Transformation of the Ukrainian labour market: the economic empowerment of women during the war and in the post-war recovery

The research was implemented by AC “Socioconsulting” within the project “Supporting the Reconstruction of Communities’ Social and Financial Resilience in War-Affected Regions of East and West Ukraine”, implemented by Helvetas Ukraine in partnership with JERU, and supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Its purpose was to study the barriers to employment or return to work for different categories of women (including mothers of young children, women caring for disabled relatives, and women of pre-retirement/retirement age), and to analyze ways to expand women’s economic opportunities during the war and post-war recovery in Ukraine.

In order to analyze the situation objectively and comprehensively, the research used an integrated approach to collecting empirical data, which included a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. In particular, the following activities were conducted:

· Desk review, including a review of previous studies on relevant topics, analysis of demographic and statistical data, and legal and regulatory documents.

· A national online survey of women of working age (18-59 years), which involved 716 respondents.

· Structured face-to-face interviews with women who have children aged 3-10 and do not work full-time. A total of 205 interviews.

· Focus groups with women representatives of the target groups: 2 FGDs each with mothers of minor children (preschoolers, primary school children), women caring for disabled relatives, and women of pre-retirement age (45-59 years).

· In-depth interviews with experts.

The analytical report presents the key research findings in Ukrainian and English. The authors have also prepared recommendations for state and local authorities and other stakeholders to overcome or mitigate the obstacles to labor market entry for the different categories of women identified in the research.