted. The loss of work has contributed to men’smore active involvement in not only unpaid domestic
work but also emotional care work, providing emotional support to family members. In some instances,roles have also changed further, with female household members having taken on more paid work to
make up for their husband’s unemployment.

“I have to take care of my family members evenmore than before, especially in terms of supporting them emotionally.” (Older man withrestricted mobility)“Since 24 February 2022, [our household] duties
have changed. Now my husband does not wait
for me to come home from work. If he gets homefirst, he washes the dishes, mops the floor, collects water in containers and cooks the food.”(Woman living in an area occupied since 2014)
For people living in the territories under immediate
attack or temporary occupation, unpaid work has not
only increased but is nearly the only available form ofwork. While unpaid work also provides opportunities
for people to engage in different roles, there is still atendency towards a gendered division of such work
among the population that is forced to survive undershelling and occupation.

“We know of a large family in a bomb shelter. The
constant work of mopping floors [and] taking
out the garbage [is] the women's work—theirroutine. The men help—they carry heavy things,
and they mostly go and bring back food.” (Man)42 ILO (2018). Undeclared Work in Ukraine: Nature, Scope and Measures
to Tackle It Working paper. Available at: link.
43 FAO (7 April 2022). Gender Related Impacts of the Ukraine conflict.
Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

18

The railway station in Lviv has become a hub for those fleeing to EU countries from the war in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Serhii
Korovainyi

Anastasia Robulet, an 18-year-old student, volunteers at theSculeni border, packing bags of supplies. Photo: UN Women

Olena Yanishevska, paramedic from the Hospitallers volunteer
unit, based in Kyiv provides medical assistance to the territorial
defense units. Photo: UN Women/Serhii Korovainyi

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine193.3 Women’s and men’s role within
volunteer efforts

for more flexible gender roles outside the more traditional gendered division of labour—and in a more
inclusive and less stigmatizing environment.

Many women and men who are not conscriptedchoose to volunteer to make a contribution to thecurrent crisis and, as a result, engage in more unpaid
work. Some respondents combine volunteering withpaid jobs, while others who lost their jobs due to thewar focus on volunteering. The key informants noted
the gendered division of volunteering roles. Whilemen tend to be more engaged in defence and security
activities, women lead the assistance to vulnerable
populations and support to the AFU. The respondents
also noted that young men are engaging in volunteer
activities more now than before the war.

“It seems to me that everyone in our country is
now a kind of volunteer who is trying to help
close neighbours, [especially] old people, because
I know that there are many such older people inour neighbourhood, whom we now provide assistance and advice to, buy food for and support
morally. Plus, [these are] works that we can carryout in order to somehow help our relatives andthe residents of our city.” (Man living in a territory under attack)Moreover, the respondents reported that on the
ground, they do not differentiate between activities
to provide humanitarian support to civilians and thoseto support the AFU or the Territorial Defence Forces
with the provision of food or supplies. This lack of aclear division poses challenges regarding adherence
to humanitarian principles. This RGA focuses on
the humanitarian efforts carried out by communities to support civilians. For more information on
women’s and men’s involvement within the AFU or
the Territorial Defence Forces, please refer to the RGA
Secondary Data Review.

The interviews revealed that everyone—including
women from different regions of Ukraine, older men
and women, women and men with restricted mobility,
Roma women, female heads of households, internallydisplaced persons and even women with newborn
babies—is involved in volunteer activities and providing assistance. Those who are eligible recipients of aid
are active in humanitarian work. Key areas for assistance include humanitarian aid to displaced people,
communities in territories under attack and liberated
territories.

“[In the response], women are more involvedin humanitarian aid. More attention is paid tothe provision of food, clothing and so on. Men
deal with issues of territorial defence, logistics
and the transportation of goods. Therefore, we
can probably say that the roles are divided.”(Representative of the regional administration)“A person’s activities motivate—you want to be
useful. The whole family and I went to the volunteer kitchen to make dumplings on the frontline. It helps to feel alive and useful today.” (Older
woman)
Women are actively engaged in volunteering and areat the forefront in providing humanitarian assistanceto war-affected communities. Volunteering allows“I participate in social initiatives within my locality—to buy food or bring it in.” (Older man withrestricted mobility)“I do volunteer work to be useful to the affected people. And it distracts me from my heavy
thoughts.” (Mother with a newborn)“My son and I are currently helping to deliver
medicine, find safe routes and deliver diapers,
baby formula and children’s medicine to the village.” (Older woman)“The women in my family are also trying to volunteer and help refugees in every possible way.”(Woman living in a territory occupied since 2014)

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine204. ACCESS TO SERVICES
AND RESOURCES

Chernihiv. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine

Both female and male respondents highlighted theimportance of humanitarian assistance. Having losttheir livelihoods, many are completely dependent on aid.

“Humanitarian organizations now bring food, likeflour and sugar, and hygiene products. They may
also bring petrol when necessary. I have a childwith a disability, and they know it. So they call me
and ask me what we need.” (Caregiver, woman)
However, many respondents, the majority of whomwere female and older men, spoke of the challenges
and barriers they face in accessing humanitarian services, including:• The physical inability to access aid• The distribution of aid in an undignified manner (attimes)• The failure to distribute aid in an inclusive or targeted manner, e.g. to reach individuals with restrictedmobility• The failure to deliver aid to their village• The lack of information on when aid would arrive or
what recipients were eligible for• The fact that aid was not free but required payment• Discrimination experienced by certain groups whenseeking aid—a response common across mostinterviewed Roma respondents and particularly
emphasized by women Roma, who noted discrimination in accessing food, shelter, NFI, health care,education and childcare“There is nothing that is safe at the moment.
It’s dangerous for people to move around thecity—people die even standing in a queue.”(Representative of a women’s CSO)
“We learned about [the aid] on the Internet. A lotof it came from other countries and cities to us
in our town in Nizhyn, but personally, my family
and I did not receive anything.” (Roma woman)

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine21

is a one-time assistance. It’s different in every
community. Why not introduce some kind of unified system for receiving humanitarian aid anddistributing humanitarian aid? For example, one
internally displaced person is given something as
a one-time set and something else as a weekly
set. Then it would be clearer what we can claim.”(Displaced woman)“There is one thing: this is both important for me
and a little incomprehensible today. [...] There
was no information about what we can get. I was
always asked, ‘What do you need?’ And I immediately thought, ‘What can I claim? What can I ask
for?’ [...] It was not clear, because they didn’t specifically say that we have the opportunity to get,for example, hygiene products [and] food. [...] It
turns out, we have the right to food packages,
which are very relevant for us. [...] Why didn’t
they tell us right away? Our friends in anothercommunity said that they could come once every
10 days and receive food packages, diapers andhygiene products, while we were told that thisRespondents were asked to describe their priority
needs and the areas of their life most affected by thewar. Figures 4.1 and 4.2 show the responses fromwomen and men respondents, which are discussed in
the following sections.

FIGURE 4.1:

Areas of life most affected by the war

Involvement in community decisions

3%
6%

Involvement in household decisions

3%
3%
7%
4%

Access to cash
Income / employment / business

28%

33%

13%
16%

Food / nutrition
3%

Education

7%

Sanitation and Hygiene

3%
6%

Sources of information

4%

10%
50%
49%

Mental Health17%15%Physical Health

37%
35%

Safety and security
0%

10%

Male

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

FemaleNumber of community members participating in semi-structured interviews:
n = 98, with multiple choices

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

22

Moldova - People fleeing the military offensive in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Aurel Obreja

Respondents were asked about the area of their life
most impacted by the war (Figure 4.1). Fifty per centof men and 49 per cent of women referenced mental
health as the main issue. Yet, as seen in Figure 4.2,
mental health services were not seen as the priority

need. The second most important issue—reported by
37 per cent of men and 35 per cent of women—wassafety and security. In terms of income, 33 per centof men and 28 per cent of women reported this as asignificant issue.

FIGURE 4.2:

Priority needs

40%
40%

Protection
Income / employment / business

30%

19%
10%

Safe shelter

21%
13%
13%

Food

20%
21%

Mental health care
Physical Health

24%
0%

10%

Male

20%

27%

30%

40%

50%

FemaleNumber of community members participating in semi-structured interviews:
n = 98, with multiple choices

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

23

Figure 4.2 shows the top three priority needs noted by
women and men respondents: 40 per cent of men and
40 per cent of women referenced protection needs(understood mainly as safety). In addition, 30 per centof men and 19 per cent of women reported income,
employment or business as a priority need, while 27
per cent of men and 24 per cent of women reported
physical health.

4.1 Safe and accessible shelter
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• In many cases, displaced women and children have to rely on informal and unvetted
sources of shelter, which poses a potential
security risk.
• Displaced men face challenges in finding
shelter, as women and children are often
prioritized over them.
• The lack of sex-disaggregated public
toilets and WASH facilities in IDP centres
increases the protection risks to womenand children in particular.
• In rural areas, accessing fuel requires travel to bigger cities as well as long queues,
increasing the protection risks for womenin particular.
• People with physical disabilities andothers with restricted mobility, as wellas their caregivers, are in a particularly
vulnerable position when trying to accessbomb shelters and/or trying to relocate tosafer areas and housing.
Twenty-one per cent of women and 10 per cent of
men indicated safe shelter among their priority
needs (Figure 4.2). Yet many respondents who havebeen displaced, both women and men, speak about
their constant search for housing. The lack of accessto housing increases protection risks such as sexual
exploitation and trafficking as many displaced people
find shelter through informal arrangements.

With people being displaced in large numbers, hastily
opened collective shelters, often in schools, are subject to overcrowding, poor hygiene and a lack of basic
facilities and supplies, such as beds, mattresses andblankets. In particular, women’s CSOs reported theunsafe conditions that displaced women and girls inwestern Ukraine face with the lack of sex-segregatedand well-lit toilets, creating conditions that canincrease the risk of sexual harassment and otherforms of sexual violence against women and girls inpublic spaces.44 Women respondents also noted thelack of sufficient and hygienic areas for cooking andlaundry. Similar findings were noted by the Shelter
Cluster.45 According to CSO respondents, much of
the costs related to housing for displaced people arecovered by local governments and village committees
with limited funds from the national government,
which are not enough to meet basic needs.
Based on interviews, many IDPs consider the shelter
offered to the displaced as a temporary option while
they search for housing. According to IOM’s Ukraine
Internal Displacement Report of 17 April, 43 per centof displaced women and 41 per cent of displacedmen consider further movement from their current
location.46
Yet not everyone can find housing. Many interviewees
spoke of having no money for rent, while at the sametime, rent prices have increased, rendering the displaced reliant on people to take them in. Many people
are providing housing to friends, family and strangers alike. Such volunteer sources of shelter mean thatwomen must rely on unvetted people, which may
translate into a potential protection risk. As womenmake up 60 per cent of the adult IDP population, they
are more affected by these developments. However,there are also accounts of discrimination against men,whereby they are not accepted as tenants or by hotels
while women are prioritized. Some landlords haveevicted their tenants in order to increase their rental
prices and benefit from renting to others who can pay
more. Many respondents spoke about experiences ofspending nights at railway stations and in overcrowded hostels and hotels.

44 UN Women (2017). Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces. Global results
report. Available at: link.
45 Shelter Cluster (15 March 2022). Ukraine Emergency: Situation Report#1. Available at: link.
46 IOM (17 April 2022). Ukraine Internal Displacement Report Round 3.
Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

24

“Life has changed dramatically. Because ourplace of residence has changed, now we live notin our own home, not in our own house, but in a
rented apartment—a completely different life.”(Woman, community member)
Members of the LGBTQIA+ community also disproportionally experience housing discrimination,leaving them particularly vulnerable to protection
risks. To address these concerns, the LGBTQIA+ community in Lviv has created two inclusive collective
centres in the city that welcome both the LGBTQIA+
community and their relatives, as well as men. The
majority of people staying in the centres are gay
or transgender men who cannot leave Ukraine, butthere is also an LGBTQIA+ person who was in needof a safe space because they were unable to livewith their parents due to conflicts arising in thehousehold.47
The war is exacerbating the vulnerabilities of those
who were already considered to be in vulnerable situations. There are some accounts from displaced Roma
women and men of experiencing discrimination whenseeking shelter. They further report relying on othermembers of the Roma community to offer them aplace to stay.

“Upon arrival, we turned to the volunteers at
the station and asked where the shelter was.
They told us and we went, but we were refused
everywhere. We felt that it was because we wereRoma. We called various organizations providing
city services, and they told us at first that theywould settle us, but when we said that we wereRoma or when we arrived, they told us there
were no places any more.” (Roma woman)

47 QUA.Community (13 April 2022). “Precious shelter during war.
Ukrainian human rights NGO ‘Fulcrum’ created shelters for LGBT
people and others in Lviv.” Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

Many of those still living at home, especially in rural
areas, note that their electricity, water and gas havebeen turned off or disrupted. In a recent UN study,
the rural population, especially rural women, wasidentified as one of the main vulnerable populations
in Ukraine. The situation is made more difficult by the
low and declining population numbers and the subsequent lack of services, infrastructure and Internet
access.48 Currently, people from rural areas travel tobigger cities to buy fuel. They often face long queues
and increasing prices, which increase the protection
risks, especially for women. Many have equipped theircellars to stay in at times of shelling or other military
incursions. Some have removed the glass panes fromtheir windows so as not to have them break from theshock waves.
Accounts from women’s CSOs and CSOs working withpeople with disabilities note that people with disabilities have difficulties with accessing transportation
and are therefore unable to leave their homes and seek
safer housing. Due to the stigma around disability andthe lack of specialized services, adults and children
with disabilities are often placed in institutions awayfrom home.49 Organizations in Ukraine working withpeople with disabilities have raised these issues andare calling for the urgent protection of adults and children in such institutions. 50“It is very difficult for restricted-mobility groups
to seek shelter because [shelters] are located inbasements that are not equipped for this purpose, and going down from the upper floors of
the building to the basement is very difficult for
restricted-mobility groups.” (Representative of awomen’s CSO)

48 United Nations (December 2021). Operationalizing Leaving No One
Behind Approach in Ukraine.
49 UNICEF (2 December 2021). “On the Day of Persons with Disabilities,
the Verkhovna Rada Was Reminded of the Rights of Children by the
UNICEF Initiative.” Available at: link.
50 International Disability Alliance. “Through this conflict in Ukraine,
what happens to persons with disabilities?” Available at: link; Disability
Rights International (1 March 2022). Urgent Action: Protect People with
Disabilities and Children in Ukraine’s Orphanages. Available at: link;
The Arc (22 March 2022). The Arc Unifies with People with Disabilities
in Ukraine. Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine25

4.2 Cash, financial and social support
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• For rural areas, accessing cash requires
travel to bigger cities, thereby increasing
the protection risks particularly for women.
• Accessing cash often requires the ability
to queue for extended amounts of time,making access difficult for people withrestricted mobility or older people.
• Women are particularly reliant on social
support, access to which is hindered particularly in the occupied and war-affectedareas.

As seen above in Figure 4.2, 30 per cent of men, compared to 19 per cent of women, mentioned income/
employment as their second most pressing need.
This emphasizes men’s traditional role as the primary
income earners. At the same time, only 7 per cent ofmale respondents and 4 per cent of female respondents saw access to cash as an area most affected by
the war. That being said, women in particular speak
about the impact that the lack of cash has had on theirability to access housing, food and non-food items,
particularly hygiene items.
But there are also concerns regarding the lack of supplies that money cannot address, as noted by a motherof a newborn child: “Every day, I think about how muchmoney I will need tomorrow and where to find thismoney. Yet, even with money, you are not able to buy
what you need because there may be supply problems. It is very scary to find yourself in the middle of ahumanitarian disaster, without the opportunity to buy
food [or] hygiene products.”
In the first weeks of the war, access to cash was
almost impossible across Ukraine. Both women andmen respondents noted the continuous problems
in the occupied territories and in the areas of active
hostilities, where ATMs, banks and Ukrposhta services(Ukrainian Post that distributes pension payments)
have been destroyed or looted, are closed or are notbeing replenished with cash.

“Cash is impossible [to get] now because everything has been bombed out. ATMs do not work,banks do not work.” (Woman living in a city under immediate attack)“Money is a big problem. Nobody can withdraw
money. Terminals do not work. Banks do notwork. No one pays by cashless payment. Cards
are not accepted. Money is not delivered toATMs. There are cases of looting. [...] If any of theauthorities took the initiative, if possible, [theycould] organize a service to withdraw moneyfrom bank cards.” (Man living in a city under immediate attack)In the government-controlled territories, respondents
reported having better access to cash. Apart from thelong queues observed at ATMs across Ukraine during
the first week of the war, which were particularly challenging for older women and men and people withrestricted mobility, there are no significant impediments to accessing cash in bigger cities. In smaller,
especially rural communities, the ATMs and banks are
scarce, and local stores only take cash. As a result, hostpopulations and displaced people have to travel tobigger neighbouring communities to withdraw cash,
increasing the protection risks for women and girls inparticular.
For many respondents, financial and social support,
including pensions, child benefits and disability
benefits, is their only source of income. Many are concerned about whether they will be able to access thesebenefits. This is especially true for female-headedhouseholds, families with persons with disabilities
and families of pensioners. Moreover, this issue disproportionately affects women, who make up 72 percent of social protection recipients and the majority of older people and caregivers in Ukraine. Some
respondents also noted difficulties in completing thenecessary paperwork to receive financial and social
support, further delaying many respondents’ access to
support for which they are eligible. According to RomaCSOs, some Roma face challenges in applying due totheir lack of civil status documentation.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine26

Chernihiv. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine“I can only rely on my pension and my mother’spension, nothing more. Mom can’t hear or see,and she is 85 years old. I could find some extra
work, but I can’t leave her alone at home.”(Woman living in a newly occupied area)“My old mom receives a pension. Ukrposhta
used to bring money home, but this service is nolonger available. She does not have a [bank] card,and there are a lot of people just like her in thecity. Anyway, you can't withdraw money fromyour card.” (Older woman, caregiver)“Child benefits are not enough, because we needdiapers and my youngest child is on [formula].
We need formula, food and rental housing. At
the moment, renting is expensive.” (Mother of anewborn)

Chernihiv. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine

for individual entrepreneurs and employees who losttheir income because of the war.
The second initiative is a monthly social-support payment to displaced people across 14 regions of Ukraine,with a large majority of recipients being women andchildren. This involves a monthly payment of UAH
2,000 (US$66) for an adult and UAH 3,000 (US$99)
for a child or for a person with disability.51 The only
requirement to apply for this support is having an
IDP certificate. Applications for this assistance can besubmitted either through local departments of social
protection of the population or online through theDiia portal.52 Many internally displaced respondents
confirmed their awareness of this opportunity andthat they would apply for it. However, some reports
have emerged of displaced people encountering challenges in applying for this assistance. The issue relates
to a lack of clarity regarding the eligibility of those
who were displaced in 2014 or 2015 and then lost theirright to IDP benefits, for whatever reason, before 24
February 2022.

Roma CSOs also noted concerns that the lack of civil
status documentation will delay or prevent Romafrom receiving cash and other humanitarian assistance. Some respondents—representatives of Roma
CSOs and other individuals—reported helping Roma
women with the paperwork to apply for financial
assistance. At the same time, while some respondents
reported receiving cash from humanitarian organizations, others who had not yet received cash assistancewere concerned that this would affect their eligibility
for other humanitarian assistance.

On 6 April 2022, the Government reported that it isconsidering the possible reduction of certain social
support payments starting from May “in the event of
unfavourable developments.”53 No further details are
currently available, but such a reduction—if it takes
place—will directly affect the financial situation of
those populations who are dependent on social support, the majority of whom are women and/or people
from different marginalized groups.

In March 2022, the Government of Ukraine launched
two initiatives to improve the population’s financial
support. The first is a one-time assistance payment
in the amount of UAH 6,500 (equivalent to US$215)

51 Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Decree No. 332 dated 20 March 2022.
Available at: link to Ukrainian source.
52 Diia. State Services Online. Available at: link.
53 President of Ukraine (6 April 2022). “President of Ukraine held a meeting with members of the government on the implementation of thestate budget.” Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine27

4.3 Food security and nutrition
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• Women in Ukraine were already more foodinsecure than men prior to the escalationof the war, with 37.5 per cent of femaleheaded households in conflict-affectedareas experiencing food insecurity.
• The number of female-headed households
has increased since 24 February, making
targeted food security programming forfemale-headed households crucial.
• Women have started to reduce their own
food intake to provide food for their children.
• Food distributions are not sufficiently
addressing specific dietary needs, including those for pregnant and breastfeeding
women, the need for baby food and formula and the dietary needs of people withdifferent chronic illnesses or disabilities.
• Displaced women and vulnerable populations know how food assistance andnutrition programming could be improved.
Their participation in the design and distribution of programming is crucial.

Women in Ukraine were already more food insecurethan men prior to the escalation of the war. In 2019,
food insecurity increased from 17.3 per cent to 28.9 percent for women and from 13.3 per cent to 24 per cent for
men,54 and the existing food insecurity has only beenfurther exacerbated by the war. According to the Food
Security and Livelihoods Cluster members’ assessments, food is among the most acute needs identified
across Ukraine,55 with access-related concerns varying
from one area to another. Among the respondents, 16
per cent of women and 13 per cent of men reported
food to be the area in their life most affected by thewar. At the same time, 13 per cent of both women andmen indicated food as their priority need (Figure 4.2).
54 FAO (7 April 2022). Gender Related Impacts of the Ukraine conflict.
Available at: link.
55 OCHA (8 April 2022). Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact Situation Report.
Available at: link.

“The most important thing that I constantly
need is food.” (Displaced woman, caregiver)“It is no longer very scary whether a rocket will
arrive or not from the sea, but it is scary that wewill die of starvation.” (Woman living in an occupied area)
In the occupied and war-affected areas, 37.5 per cent offemale-headed households in 2021 had already experienced food insecurity at “moderate or severe” levels,
compared to 20.5 per cent of male-headed households
who had experienced such food insecurity.56 Bothfemale and male respondents reported facing a situation of almost bare shelves in food stores in the first
three to four weeks after the escalation began. While
there are also accounts of some food availability andof rural women growing their own food, many respondents continue to speak of critically limited foodavailability due to disrupted supply chains, the lackof humanitarian aid, the lack of money and increased
prices. Many nutrient-dense foods such as fish, dairy
products and fruit are still in limited supply, especiallywhere such foods were supplied from the regions
affected by the war.57
Additionally, in cities like Mariupol, the World Food
Programme and media reports include accounts of“people being starved to death,” with the population
deliberately blocked from food and water supplies58, 59
and people dying of hunger and dehydration.60“Nobody distributes […] food, nobody gives
anything. People are living even without bread,
without food.” (Woman living in a city under immediate attack)

56 FAO (2022). Ukraine: Note on the impact of the war on food security in
Ukraine – 25 March 2022. Rome. Available at: link.
57 Segodnya. The war brought increases prices of important products.
Available at: link.
58 Associated Press (14 April 2022). The AP Interview: UN Food Chief Says
Mariupol Is Starving. Available at: link.
59 The New York Times (29 March 2022). How Russia Is Using Ukrainians’
Hunger as a Weapon of War. Available at: link.
60 The Irish Times (30 March 2022). “People beginning to die of starvationin Mariupol, US tells United Nations.” Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine28

Respondents from host communities and those displaced in rural or isolated communities spoke of alack of or limited access to food supplies. At the sametime, rural women respondents also noted their selfsufficiency in food production thanks to gardens orland and cellars where they keep their stock. Yet, given
the limited Internet and mobile connectivity in these
territories, respondents, particularly older people andvulnerable groups, do not receive updated information regarding when food supplies arrive.
The lack of baby food remains a critical concern
among respondents in different regions and amongdisplaced populations; mothers with newborns also
note the lack of baby formula. Moreover, respondents
also highlighted that specific dietary food is notavailable nor is it included within humanitarian food
distributions, which do not meet the specific needs ofpregnant and breastfeeding women, newborn babies
and infants, adolescents, persons with disabilities andthose with various health conditions.
Data from other crises show that women and girls
often eat less and last during wars as a negative
coping mechanism.61 According to some interviews,
women have reduced their own food intake and havestarted to save food and give it primarily to children
and older and sick people, while also spending theirsavings on food when and where it is available.
Due to disrupted water, electricity and gas supplies,
many resort to cooking food over fires outside theirdwellings and collecting water from streams andlakes. People staying in shelters in war-affected areas
are trying to make ends meet with food from volunteers in poor hygiene conditions.

“People in shelters do not eat normally. They
prepare food over fires from what volunteers
brought them. They do not wash vegetables,
they eat wild birds, and all of this leads to diseases. People are constantly sick.” (Man living ina city under immediate attack)Female Roma respondents reported facing discrimination in accessing food aid, including simply being
refused food at distribution sites. One Roma woman
respondent suggested a targeted food assistanceprogramme specifically for the Roma population to
improve access.

“If only we could be given products such as flour,
oil and cereals for the Roma. […] We would divide
everything equally between the Roma families.”(Roma woman)
For the Roma, the feeling of discrimination is so common that some Roma respondents noted they nolonger try to request any aid, assuming they would bedenied. One female respondent who did manage to
receive a distribution package was surprised that thiswas even possible.
At the community level, a Roma woman also spoke
about sharing food with their neighbours, putting
aside any differences and negative attitudes: “Wehave neighbours who are not Roma, and they were
not very friendly to us in the past, but this situation
has brought us closer together—we exchanged foodwith them.”
In the government-controlled territories, key foodsecurity concerns include the limited availability offood necessary for specific populations (similar to
the non-government-controlled areas), the increased
prices and the lack of consolidated information aboutfood assistance. Many of the host communities haveprogrammes—sponsored by the local authorities andhumanitarian organizations—to provide free foodand meals for displaced people who cannot afford topay for it. One UN agency representative noted: “As forfood, the city has no problems with this. Many people
really came together; a lot of canned food [...] was collected.” Many respondents reported having benefited
from such programmes. At the same time, such programmes are not available to displaced people acrossall regions of Ukraine. Displaced women in particular
spoke of food insecurity and a lack of information
about food assistance and their eligibility to receive it.

61 FAO (7 April 2022). Gender Related Impacts of the Ukraine conflict.
Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine29

4.4 Health, including sexual andreproductive health services
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• A majority of healthcare workers in
Ukraine are women facing an increased
care burden while playing a central role as
front-line responders.
• The lack of access to sexual and reproductive
health services, including gynaecologicalservices, is a challenge.
• In war-affected areas, deliveries of babies
are carried out in unsafe conditions.
Many new mothers and newborns stay inbasements and shelters with insufficient
medical supplies.
• Access to needed medicine is a challenge
for people with disabilities and chronic
illnesses, including for people with HIV.
Transgender people are also affected dueto the lack of hormone therapy.

As access to health services is declining, 24 per centof female and 27 per cent of male respondents notedphysical health as their second highest priority need
(Figure 4.2).
Prior to the war, 83 per cent of healthcare staff in
Ukraine were women,62 and they continue to playa central role as front-line responders in the current
crisis. In addition, many women face a significantly
increased care burden for children and older, sick or
injured relatives. At the same time, many medical
workers, pharmacists and distributors have been
displaced internally or to other countries, causing
a reduction or absence in medical services and supplies63 and thereby worsening the access to alreadysignificantly damaged or disrupted healthcare services, especially in war-affected areas. Access is also
affected due to mined roads, the lack of medicines

62 UN Women (4 August 2020). “Women health-care professionals at theheart of the COVID-19 response in Ukraine.” Available at: link.
63 Economichna Pravda (10 March 2022). “Do not sweep all medicines inbulk from pharmacies.” Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

and the targeted attacks on health facilities including
hospitals and ambulances, which reached 103 as of 7
April.64 About 1,000 medical facilities are located near
the conflict lines or are in areas that are now occupied.
In interviews, both women and men raised issues
related to the access to health care. Remote villages
are particularly affected by the lack of services andmedicines.

“Primary healthcare options disappeared. Family
doctors are mostly women, about 50 per cent ofwhom have left the community.” (Woman)“I have a child with a disability, and two elderly
people [live] with us. My parents need treatment
and specific medications. The pharmacy in thevillage is closed. There is no medicine. Medicationis very much needed.” (Woman)“In small villages, there is no medical assistance,
there are no convoys with humanitarian aid, andmedical and obstetric points are not working
and are closed because they lack medical staff.”(Woman)Since the beginning of the war, people with disabilities,
chronic diseases and other illnesses have faced major
problems, including a sharp increase in hypertension
and cardiovascular disease, even among young people.65 Respondents also noted the lack of treatment for
older and menopausal women (especially for diseasesof the thyroid gland and musculoskeletal system, as
well as other vascular and hormonal diseases).
Many respondents referred to the health risks linked
to unsafe and unsanitary shelters, including the
spread of COVID-19.

“People are sick all the time. They go to basements that are not okay at all—nobody preparedthem [for habitation], so we have sick people,
dirty children, people coming in with animals,
fully unsanitary conditions, coronavirus going
64 WHO (7 April 2022). “WHO records 100th attack on health care in
Ukraine.” Available at: link.
65 KP in Ukraine (23 March 2022). “Family doctor: Due to the war, theschedule changed, we went to the ‘distance’ as much as possible.”
Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine30

In coordination with the border police, UN Women provides wheelchairs and walkers to assist elderly people and women with small
babies at the Mayaki-Udobnoe Border crossing in southeastern Moldova where thousands of refugees arrive every day to escape thewar in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Aurel Obreja

round and round from one person to another, noavailable medicines,…. We don't have an ambulance; it doesn't come when called…. People can't
wash. They can't even wash their hands. I won't
speak of the rest.” (Man, community member)
Similar to other people with chronic illnesses whoneed regular medicine or medical treatment, HIVpatients, the majority of whom are men, and people
with drug addictions are affected by the absence ofnecessary medications in Ukraine. There were approximately 250,000 people living with HIV in Ukraine prior
to the war, one of the world’s highest HIV incidence
rates, with around half of them receiving antiretroviraltherapy.66 The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that around 28,000 people (52 per cent men,
46 per cent women and 2 per cent children) living withHIV have fled Ukraine and need access to treatment
elsewhere. At the same time, an estimated 17,000

66 Clinical Trials Arena (25 March 2022). “The conflict in Ukraine necessitates increasing access to HIV services for refugees.” Available at: link.

people, of whom 80 per cent are men, must maintain their access to medication-assisted treatment(MAT) for drug dependency. Since it is mainly womenand children leaving the country, it is expected thatthe unmet need for MAT will be particularly high in
Ukraine. Of the two main manufacturers of methadone in Ukraine, one factory has been evacuated andthe other is emptied of its stock. Moreover, the Russian
Government cut off supplies to MAT in Crimea when it
was annexed in 2014.67“HIV patients and drug addicts were given drugs,
but in some cases, the days in the hospitals havebeen shortened. Humanitarian cargoes for vulnerable groups have stopped. This problem has
been resolved partly by the Ministry of Social
Policy, which sent humanitarian assistance, andpartly by international organizations.” (Woman)

67 Aidsmap (21 March 2022). “Ukrainians displaced by Russian invasion
struggling to access HIV and drug dependency treatment”. Available
at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

31March 2022, pregnant women are forced to spend nights in the basement seeking shelter from ongoing shelling. The neonatal
resuscitation is organized in a tiny room underground. Photo: UN Women/Serhii Korovainyi

Among those also requiring regular access to medication are transgender people, many of whom have had
to stop hormone therapy due to the supply shortages.68 Several LGBTQIA+ organizations are involved inproviding access to medication to members of thiscommunity, but even this does not cover all of theneeds.
Roma people too face discrimination in accessing
medical services, a challenge that is only further
exacerbated by the crisis. According to interviews with
Roma CSOs, those without civil status documentation
face difficulties in registering with family doctors andhence accessing medicines and medical services.
The war negatively affects access to sexual andreproductive health (SRH), including family planningand maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH).
Multiple media reports have noted that the increase
in infections, the lack of medical care, poor nutritionand stress brought on by the war have increased therisk of premature birth. In the maternity hospitals in
Kharkiv and Lviv, doctors report that premature births
had doubled or tripled in the preceding few weeks.
UNICEF has also highlighted the importance of providing appropriate medical care and improving thehygiene conditions for premature babies in shelters,
which are not equipped for such purposes.69 Women
respondents noted the lack of humanitarian aid for
68 QUA Community (31 March 2022). “Lack of hormonal medication andinability to cross the border. What challenges do transgender people
face during war?” Available at: link to Ukrainian source.
69 BBC (29 March 2022). “The number of premature babies has increasedin Ukraine. How they survive under bombs.” Available at: link; ABC
News (12 April 2022). “As Ukraine's war rages, pregnant women are
giving birth prematurely at an alarming rate.” Available at: link.

infants and young children (such as prams, clothes,
diapers and baby food).

“It was very scary and difficult to give birth in acombat zone. She was born in the basement of
the maternity hospital, [with] no diapers or formula for feeding.” (Mother of a newborn)“Pregnant women were not allowed into maternity hospitals, threatened with weapons andviolence, so women simply gave birth at home.
It is not known whether these women survived,in what conditions the children were born, andwhat will be the fate of these young children
who are not guilty of anything.” (Woman living in Chernihiv region, occupied at the time ofinterview)
Women's access to gynaecological services has also
declined. Most consultations have moved online,
particularly in conflict-affected areas, and require
access to the Internet via a computer or smartphone.
Mothers of infants who have moved to rural areas
report the unavailability of gynaecological services(e.g. total absence, inadequate quality, etc.).

“There is a big problem when your own gynaecologist leaves, and going to someone else who
is a stranger is a difficult option. Still, having adoctor—that is what’s important.” (Woman,
community member)

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine32

Issues of women's hygiene are very acute in settlements
where there is no water supply. Many interviewed
women spoke about the lack of menstrual hygienematerials as well as incontinence materials, compounded by the poor hygiene conditions and lack of water inbomb shelters. Where such materials do exist, displaced
women in particular note their unaffordability.

“Well, you adapt to everything. When, for example, we had no water for three days, I still had[my period] at that time, so I [used] pads and wet
wipes. There was a choice to save water and leave
it for drinking, because [we had times when]
there was no water since we have a pump andthe water supply depends on electricity.” (Female
head of household)

4.5 Education
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• Mothers in particular are raising concerns
over children’s schooling. Education has
mostly moved online, with the burden ofhomeschooling falling mainly on mothers,
who also must deal with air raids, evacuations and continued displacement, all ofwhich interfere with homeschooling.
• Roma girls and women, who were alreadydisadvantaged in terms of access toschooling, will most likely face further
challenges that will have long-term effects
on their access to opportunities, including
livelihoods and services.
• Women from all walks of life need vocational training and livelihoods opportunities.

The consequences of the war have been dire on theaccess to education. As of 30 March 2022, 4.5 million,or 60 per cent of Ukrainian children, had to leave theirhomes because of the war.70 As of 8 April, 84 educa-

70 UNICEF (30 March 2022). “Two million refugee children flee war in
Ukraine in search of safety across borders.” Available at: link.

tion institutions were destroyed and 928 damaged.71
Yet respondents referred to education less often
than other areas, with issues around personal safety
and other life-saving services taking priority. Wheneducation was mentioned, it was primarily female
respondents who did so.
Geography plays a role in the significant differences observed in the overall availability of education.
Women respondents in the occupied territories andin the areas of active hostilities spoke about the lackof education and the challenges and stress that thiscauses, as preschools, schools and higher education
institutions (HEI) remain closed. The families of highschool children who were to graduate this academic
year are concerned about the risk of not being able toreceive their graduation documents and thus enter
HEI. The number of HEI is limited in the occupied territories. Therefore, recent high school graduates in
the occupied territories risk delays to their continuing
education, which will impact their future.
In the government-controlled territories, accessto education is compromised by several factors.
Education across the country was disrupted forapproximately three weeks after the war started.
After that, it was restored mostly online. Most
preschools also remain closed. Where they do continue to operate in safer regions of Ukraine, they
are usually overcrowded and lack any openings fordisplaced children. Based on interviews, similar to theexperience of online schooling during the COVID-19
pandemic, the burden of online homeschooling rests
mostly on women.72 As a result, the increased careworkload prevents them from engaging in productive employment.73 Access to online education is also
contingent upon the availability of equipment andan Internet connection, which are less available topeople with lower income. Extracurricular activities
have completely stopped, adding to children’s stressand creating an additional worry and care burden
for women.

71 Prosecutor-General’s Office (8 April 2022). “Juvenile prosecutors: 169
children died in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression.” Available
at: link to Ukrainian source.
72 UN Women (2020). Rapid gender assessment of the situation andneeds of women in the context of COVID-19 in Ukraine. Available at:link.
73 Ibid.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

33

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous visits the Palanca – Mayaki-Udobnoe Border crossing in southeastern Moldova where
thousands of refugees arrive every day to escape the war in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Aurel Obreja“I am worried that my children are not receiving
the education they are entitled to. They are athome now. Learning has stopped. And children
need to study.” (Woman)“The efforts to organize online learning for children […] increased the amount of work [… thatwomen] have to do at home.” (Woman representing a UN agency)
Some female and male respondents from both thehost and displaced populations reported seeking new
vocational training opportunities to retrain and findjobs in new professions in the face of their own or afamily member’s unemployment. This provides opportunities to increase women’s economic empowerment
and skills relevant to the current context, perhaps
within areas of employment that do not follow typical gender stereotypes. However, vocational training
opportunities with government or humanitarianorganizations are extremely limited.

Prior to the escalation of the war, Roma women andgirls of all ages already faced challenges in accessing
education. These included poverty, a lack of future
employment prospects, a lack of civil status documentation and gender stereotypes that are prevalent in
the Roma community, where girls’ education is often
not encouraged.74, 75 By contrast, in general, Roma boys
finish secondary school and have access to higher
education. Respondents from the Roma community
reported facing discrimination when placing theirchildren in kindergartens and schools.

“We could not settle in any apartment or kindergarten or school because when they saw that weare [Roma], they said that there are no openings,
although there was an opening.” (Roma man)74 Roma Women Fund Chirikli (17 February 2017). Written commentson the situation of Romani Women in Ukraine to the United Nations
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Available at: link.
75 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (2019). Beijing +25 years on: Parallel report,
Ukraine 2014–2019. Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

34

There are risks that the current crisis will further
hinder Roma girls’ access to education, as education
overall will be deprioritized. A Roma woman interviewee questioned whether education is necessary at
all at this time.

“Children do not go to school right now. Who
needs schooling right now?” (Roma woman)

4.6 Civil status documentation“Those who do not have documents cannot go
through checkpoints, especially during curfews.
They want to help their family, but they areafraid to go out because they will be detained.”(Representative of a Roma CSO)
Aside from their civil status documentation, Roma also
face challenges at the border due to the lack of otherimportant documents, including birth certificates.

The Roma population faces multiple layers of discrimination. As noted previously, most of the Roma
population lack civil status documents, causing themdifficulties with accessing services like humanitarianassistance and protection. However, these barriers
existed even before the war broke out.76 In 2017, theRoma Women Fund “Chirikli” noted that 56 per centof internally displaced Roma interviewed were notregistered, thus limiting their access to humanitarianassistance.77 In interviews for this assessment, some
CSOs reported receiving requests from Roma to support them in obtaining passports and birth certificates.

“Even if Roma end up on the border somewherein Moldova or Romania, they have no documents,
no passport. It turns out that many women withchildren do not have birth certificates. It [also]
turns out that according to the documents [thatdo exist], the children were born and grew up
without a father. Therefore, some families, due
to disagreements in the documents, could notleave for Moldova or Romania.” (Representativeof a Roma CSO)

It is being reported that, in some cases, the requirements around civil status documentation have been
eased to improve and simplify access to services,
including access to shelters, participation in volunteer
humanitarian assistance and the use of public transport (e.g. in Kyiv).78 However, Roma CSOs noted ininterviews that, despite appeals to the authorities,
registry offices have stopped issuing civil status documentation. Without such documentation, poor families
cannot receive social support. In addition, people without such documents cannot pass through checkpoints,
especially during curfews. According to the Roma CSOs,
the lack of civil status documentation means thatmany Roma do not go out, even during the daytime.

4.7 Access to information andcommunication with communities

76 Roma Early Years Network. Available at: link.
77 Roma Women Fund Chirikli (17 February 2017). Written commentson the situation of Romani Women in Ukraine to the United Nations
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
Available at: link.
78 Radio Svoboda (February 2022). “Kyiv: schools and kindergartens areclosed, public transport is free.” Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• Women respondents in particular said
that they lacked knowledge of when andhow humanitarian distributions are carried out. Vulnerable populations such as
Roma, older people and female heads ofhouseholds in war-affected areas lackinformation on ongoing events and evacuation options, as well as lack access to theInternet or smartphones.

Access to the most up-to-date information is directly
related to security in Ukraine. Both the women andmen interviewed for this study mentioned the need for
information about the hostilities, evacuation opportunities and procedures, services provided, and service
and aid providers in their settlement or community.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

35

Such information may be life-saving, especially forpeople in war-affected territories. Both women andmen in occupied territories emphasized that theylack trusted information or that there was no accessto information at all. Men also mentioned that the
information they do receive varies and is “drasticallydifferent data from different sources,” according to amale respondent living in an occupied territory.
Women respondents in particular said that they
lacked knowledge of when humanitarian distributions are carried out. Displaced women noted theever-changing services in different places they havestayed and the lack of awareness of what they might
be eligible for—for example, knowing whether it is aregular or one-off distribution. Respondents offered
many examples of how NFI and food distributions or
facilities and two-way communication mechanisms
should be designed to allow women and other vulnerable groups to provide feedback, thereby participatingin the design of such programming.

“During the first two weeks, from 24 February to
9 March, there was no access to information because I was in an occupied territory. There was no[electricity], Internet or mobile communication.
After moving [to another location], it was okay.”(Woman)“Due to the shelling, we do not even know thata distribution is happening [because of interruptions to] the Internet.” (Displaced man)
The interviews with key informants revealed thatRoma women and men have challenges in accessing
information and understanding the information on
ongoing events; this may possibly be linked to theirlower education levels. Similarly, older people, themajority of whom are women, are often less mobileand less experienced in the use of technology; withless access to the Internet, they too lack access to
information and are reliant on more limited information sources. People with lower income, including
female heads of households, will have less access tosmartphones and the Internet.

“When it comes to Internet access, older people
don't have it. It is also difficult for low-income
people to buy a smartphone and pay for Internet
access.” (Representative of a UN agency)“Communication between people has even improved as informal networks are being formed.
For some categories of people—for example,
the elderly—we use the newspaper [to convey
information] because they are not on Facebook.
Where necessary, we print and post information leaflets.” (Representative of a regional
administration)
In interviews, 72 per cent of women and 63 per cent of
men reported having access to up-to-date information(Figure 4.3). It should be noted, however, that somefemale respondents reported receiving the news andup-to-date information via their husbands or otherfamily members or friends.
In general, those interviewed reported that themain barriers they face in accessing up-to-date
information are poor Internet connectivity, misinformation, mobile phone problems and electricity cuts.
Respondents mentioned that, at times, they cannot
connect with their relatives in the occupied territories
for weeks on end.
FIGURE 4.3:

Respondents' access to up-to-date
information
72%

63%

37%
24%
4%

0%

No
Female (68)

Somewhat

Yes

Male (30)

Number of community members participating insemi-structured interviews: n = 98

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine36

5. SAFETY AND
PROTECTION
In interviews, 37 per cent of men and 35 per cent of
women identified safety and protection as the second
area most affected by the war (Figure 4.1), while 40 per
cent of both women and men respondents deemed it
the highest priority need (Figure 4.2).

5.1 Gender-based violence
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• The lack of streetlights and the increasing
number of men on the streets are causing
women to fear going out in public places,
particularly in the evenings.
• There is a lack of access to reporting
mechanisms and services for women who
have experienced GBV in occupied areas.
• Domestic violence is reportedly increasing
while access to services have decreased.

Women and men experience security in cities differently. Women respondents raised concerns about thelack of streetlights and the large number of men on
the streets, causing them to be afraid in the evenings.
Some women respondents—especially those whoare displaced without male family members—spoke
about their responsibility for the safety of their children and about their fears for their own safety on thestreets even during the day—and in response to thenews on cases of rape. Drivers (mostly women) feel it
has become dangerous to drive a car because traffic
lights are not working and there are no police on thestreets. Yet some male respondents said that there
were few people in their city at the moment, that the
Territorial Defence Forces were at work and that thecity was calm. In interviews, however, men were more
likely than women to say that their fear and anxiety
levels have increased.

“Now there are so many concentrations of men
on the streets in general, even more than women.
And it is very frightening, and it is not clear what
is in their heads.” (Woman)“Women and young girls—as well as young men
and even children—are exposed to violence. A
lot of drunk, out-of-control people (men mostly)
are on the streets. It’s dark in the evenings. My
girlfriend does not feel safe at all anywhere.”(Man living in a government-controlled area)“In the city itself, it has become calmer. A lot of
National Guardsmen, Territorial Defence members and the police patrol the streets. Therefore, I
think that criminals and looters simply have less
opportunity to operate now.” (Man)
While LGBTQIA+ people have experienced issues
around discrimination and safety in Ukraine, interviews with them revealed that their current focus has
shifted to surviving the war over any concerns related
to discrimination.

“Based on my personal experience of communicating with friends and acquaintances, I would
say that at the moment, the question of survival
is still higher than any personal preferences regarding one’s way of life or sexual orientation.
This is a temporary dynamic that needs to be addressed in peacetime.” (LGBTQIA+ man)
Risk of GBV increases in war. While access to services
has been challenging for survivors during the crisis,with some services and consultations only available
by phone or online. Cases of GBV continue to bereported, with the national GBV hotline supported by
UNFPA receiving 1,515 calls and online requests in the

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine37

A refugee from Ukraine fleeing the war / UN Women

three-week period between 28 March and 17 April.79
Numbers from helplines, however, are not illustrativeof prevalence of GBV but rather can demonstrate ability or inability to seek and access services. It is crucial
as risks of GBV increase that accessible services andreferral mechanisms are available to survivors.
Increasing and concerning media reports of conflictrelated sexual violence are emerging in Ukraine.
Many interviewees raised GBV as a safety concern.
Interviewed women CSOs highlight the particular riskof GBV in occupied and war-affected areas. According
to Liudmyla Denysova,80 Parliament Commissioner
for Human Rights, 25 women and girls, the youngestof whom were 14 years old, were raped in a cellar in
Bucha.81 As RUAF retreated from occupied areas aroundKyiv, the Human Rights Watch also documented war

79 UNFPA (19 April 2022) La Strada National toll-free hotline for GBV survivors report Apr. 11- 17.
80 Liga News (12 April 2022). “Bucha. The Russians systematically raped 25
women starting from age 14. Nine of them are pregnant.” Available at:link to Ukrainian source.
81 BBC (12 April 2022). “Ukraine conflict: 'Russian soldiers raped me andkilled my husband'.” Available at: link; The New York Times (11 April
2022). “Busha’s month of terror.” Available at: link.

crimes including a rape case.82 The Executive Directorof UN Women, Sima Bahous, noted in her speech to the
UN Security Council that this increasing information
on sexual violence committed by the RUAF is raising“all the red flags.”83 Based on interviews carried out
with government officials and people working with
UN agencies, cases of sexual violence in the occupied
territories are perpetrated mostly against women (butalso against men), including minors. The interviewees
also noted that survivors do not have access to services
or protection. They can only report cases after moving
to a safe area, but there is a need to provide evidence,
which they are not always ready to do.

“[Conflict-related sexual violence] is one of thebiggest problems in the territories that are occupied or where active hostilities are taking placeor where there is a military presence. As long as
82 Human Rights Watch (3 April 2022). Ukraine: Apparent War Crimes in
Russia-Controlled Areas. Available at: link.
83 United Nations (11 April 2022). “Security Council 9013TH MEETING (AM)
SC/14857: Mounting Reports of Crimes against Women, Children in
Ukraine Raising ‘Red Flags’ over Potential Protection Crisis, Executive
Director Tells Security Council.” Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine38

victims of violence are not in places where they
are safe, [and] until a system of referral of such
persons is established—to the respective law
enforcement agencies or for other types of assistance, such as psychological and medical—suchcases will be extremely difficult to document.
Unfortunately, verification itself requires time
and the readiness of the victims for this wholeprocess—the investigation.” (Representative of awomen’s CSO)
“Our organization has been working on [addressing] sexual violence for eight years—we see
an increase in risks during hostilities.” (Woman)
According to the respondents, domestic violence has
increased, but due to the changed priorities during
wartime, women cannot get the protection they needor may have had beforehand. Due to military activities
in the territories, it is likely that survivors of domestic violence face increased risks as they are forced tocontinue to share the same space with perpetratorsfor long periods of time in highly stressful situations.
In many parts of Ukraine, the police are no longer
recording cases of domestic violence and sometimes
do not respond to calls. For example, in the Donetsk
region, there is no police call centre because theMain Directorate of the Donetsk Police is located in
Mariupol, which has suffered greatly from the war.

“The topic of domestic violence, in general, is not
currently covered and is not supported by the authorities on any such central basis. Because thewar has attracted so much attention, priorities
have changed greatly in terms of both women's
rights and the protection of women from domestic violence.” (Woman)Some respondents note concerns in relation to theincrease in the number of weapons in Ukraine. There
are risks of long-standing impacts such as an increasein violence against women and children due to themilitarization and normalization of violence withinsociety, the wider availability of weapons,84 the fractur84 Amnesty International (2020). “Not a Private Matter: Domestic and
Sexual Violence Against Women in the East of Ukraine.” Available at:link to Ukrainian source.

ing of communities and the loss of support networks
that will extend past the war.85“I think the danger is greater now. Many people
are being caught now, especially after curfew. [...]The danger is associated with an increase in thenumber of people with weapons, mostly men.
So far, it is controlled, but the overall tension isvery strong. It is already noticeable that the girls
try not to go out alone, more and more movingaround the village in groups.” (Woman)Services for GBV survivors are not provided in full,with some of the previous shelters for domestic violence survivors being repurposed to receive displaced
women and children. Survivors’ access to response
services is also difficult. Before, referrals were madeby the police, but now the police work for the defence.
Specialist service providers who had previously
worked in safe shelters for survivors of violence havealso transferred to other jobs.

5.2 Physical safety
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• Safety and access to bomb shelters islimited particularly to vulnerable populations, including people with restrictedmobility and women (especially single
mothers) who fear for their safety in thestreets at night.

Many of the women and men respondents highlighted such safety concerns as their level of physical safety
in bomb shelters (if/where they exist) and the lack ofaccess to them. Multiple respondents indicated thatwomen with children living in apartment buildings
tend to hide in a corridor (e.g. in an entrance to thebuilding or within their own apartment) at night during alarms rather than trying to get to a bomb shelter.
Some women also noted staying at home during the
day rather than going to the shelters. Such decisions
85 UN Women and CARE International (29 March 2022). Rapid Gender
Analysis of Ukraine: Secondary Data Review. Available at: link.

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39

A family seeking shelter in Kyiv underground. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine

may be influenced by the concerns some women haveabout their safety on the streets.

“For women, this situation is very tense, and [it isworsened by] the fact that the lights are turned
off in the city, or women in their homes in thecommunities are left alone, without communication. [...] How can a person get to another safer
place? How long may a person be in that place?”(Representative of a women’s CSO)
Accounts from women’s CSOs and CSOs working withpeople with disabilities, as well as many caregivers
and respondents with disabilities, note the challenges
in accessing basement-level shelters for groups withrestricted mobility. Many people with disabilities,
including children as well as older persons with mobility impairments,86 are at high risk of abandonment

86 Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (March 2022). Conflict in
Ukraine. What do we know about the Internal Displacement Situation
so far? Available at: link.

and family separation.87 Shelters in Kyiv are not easily
accessible, and while others rush to safety, people withphysical impairments are left behind.88 Many caregivers also choose to stay home with their dependents,
often putting their own lives at risk.

“It's like living in hell. We're not going to theshelter because of my mother's [injured] leg. And[the basement is hell-like] because it's actually
underground. You cannot exist underground. It's
one day at a time. Each time you wake up, yousay, ‘Okay, thank you, I survived.’ Each day you go
to bed, you prepare yourself to die.” (Woman living in a city under immediate attack)Multiple respondents also shared their worries about
poorly equipped bomb shelters (including subway stations), where people stay for long periods of time. They
87 European Disability Forum (24 February 2022). Protection and safety of
persons with disabilities in Ukraine. Available at: link.
88 International Disability Alliance. “Through this conflict in Ukraine,
what happens to persons with disabilities?” Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine40also worry about cellars that are currently used asbomb shelters. Bomb shelters should have fire extinguishers, an internal water supply system, ventilation,lighting and a working alarm system. However, manyof the shelters do not meet these basic standards andare not fit to accommodate people in the event of real
danger.89 For those who are mobile and spend a lot oftime in bomb shelters, the risk of developing healthissues increases—from catching a cold due to being
in a damp space, to mental health issues connected to
the lack of safety.

“There are no specific shelters in our area—only
the subway where you can hide underground.”(Woman)“We are under shelling all the time. I worry about
myself and about the lives of my children. [Thereare] no options for where to hide them, how tosave them, what to feed them. There is no senseof security at all.” (Woman)“The fortifications where people go, in basements, are not designed for people to hide safely
in them. In the event of a collapse, they simply
will not be able to get out. There are no additional
exits, there are no latrines, there is no water. Take
our house—we have a basement, but it is not intended to hide there. If we go down there, there
is no guarantee that we will get out of there. Yes,
we strengthened the house as much as we could,
but this is also relative.” (Woman)
In an interview with the representative of a regional
administration, they noted the limited facilities within
the designated bomb shelters: “I can't say that the
shelters are well equipped. There are no facilities forpeople with disabilities, there is not enough water,
and there are not enough seats.”

89 Apostrophe.ua (14 April 2022). “If there is a war, we will expel the janitors: what is happening with the bomb shelters in Ukraine.” Available
at: link to Ukrainian source.

5.3 Child protection
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• Mothers and fathers are highly concerned
for the physical safety of their children,
particularly of their girls.
• Children are constantly afraid and experience high levels of anxiety during sirens
and bombings, causing parents to worry
about children’s emotional well-being
and mental health, both now and in thelonger term.

The situation for both girls and boys has become
particularly challenging. Women and men respondents—but particularly women—spoke about thesafety of their children and how to keep them safe.
The reports by Ukrainian authorities on the abductionof children,90 though currently unverified, are causing
alarm, and many fear particularly for girls’ safety. Manyinterviewees said that the reason they have decided
to relocate is to find safety for their children, who are
affected by the constant sirens and bombings. Shelters
are also not easy places for children. An older woman
referred to making toys in shelters to find ways toentertain children. The concern for children is particularly pronounced among women Roma respondents.

“The most important moments for me since thebeginning of the war have been when my children
are safe—that they do not freeze, that they arehealthy, that there is something to eat, [...] that
there is a place for them not only to play aroundthe house but also to hide in if a siren goes off. [...]
Well, whatever I could do to ensure the safety of
my family. As a mother, I am very afraid for thesafety of my children, because there have been
many reports that children have been abducted
and that the fate of these children is unknown. It’svery scary. Parents’ fear for their children is probably the greatest fear.” (Roma woman)

90 CBS News (11 April 2022). “Almost two-thirds of Ukraine's 7.5 million
children have been displaced in six weeks of war, U.N. says.” Available
at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine41

In interviews with female heads of households,
women raised the issues faced by their children, who
are afraid. In addition to their children’s physical safety, respondents are worried about their mental healthdue to stress. Male respondents in war-affected areas
also noted not only the psychological impacts of theconstant bombings but also how the anxiety of adults
transfers to children. Single mothers said that they
forget about their own life because they focus on
their children. They try to maintain normalcy where
they can, provide nutrition and encourage daily walks
to reduce stress, but in many places, going outside issimply not possible.

“Children become frightened—their psyche is vulnerable to very strong stress. As soon as my childhears the siren, he starts crying.” (Single mother)“This situation has had a serious psychologicalimpact on children. Because the explosions areheard near our house, the constantly tense situation affects the children—the sirens are daily andpractically every minute. When children have to
get up in the middle of the night to go to a shelter, it is clear that they are being affected. I thinkthat when this is all over, it will be necessary to
carry out some psychological work with the children in order to get them out of this state.” (Manliving in a war-affected area)

5.4 Mental health and psychosocial
supportGENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• Both women and men respondents highlighted mental health as the area of theirlife most impacted by the war linked tofear and anxiety as a result of trauma,
displacement, family separation and lossof livelihoods.
• There is a huge need for mental healthservices; however, these services are often
not used in Ukraine, particularly by men.

Existing data highlighted that the levels of fear andanxiety about exposure to violence and trauma—along with stressors related to displacement, family
separation and the loss of livelihoods—have only risen
as the war has escalated.91 Both male respondents(50 per cent) and female respondents (49 per cent)indicated mental health as the area of their life mostimpacted by the war (Figure 4.1). Almost all respondents reported an increase in fear, stress, tension
and depression. Much of the stress is linked to theirinability to meet their family’s basic needs. The loss ofjobs and businesses, and the resulting lack of income,is of great concern to the respondents. Many fathers,
especially in the territories with military conflict, havelost the ability to earn money and are unable to provide their children with food and medicines. Female
respondents also spoke about experiencing constantstress due to the lack of money, food for children, communication, work and security for their relatives.

“[There is] the constant shelling in the enclosed
areas of the city, job changes, income reductions,
psychological anxiety, fear for loved ones and uncertainty about future education—and not only
for our children.” (Woman)“Physically, mentally, morally feeling very badly—there remains anxiety and fear about theimpossibility of obtaining income and, as a consequence, obtaining basic means of subsistence.”(Respondent who preferred not to indicate theirgender)
All respondents noted changes in their psychologicalcondition. There is a great need for psychological support, especially for those who are displaced, including
displaced children. Despite this, however, multiple
respondents indicated that there is no practice of
seeking help from a psychologist. Based on interviews,
barriers to such support are especially common among
men and older people.

91 International Medical Corps (20 March 2022). Providing Relief toPeople Affected by the War in Ukraine. Available at: link.

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42

“The need for psychological support services forpeople has increased. But let's be honest—theculture of solving these problems with the helpof professional psychologists in our community
did not exist. And before the war, respectively,
there were no specialists, and now there are none.
There is no such practice of people turning toprofessionals in order to overcome psychologicalstress. Everyone overcomes them as they can.”(Man)“I went to a psychologist and a masseur, I takesedatives, and I communicate with displaced
people who I have taken into my home.” (Woman)

Psychological help in many cases is available online,
which is an important development but also meansthat the support is less accessible to persons who
do not have reliable Internet access or the required
equipment, let alone the ability and skills to use
such technology, as noted by some respondents.
Community social service centres that might havepreviously offered this support are currently catering to displaced people or are involved in collecting
humanitarian aid. LGBTQIA+ people also specifically
noted the need for psychological support that is nondiscriminatory and safe for them to access.

According to the respondents, children are very
stressed and unable to control their emotions.
Adolescents who have access to the Internet are moreaware of the crisis situation, which some respondents
worry will cause long-term negative psychologicalimpacts on them. Older people who survived theoccupation and evacuations during the Second World
War, however, react to war emotionally and are better
prepared, according to the respondents.

In the context of traditional gender roles and theuncommon practice of seeking mental health assistance, women are often the ones who are expected toprovide emotional comfort to family members. A UN
Women assessment in Ukraine in 2020 found that 53
per cent of female respondents and 39 per cent of male
respondents devoted more hours than others in theirhousehold to the emotional support of adult family
members due to COVID-19 restrictions.92 Insufficientassistance in situations of forced displacement often
makes women neglect their own health, preferring
to take care of the health and welfare of their children and partners, despite women themselves going
through extremely traumatic events.93 Through theconsultations, respondents noted that women weremore inclined to use the services of psychologists during the war period and seek help.

“As a psychologist, I would advise everyone
where there are opportunities [to do so] to get
to a psychologist with the appropriate qualifications [and] seek help, because everything is notas simple as it may seem at first glance. We allneed help.” (Woman)

People, including children, are also getting used tothe situation. Sirens are becoming commonplace, andmany respondents note that now children know what
to do and where to go. Some worry about the situation
becoming normalized.

“That is, after 30 days, of course, we react more
calmly to sirens. Well, at first it was very panicky,
especially for a child. Although we explained tohim that this is a warning and there is no need tobe afraid, the child was still very scared of thesesounds. Now, of course, we react more calmly.”(Woman)92 UN Women (May 2020). Rapid Gender Assessment of the situation andthe needs of women in the context of COVID-19 in Ukraine. Available
at: link.
93 Council of Europe (2020). The gender dimension of internal displacement in Ukraine: local policies, business practices and legal
instruments of protection. Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine43

6. PARTICIPATION,DECISION-MAKING AND
LEADERSHIPGENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• While women’s leadership has increased in community-level humanitarian efforts, their participation in formal decision-making processes at the local level has decreased. Some women,
however, lead the response at the national and international level.
• Displaced women and men lack information on locally available services in places of displacement: whether the services are provided by humanitarian actors or by the local authorities;
which authorities to contact for said services; and what rights IDPs have in terms of humanitarian aid and participation.
• Some displaced people want to know more or be more involved in local decision-making or
humanitarian programming and its design; however, many are engaged with other priorities.
• Women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ and feminist CSOs are at the forefront of the humanitarian response.
• Decision-making related to relocation is linked to one’s gender, age, socioeconomic status,
mobility, disability, language skills, networks in other parts of the country or abroad, andresponsibility for dependents.

6.1 Participation at all levels ofdecision-making processes
When it comes to decision-making, based on thequalitative responses from both men and women,changes have been observed at all levels—fromhouseholds to communities and formal (local andnational) processes, with different dynamics at every
level. This study found that 22 per cent of women and27 per cent of men reported having more influence indecision-making than before the war, while 7 per centof women and 13 per cent of men reported having lessinfluence. However, a large proportion of respondents
also reported no change (71 per cent of women and 60
per cent of men).
At the household level, some redistribution of decisionmaking power is taking place. Women’s influence overdecisions at the family level seems to have increased

overall. In some families, there is more engagement injoint decision-making processes around issues of security, displacement and financial priorities, especiallyamong family members living in the same household.
In some cases, decisions are shared based on gendered
responsibilities: men tend to manage security issues,
while women focus on household finances.

“If we talk about the family, the decisions are
made together, but the burden on women remains. [This is] because the man remains in the
Defence Forces while the woman is responsible
for generating the financial resources and caring
for the children.” (Woman)
At the community level, the majority of those whohave recently been displaced claim that they do

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44

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous visits the Palanca – Mayaki-Udobnoe Border crossing in southeastern Moldova where
thousands of refugees arrive every day to escape the war in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Aurel Obreja

not influence decisions in their communities, either
because they are not familiar with the mechanisms
in their new communities, they lack motivation due
to a feeling of uncertainty and their temporary status, or in some cases, they feel excluded. Others who
were active members of community decision-making
structures before the war, especially on housing andinfrastructure designed for children (such as playgrounds and children’s spaces), note that they are notalways ready to be as active in places of displacement
given their lack of familiarity with the location andthe community dynamics, as well as being busy withother activities. For the most part, displaced men andwomen focus on their immediate needs rather thancommunity-level engagement.

“With the beginning of the war, I moved fromthe city to a smaller settlement [... where] I have
limited access to various forms of my usual participation in social life. In particular, I am not very
focused on how to communicate, [like] how tocontact the local authorities in the area where I
am now.” (Displaced woman)“So, of course I know, as I have worked with [other] communities there. I have been involved indecision-making. But now the community where
I was before, I no longer take any part in. And thecommunity I came to is not involved in decisionmaking. But if it becomes a permanent place
for me, then yes, I plan to live there to raise mychildren—of course I am ready [to get involved].”(Displaced man)Some respondents noted that in communities wherelarge numbers of displaced people have settled since2014, there is increased engagement by displaced people. Such engagement can be attributed to existingmechanisms for the inclusion of IDPs in local decisionmaking processes and/or informal relationships withthe local authorities.
The majority of respondents agreed that it has become
more difficult to exert influence on the formal decisionmaking processes due to the centralization of power
and increased role of the military administrations inwartime decision-making. According to interviews with

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine45

women from a women’s CSO as well as a government
representative, women’s participation has decreasedin the formal decision-making processes.

“The decision-making process has changed.
Leading positions are held exclusively by men,as a requirement of wartime, and [the process]here is not very democratic. Instead, many issues
are resolved via directives.” (Representative of awomen’s CSO)
“In the context of hostilities, the role of militaryand law enforcement agencies in making decisions that affect the life of the city has increased.
In this context, the influence of men has increased. […] But women have also become more
visible in terms of leadership in the humanitarian response, [particularly on] social issues, local
assistance [and] health services.” (National government representative)
In smaller communities, social media is being used asa means of participation. By following the social media
accounts of the local authorities and/or providing
feedback to them in local community groups, a male
respondent noted feeling involved and connectedto those holding power. In theory, social media isavailable to everyone. However, barriers can include
the lack of access to computers, smartphones andthe Internet, affecting particularly those with lower
income levels such as female heads of households.

“There is an elder who asks questions to thecommunity on Facebook, and everyone writes
a comment. We are all in different corners, everyone is busy, but this way, we can see what ishappening in the village. This is very, very important and very appropriate. Everyone expresses
their thoughts, and we see what they are really
doing in the village.” (Man living in an area withdisplaced people)
Because decisions are often made quickly, the needsof different groups are not always taken into account.
There are no public consultations taking place. In aninterview, a representative of a UN agency noted thatissues of social development and gender equality aresidelined due to military actions and the overloadedsocial services alongside the overall humanitarian andsecurity needs.

“The issue of gender-based violence, as well as
gender policy, has been deprioritized. Issues ofsurvival, life and health—in short, the war—cameto the fore. The issue of gender-based violence isa matter of social policy, which is currently overloaded. Therefore, of course, advocacy on thisissue has become more complicated.” (Woman
representative of a UN agency)
Still, many respondents do not know how decisions are
made currently on humanitarian aid, whether by local
administrations or humanitarian organizations. They
see a lack of transparency on how resources, particularly
humanitarian assistance, are managed, to what extent
the needs of different groups are taken into account,and how said groups can impact those decisions. Yetother respondents trust that decisions on humanitarian aid are made professionally, so they do not feel theneed to influence or understand those decisions.

“Unfortunately, we cannot influence decisions
in the city and region. Even as volunteers, wecannot ask where you are taking this or that, towhom, etc.” (Man)“We do not know exactly how the decisions are
made, but we know that the maximum is being
done so that those who remain in the city canlive a full life. At least that's how I feel.” (Woman)
At the informal community level, in governmentcontrolled cities, respondents note that people’s
participation in decision-making and managementof resources has increased, due to the active selforganizing efforts of volunteers and civil society. Thisis especially true for women, who lead and manage
the majority of humanitarian response measures andvolunteer groups, including those providing support
to displaced people. In some cases, this active role ofwomen leads to their increased visibility and voice atdecision-making levels.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine46

“Women in our country became more active,
began to create cells and networks, and began to
manifest themselves more as leaders. [...] They
come after work and continue working. We callthem the ‘Women's Battalion’. They have theirown Telegram channel, [and] they produce a lotof publications. People follow them and respondto their proposals.” (Representative of a regional
administration)
In many cases, grass-roots self-organizing is seen ascomplementary to the work led by local administrations. The role of civil society has become more visible,
more clear and more influential overall. Feminist,
women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ organizations in this
response are quite prominent. Most of them reoriented their previous work towards assisting in theevacuation of people from occupied or heavily shelled
cities, helping provide basic supplies to those who arestill in their hometowns, and securing shelters for theevacuated (both in Ukraine and abroad, especially inthe case of at-risk groups such as LGBTQIA+ or people
with disabilities). A survey conducted by UN Women
with Ukrainian women’s CSOs in March 2022 showedthat 66 per cent of surveyed CSOs are now providing
services and interventions that they had not worked
on before, and 52 per cent are reallocating funds
to new priorities.94 Since reports are emerging of
sexual violence,95 women's rights organizations havealso been providing legal advice and psychologicalsupport96 to survivors, as well as engaging in advocacy and the documentation of cases. 97 Ukrainian
women’s civil society advocacy has also reached aninternational level: the president of the NGO La Strada
Ukraine, Kateryna Cherepakha, briefed members of
the UN Security Council on 11 April98 on the violence
experienced by Ukrainian women and on civil society’s
response.
94 UN Women (May 2020). Rapid Gender Assessment of the situation andthe needs of women in the context of COVID-19 in Ukraine. Available
at: link.
95 CNN (12 April 2022). “UN warns of rape and sexual violence against
women and children in Ukraine.” Available at: link.
96 Zaborona (2 April 2022). “What to do in case of rape: where to lookfor help and how to punish the perpetrators.” Available at: link to
Ukrainian source.
97 Association of Women-lawyers JurFem (6 April 2022). Preventing
sexual violence in times of war and ensuring accountability: recommendations for Ukraine. Available at: link to Ukrainian source.
98 United Nations (11 April 2022). “Ukraine war: Trauma risks ‘destroying ageneration’ Security Council hears.” Available at: link.

At the national level, women’s participation indecision-making is also notable. While most decisions related to military defence are made andcommunicated by men, including President Zelensky,
his advisers, the mayors of occupied cities and security specialists, women also play an important role.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk is in chargeof negotiations and the management of evacuations
and humanitarian corridors to and from the occupied
areas.99 Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova is leading the work on the documentation and investigationof cases of sexual violence.100 Deputy Prime Minister
Olga Stefanishyna coordinates gender mainstreaming within the humanitarian crisis.101 Parliamentary
Ombudsperson Liudmyla Denysova informs the
public about alleged human rights abuses in her daily
reports. The Government Commissioner for Gender
Equality Policy, Kateryna Levchenko, participated in
the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of
Women to urge for increased support for Ukrainian
women and girls.102
Women MPs are also active on the front line of international diplomacy, given that Ukrainian men aged 18–60
are not allowed to leave the country. An all-womendelegation of Ukrainian parliamentarians conducted
official visits to Canada103 and the United States104 in
March 2022, meeting with their counterparts and urging increased support for Ukraine. Women constitute20.5 per cent of the current Parliament—the largest
share since Ukraine’s independence.105 They also makeup 22 per cent of the Government (five women among
23 positions in total; three of these women occupy
positions at the Deputy Prime Minister level).

99 Government Portal (10 April 2022). “Iryna Vereshchuk: We evacuated2824 people on April 10.” Available at: link to Ukrainian source.
100 Office of the Prosecutor General (5 April 2022). “Iryna Venedictova:
rape in times of war is also a war crime.” Available at: link to Ukrainian
source.
101 Official Facebook page of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. Available at: link to
Ukrainian source.
102 United Nations (18 March 2022). “Amid Changes in Working World,
Government Ministers Spotlight National Efforts towards Female
Economic Empowerment, as Women’s Commission Session
Continues.” Available at: link.
103 The Globe and Mail (1 April 2022). “Ukrainian MPs urge Canada tosend ‘heavy weaponry’ to help defend against Russian invasion.”
Available at: link.
104 Gray DC (30 March 2022). “Congress hears sirens wail as Ukrainian
legislators visit.” Available at: link.
105 Ukrainian pravda (23 July 2019). “Number of women in the new parliament increases.” Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine47

6.2 Decision-making about
relocation
In interviews for this assessment, 76 per cent of
women and 60 per cent of men said that they havecontrol over their decisions about relocating (Figure6.1), whether inside Ukraine or abroad. However, thisdecision-making is influenced by multiple factors.

Most Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and
60 are currently prohibited under martial law fromleaving Ukraine. One respondent noted that bothyoung men and pre-retirement-age men may beparticularly vulnerable. The former may still be
students, dependent on family and without work,
while older men may have difficulties accessing
health care when injured or hurt as others are prioritized for services. It is worth noting that womenof certain professions are required to enter the
military register and may also be called to service.106
FIGURE 6.1:

Do you feel you have influence over and canmake decisions about relocating to anotherarea or country?
76%
60%
40%
24%

No

Yes

FemaleMale

Number of community members participating insemi-structured interviews: n = 98

The restriction also impacts other women, especiallythose with children but also women with disabilities and Roma women, who may not feel secure,able or willing to flee the country without theirmale family members. Roma women in particularemphasized the importance of maintaining proximity to the family and not wishing to leave family
106 Decree of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine No. 313 (adopted 3
December 2021). Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

behind. Staying in Ukraine can, however, have negative impacts on women and their children’s security
and can mean a lack of access to basic services.
There are also accounts of family separation at theborder. When women and children choose to leave,
they face family separation and anxiety about thewell-being of those left behind.

“I really felt how it is to live without a father. I
have to make a decision with my mother. I am
the eldest daughter. I have little sisters, and mymother and I are alone. In the early days, my uncle and aunt were with us, but later we separated
because we wanted to leave, and they decided
to stay. We are alone here, and we are afraid togo abroad because we don’t know the language
and we don’t have anyone there. It’s scary when
the responsibility falls only on you.” (DisplacedRoma woman)
Respondents spoke about the mental burden of theconstant debate over whether to stay in Ukraine or toleave. A woman in Kyiv who is a carer for her injured
mother spoke about the responsibility of this choice
and how that affects her mental state, while a man in
an occupied area said that he keeps his car constantly
filled with petrol to prepare for evacuation.
There are multiple other reasons that compound theinability of people to flee. People who are less familiar
with travel, other languages and countries and who
have no connections abroad tend to stay. This was also
noted by respondents who acknowledged that in waraffected areas, it is the people with restricted mobility
and/or assets who are unable to leave and are mostoften left behind.

“My leg was amputated—I can't even go down
the stairs. I open the window when no shootings
are heard. I can't even think about relocation.”(Man)“There are many people of older age with healthissues and restricted mobility in my town who
need help. They cannot evacuate due to theirhealth condition. I am trying to identify them toprovide help, but it is a big challenge. They are

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

48

The railway station in Lviv has become a hub for those fleeing to EU countries from the war in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Serhii
Korovainyi

hidden in their homes and are not asking for help
because it is a different generation—they wereraised in a different way.” (Representative of awomen’s CSO)
Caregivers find themselves in perilous situations.
Many cannot or do not want to flee and leave theirdependents behind. Both men and women in multiple
interviews spoke about their older parents, children
with disabilities and family members with chronic
injuries who are unable to travel. In many cases, caregivers chose to stay to care for them. Such a decision
can influence other family members to stay as well.

“I have to care for my sick 80-year-old motherand my brother with a disability. I have to stayand can't relocate with my family because ofthem. My wife refused to move as she wants to
be with me.” (Man living in a city under immediate attack)“People with disabilities in remote territories
became ‘prisoners’ within the situation. They
cannot be transported, [as] they have no accessto transport services.” (Representative of a CSO
working with people with disabilities)
Particularly in the occupied territories, women respondents noted the concern for the lack of money and thelimitations that it poses in terms of relocation—but
also the inability to simply cross the front line, which

would be the only access to Ukraine and further afield.
Otherwise, the only option is to flee to Russia.
But there are also people who simply do not wish toleave the homes that they are familiar with, even if
unsafe, and adapt to a new life that seems just as
unsafe and unknown.

“It's a tough decision to go [and become] refugees or IDPs somewhere. People don't want to
do this because they’re used to living a normallife in their home, so leaving is difficult.” (Woman
living in a war-affected area)
Due to the lack of civil status documentation andbirth certificates, according to the respondents, Romacontinue to face challenges at the border preventing
them from exiting the country. But throughout theirjourney, Roma also face other types of discrimination unrelated to their access to documents. A Roma
woman explained how, on the border with Slovakia,
a bus carrier refused to take 15 members of the Romacommunity, including children, who then had to waita long time in the cold for another bus to come.

Those respondents who have fled spoke about
the difficulties during their journey. A mother of anewborn spoke about travelling more than 1,000
kilometres with her baby. An older woman who
recently had an operation spoke about needing
to lie down but was unable to do so in the car. For
some, escape has also been accompanied with fear
for their lives, driving from petrol station to petrol
station hoping they make it to their destination.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine49

7. POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
COPING MECHANISMS
GENDER HIGHLIGHTS:• People with restricted mobility, people with disabilities and older people are often unable torelocate or move to access safe shelter; sometimes they are unable to leave their homes on theirown, needing assistance to do so.
• For women, one of the main challenges in the decision to relocate is the need to find day careand schooling for children.
• Common coping strategies for dealing with anxiety and stress include walking or spendingtime outdoors, but this strategy is not available to everyone, particularly those in currently
occupied cities. This is especially true for women, as information about incidents of sexual
violence has spread.

7.1 Coping with (in)security
For those living in areas under attack, the most common ways of responding to the immediate security
needs are by taking refuge in bomb shelters or seeking
safety through displacement, whether in Ukraine orabroad. However, neither option is available to everyone equally—people with restricted mobility, people
with disabilities and older people are often unable torelocate, so they remain in the city or in their homes.
In addition to people with restricted mobility, mostmen do not have the option to travel abroad. Instead,they stay and find ways to keep busy by joining the
AFU or the joint Territorial Defence Forces, working or
looking after the household.
The decision to relocate, while a coping mechanism,
does not come easy to families, and it is filled withchallenges for women in particular, including the needto find day care and schooling for children. Different
aspects of children’s security, education, health andmental well-being are central to the experience of
displaced women.
Some people see the challenge of finding solutions toadversities such as the lack of money, food, educationand fuel, as something to take one’s mind off theconstant bombings and insecurity. A Roma woman
spoke very eloquently about how she emerged fromthe bomb shelter trying to take control of what
she could.

“And you don’t run to the basement anymore,
you don’t sit there for five to six hours anymore,
you don’t spend the night in these basements.
Somehow you start to get used to the shelling,
to explosions. You pull yourself together andstart doing something. You understand that thechildren need to establish a distance learning
routine, [and] you need to support relatives andfriends. You need to think about where to getcash, where to buy some cereal to cook something for the children. And [think about] how tokeep the children warm, because then there weremoments when there was no light or water andyou’re just like a man from a cave who preparesfood on the street and gets water from the well.
It was very difficult.” (Roma woman)

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

50

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous visits the Palanca – Mayaki-Udobnoe Border crossing in southeastern Moldova where
thousands of refugees arrive every day to escape the war in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Aurel Obreja

7.2 Response to financial difficulties
Financial insecurity due to job loss, increased prices forfood and fuel and, in case of displacement, increasing
rent prices is one of the most common challenges forthe entire population of Ukraine. Men, who are seen
more often as those responsible for a family’s financial security, may experience increasing pressure as aresult of these challenges. Various coping strategies
include putting aside resources (e.g. money, food, etc.)
to prepare for more scarcity in the future; sharing
finances in the family collectively; and making joint
decisions on how to spend money.

Ukraine since the beginning of the war.107 Money issent by relatives and friends from safer areas, either
in Ukraine or abroad. However, respondents claimed
that those in areas with limited access to ATMs andbanking services (such as the populations in occupied
settlements, rural areas and settlements under attack)are currently unable to access any financial support.
Looking for alternative employment and sources ofincome can be seen as one common coping mechanism. However, those who are able to rely more onsocial security and payments from the State do so.

“Almost every member of my family lost theirjob, and now we try to share all that we earn
during the day inside the family—even if it is amodest amount, we share it.” (Man)“People can't earn money like they did before,
but the State provides support to those whohave lost their jobs completely now and cannot
work. Many live, of course, on those savings thatthey managed to accumulate before the outbreak of hostilities. Many are now also looking
for some alternative sources—this is, remote

One of the most immediate responses to this has been
the more than 50 per cent increase in remittances to

107 Quartz (8 March 2022). “Remittances to Ukraine and Russia have shot
up by more than 50% since the invasion.” Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine51

work. Everyone in our country, in our city is trying
to help to the best of his or her ability.” (Man living in a war-affected area)“At home, I study new computer skills and otherIT technologies related to the possibility of finding a remote job in the future. I am also looking
for other ways to make money online.” (Man)
Another common coping mechanism is relying on
existing resources and stocking up. For people living inrural areas, canned and pickled foods, as well as otherpreviously grown and stored products, have been themain resource for survival. In rural areas where it ispossible to do so, people are planning to plant newcrops this spring to have food for the next season.

“As a reaction to the war, a lot of people havebeen infected by so-called ‘balcony disease’, saving and storing everything—just as it once was,in case of war.” (Activist woman)“We began to save money and stock up on foodand water.” (Woman)
For those who are still able to work, employment is not
only an important source of income but also a valuable coping strategy that helps distract them from thenews and adds a sense of meaning and teamwork totheir life.

“When you work, you forget a little that there,
outside the window or behind the door, there
is a war going on. I communicate with my colleagues—we are all in this situation. When you
are in a team, it's a little easier. When you arehome alone, it's harder.” (Woman with restrictedmobility)

7.3 Mental health and overall
well-being
Families and individuals adapt differently to increasing stress and mental health issues. Among the mostcommon coping strategies mentioned during theinterviews was communicating with family (especiallychildren and grandchildren), particularly when they
do not currently live under the same roof and cannot
travel to see one another. This coping strategy is especially important for the elderly population.

“We have very strong family connections—wecall each other all the time. We can identify different types of shelling and danger, and we havea plan for what we will do if the level of danger
increases.” (Woman living in a city under immediate attack)For some respondents, restricting their communication to only a close circle of friends and relatives, andcoming together to live in one place, has been a wayof dealing with the stress and emotional overload.
However, in some cases, the current situation has
increased tensions and conflicts inside the family. Thisis particularly true in cases where relatives moved in
together and have to share a small space as a result of
relocation. In some cases, tensions may also increase
when some members of the family do not understandor accept the choices or identity of others, such as in
the case of LGBTQIA+ people, as was noted alreadyduring the COVID-19 pandemic.108“We try to talk to one another as often as possible[because] we also understand that the mental
and psychological perception of each person, regardless of whether it is one’s family, is different.
But, in order for all of us to cope with it, we constantly sit down and talk. Secondly, we have now
made the decision that we will all be staying inthe same house. We chose this house because weunderstand that it is safer than our apartments,
so altogether, about eight people live here. So, I
want to say that regardless of the fact that each
person accepts what has happened to Ukraine
now, we are trying to figure it out together, talkand provide some psychological support to one
another.” (Woman activist)

108 UN Women (May 2020). Rapid Gender Assessment of the situationand needs of women in the context of COVID-19 in Ukraine. Available
at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine52

A scene from the Palanca-Maiaki-Udobnoe border crossing point, between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on 1 March 2022. Photo:
UN Women/Aurel Obreja

Managing one’s media consumption, especially by
being more selective of what to watch and how often,
is another common way to reduce anxiety, according
to the respondents.
Other common strategies for dealing with anxiety
and stress include walking, spending time outdoors,
doing sports, working in the garden (where possible),and engaging in daily routines and mundane tasks todistract oneself. A man in an occupied area said thatwhenever possible, he tried to do some physical exercise and spend time in the park

“I am now constantly working, as we have a private house. Therefore, we try to do somethingaround the house on the street, go out for alittle walk, breathe fresh air and be distracted,
but in general, of course, everyone feels fear.”(Woman)

It is important to note, however, that walking andbeing outside is not a strategy that is available toeveryone living in the currently occupied cities. Many
respondents fear for their lives and choose to stayindoors. This is especially true for women, as information about incidents of sexual violence has spread.
Several interviewees mentioned that it is generally harder for men to speak about their feelings or toaddress their emotional state. Women, at the sametime, commonly report turning to prayer or spirituality
for solace.

“To be honest about prayer, I never prayed; I wasa very sinful woman, but now I pray. I pray every
night, every day, every minute—for children,for relatives, for parents, for everyone, for all of
Ukraine. I pray that this horror will end soon.”(Woman)Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

53

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous meets with
Ukrainian refugee women, children and the elderly at a
temporary placement centre in Costesti, 20 km from capital
Chisinau, Moldova. Photo: UN Women/Aurel Obreja

7.4 Volunteering as a coping
mechanism
For a large group of the population, volunteering has
become an important coping strategy. Not all volunteer initiatives have official status, but they are trusted
and have proved to be inclusive and effective. While
the scale of self-organization depends on the location,
available resources and security situation, nearly all of
the respondent groups mentioned community organizing and mutual support as an important way of
responding to the crisis. In some areas, this is limited
to sharing food with one’s neighbours or checking inon them regularly. In other cases, volunteer-led initiatives gather to mobilize resources for the community,with women most likely to spearhead these strategies.

“We help others and help ourselves. That is, youtake part in something important, and it helps
you feel a little easier psychologically in a stateof war.” (Displaced woman)“Because of my involvement in charity work,
which I have been doing for a long time, there
is no room for negative feelings. There is only asense of feeling useful, and this helps to copewith the stress and tension.” (Woman)
Men tend to engage in territorial defence or the armed
forces. However, those men who are not conscripted
are also actively involved in volunteer work in a varietyof roles—from managers to drivers.

Toys puzzles and art supplies offered to Ukrainian refugees by
UN Women Moldova with the financial support of Sweden at
the placement centre in Costesti, Moldova. Photo: UN Women/
Aurel Obreja“Men are more involved in protection and defence, while women are more involved in serving
the needs of the front line. A lot of women cook
food, make [camouflage] nets for protection,etc.” (Woman CSO activist)“We seem to have become more united—that
is, we are now solving some problems together,for example, finding another job, purchasingsome food, […]. We have already become somehow more responsible, [and] we make decisions
faster.” (Roma man)
It was noted that there are less rigid gendereddivisions of labour in volunteering. Research and interviews for this assessment revealed that some men
play an active role in the humanitarian effort by providing psychological support to vulnerable people andmarginalized groups. At the same time, some women
support the military effort, including by providing foodand equipment such as camouflage nets to the AFU
and the Territorial Defence Forces.

“I feel [that those in crisis] need to be calmed
down and talked to on the phone—be given
some advice. A lot of people are nervous now.
They need communication and support. I do thisevery day.” (Man living in a city under attack)Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine54

8. RECOMMENDATIONSTO ALL DONORS,HUMANITARIAN
LEADERSHIP AND ACTORSIntersectional humanitarian
response• Ensure that humanitarian assistance addresses theneeds of women, men, girls and boys in vulnerable
situations and from different marginalized groups.
This includes single parents (particularly female
heads of households), persons with disabilities,
older people, pregnant and breastfeeding women,Roma and LGBTIQA+ persons.
• Ensure that all humanitarian programming
interventions are suitable and accessible for singleparent households, particularly female-headedhouseholds, including such considerations as theprovision of childcare.
• Ensure the direct delivery of humanitarian assistance to different populations, including people
with disabilities and older women and men withrestricted mobility in war-affected areas, where it
is not safe or accessible for all people to queue forlong periods of time for distributions.
• Ensure a participatory approach that includes
women, men, girls and boys in vulnerable situations
and from different marginalized groups in planning
cash assistance, food, NFI and other distributions
taking accessibility into account, including the location, time and security situation.
• Ensure that information on services, access andrights is widely available and accessible to all sections of the crisis-affected population, taking into
consideration language, access to technology, preferred and trusted communications channels andformats, and gender roles.

Data, assessment and analysis• Ensure that all actors, including OCHA, IOM and
UNHCR, collect and share sex-, age- and disability-disaggregated data (SADDD) and prioritize
transparency and the sharing of non-identifiabledata collected, in order to ensure greater access to
information and reduce duplication. This aims to
reduce assessment fatigue, the re-traumatizationof respondents and the general burden on theaffected populations, as well as safeguard humanitarian staff and volunteers.
• Confirm that donors ensure that all funded proposals and interventions include a gender analysis andthe use of SADDD and have budgets dedicated toaddressing gender considerations.
• Ensure that different sectors integrate SADDD and
conduct needs assessments that integrate a genderanalysis, as well as seek the input of all populationgroups affected, including women, men, girls andboys of different ages, in vulnerable situations andfrom different marginalized groups.
• Require the use of gender markers for the allocationof funds for humanitarian interventions.

Women’s participation, decisionmaking and leadership• Ensure that humanitarian actors prioritize theapproaches in their interventions that support
women’s and young people’s leadership and decision-making power. One such example is CARE’s
Women Lead in Emergencies Approach.109 Include
109 CARE International. Women Lead in Emergencies. Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine55

both formal and informal community and civil society groups in decision-making around the response
and recovery phases to ensure that their voices areheard and they take a lead in influencing decisions
that affect their lives. The specific situation of IDPs
and the barriers they currently face in community
decision-making should be taken into account.
• Ensure that humanitarian coordination and planning processes led by the United Nations and theGovernment meaningfully consult with representative women’s civil society and create opportunities
for their participation in decision-making.
• Support women-led and women’s rights organizations engaged in the response through theprovision of financial resources and by amplifying
their voices at national and international platforms.

Gender-responsive and inclusive
sectoral programming
Shelter and NFI• Ensure safe and accessible housing for IDPs and for
those unable to evacuate.
• Ensure that collective shelters have sex-segregated
and/or family-segregated accommodation andadapted and inclusive WASH facilities (see below).
• Ensure that collective shelters are accessible, andsupport transportation for persons with restrictedmobility to reach shelters.
• Ensure non-discrimination to all groups needing
access to shelter, including the Roma population,
LGBTQIA+ people and men.
• Adapt existing repair programmes, which focus
on fixing damaged homes, to include provisions oflabour to vulnerable households needing additional
support in making necessary emergency repairs.
• Establish child-friendly spaces with early childhood
development (ECD) activities within shelters andappropriate private spaces for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
• Carry out GBV safety audits in collective shelters toensure safe access for women and girls.
• Ensure that less visible female-headed households(especially among older persons and people withdisabilities) are identified when assessing the distribution needs for shelter and NFI kits for IDPs andnon-displaced people.

WASH• Develop and distribute hygiene kits and dignity kitswith menstrual hygiene and incontinence materials in consultation with women of different ages,
including older women and adolescent girls.
• Ensure that collective IDP centres have sex-segregated toilets and bathing spaces, with functioning
lighting, cubicles with internal locks and opportunities to bathe babies.
• Adapt WASH facilities to accommodate the specificneeds of LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities,
older persons and pregnant women.
• Consult with women and girls on the locations,distances and routes to access WASH facilities
and collect water in order to ensure that safety
risks are mitigated. The implications are twofold,
not only impacting women and girls’ time burden
but also introducing potential protection risks if it
becomes known that they regularly take that routeunaccompanied.

Food security and nutrition• Tailor food assistance to the specific needs ofwomen and children, including adequate andappropriate nutritional food for older people, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, children under
the age of 5 and people with chronic illnesses, while
mitigating access constraints that exist for specificpopulations.
• Provide new mothers with support in young childand infant feeding. Equip shelters to have spaces
for women to breastfeed or pump. Work with theeducation sector to provide ECD activities, including stimulation for new mothers to improve thenutritional intake of babies.
• Plan food delivery modalities in consultation withwomen. These must take into consideration issuesof safety for women and men when leaving theiraccommodation to access food.
• Ensure that information regarding the availability of food assistance is clear and accessible to all.
Consider specifically those in remote and isolated

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine56

A scene from the Palanca-Maiaki-Udobnoe border crossing point, between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on 1 March 2022.
Photo: UN Women/Aurel Obreja

communities, and ensure that information delivery
does not rely on the Internet or mobile connectivity.

Education• Alleviate mothers’ increased care burden due tohomeschooling through programming that offers
them support with homeschooling and works tochange the attitudes at home, encouraging redistribution of the care burden among male family
members.
• Provide children with after-school activities toreduce their stress and anxiety and improve mothers’ access to paid employment.
• Integrate ECD programming into other humanitarian services (including health facilities, shelters anddistribution points that require queuing for foodand other relief items) to support children and to
remove mothers’ barriers to accessing services.
• Develop targeted programming for Roma girls.
This includes working with parents, changing

community attitudes towards girls’ education andimproving livelihoods opportunities, as well as
providing access to civil status documentation forRoma women, men, girls and boys.

Cash and social support• Ensure that humanitarian actors prioritize those
who are experiencing increased barriers to accessing cash, such as the affected populations in
occupied territories and in the areas of active hostilities, in rural areas, and those without civil status
documentation.
• Ensure that the Government of Ukraine prioritizes the continuation of social support payment
schemes, especially to groups in vulnerable situations, including those who rely on social support,
those who have lost their livelihoods and those inareas where there are barriers to accessing cash.
• Partner with local CSOs, particularly women-led
organizations, to support affected women and children with cash and voucher disbursements.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine57• Design cash delivery modalities, including the timing and mechanism of distribution, in consultation
with women and vulnerable populations. Ensurethat GBV risk mitigation measures are in place, as
well as taking into consideration women’s household care duties, the ease of movement, perceived
stigma for LGBTQIA+ people, discrimination againstgroups such as the Roma community, access tofinancial institutions and familiarity with technology, such as mobile phones.

Livelihoods• Provide displaced women and men with opportunities to access vocational training and newopportunities for livelihoods, as many people arelooking for ways to adapt to the unemployment
they are now experiencing. Be mindful of thechanging gender roles that find women seeking
income opportunities when they might not havedone so before. Allow for flexible, part-time remotetraining and working opportunities where useful/feasible.

• Include women front-line health workers in decision-making spaces to improve the health response,
specifically in relation to women’s health and GBV
response and prevention mechanisms.

Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)• Ensure that safe and accessible MHPSS services
are made available in locations where services arelimited. Provide both offline and online services tomitigate access issues, whether caused by safety
risks (particularly in currently occupied areas) or
barriers to movement for older people and persons
with disabilities, in addition to the lack of access toonline services.
• Ensure that all humanitarian actors responding to
the war make ongoing psychological support available to staff, volunteers and partners in order toprevent emotional burnout.
• Communicate and reduce stigma about theimportance and value of psychological support,
particularly among men.

• If appropriate, create job opportunities for displaced
women, female heads of households and womenfrom the Roma community and other ethnic
minority groups in the distribution of food, shelter, winterization and NFI kits and in carrying out
repairs, thereby ensuring that the programming
considers and includes provisions for childcare andprovides flexible working modalities where helpful.

• Ensure psychological support for LGBTQIA+ people
that they can reach out to without fear of discrimination or stigma.

• Engage the private sector in supporting women injob placement, including the training and retraining of displaced women.

• Ensure that all services are available to those who
do not have civil status documentation.

Health, including sexual and reproductive health(SRH)• Support the Ministry of Health Care and other healthactors in urgently ensuring services and treatment
for persons with chronic illnesses including HIV andthat specialized health needs are made available.
• Make SRH and MNCH care a priority by observing
the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for
Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH),110 including
the clinical care of sexual assault survivors andensuring access to contraception.

Civil status documentation• Ensure access to civil status documentation foranyone wanting to cross a border.

Gender-based violence (GBV)• Support humanitarian leaders and actors in advocating for more support, resources and funding toaddress the increased risk of GBV caused by theongoing crisis.
• Ensure that GBV services are complementary to
government services and fill in gaps where existing services, such as shelters, have been replaced tosupport IDPs. Provide mobile and remote GBV services to reach out to those who are unable to accessservices. Where GBV services, referral pathways or
actors are not available in a given location, the GBV

110 UNFPA (2020). Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for SRH in Crisis
Situations. Available at: link.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine58

Pocket Guide111 should be used as a key resource fornon-specialized GBV actors in the response.
• Ensure that all front-line humanitarian actors aretrained in the basic concepts of GBV, disclosuresand safe referrals.
• Ensure that information regarding GBV services
is made accessible, taking into account barriers
to information faced by certain groups, including the lack of Internet access and mobile phone
connections.
• Ensure that GBV risk assessments and safety audits
are conducted progressively throughout the crisis
to understand and mitigate safety concerns andprotection risks, in particular in communal shelters
for IDPs, as well as in planning for and implementing the distribution of humanitarian assistanceand services.
• Support OHCHR and other relevant actors in ensuring the effective documentation and investigationof cases of conflict-related sexual violence.
• Provide clear messaging to the crisis-affected population on the risks of trafficking and how people
can protect themselves. Work with the national
authorities to strengthen their capacity to conduct
checks at border crossing points to identify potential victims of trafficking.

Child protection• Provide shelters with education/toy kits, ECD programming and/or child-friendly spaces.

Protection from sexual exploitation,
abuse and harassment (PSEAH)• Ensure that all actors involved in the response
adhere to the principles of zero tolerance for
SEAH, with established codes of conduct and
PSEAH protocols for each staff member, including for implementing partners, consultants andvolunteers.
• Support all humanitarian actors in ensuring that asafe and accessible feedback and complaints system is in place to report misconduct and to prevent,mitigate and respond to SEAH.

Communication with communities:
Accountability to affected populations (AAP)• Collect further information regarding the preferred
and trusted means of two-way communication by
men and women and among different populationgroups, including men and women with restrictedmobility (especially in the territories under immediate attack and the occupied territories).
• Set up gender-responsive, inclusive and confidential two-way feedback and complaints mechanismsthat ensure effective procedures for follow-up.
• Share information with displaced people arriving in
IDP shelters on the availability and frequency of distributions and services that are available to them.

• Disseminate information about humanitarian aid and evacuation opportunities via diverse
communication channels to ensure that womenand men without Internet access and/or mobile
phone connections in the occupied territories
and territories under immediate attack can still
receive it.

• Ensure that community members, particularly
women and people in vulnerable situations andfrom different marginalized groups, have information on their rights in terms of humanitarianassistance as well as how to report misconduct.

111 GBV Pocket Guide, available in Ukrainian, Russian and English.

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine

59

CARE International Geneva
Chemin de Balexert 7-9, 1219 Chatelaine (Geneva),
Switzerland
cisecretariat@careinternational.org
www.care-international.org
https://twitter.com/CAREGlobal
https://www.youtube.com/user/CAREinternational

UN Women in Ukraine
20, Esplanadna Str., Kyiv, 01023, Ukraine
unwomen.ukraine@unwomen.org
www.unwomen.org
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