The lack of means of mobilization in Ukraine due to intense hostilities and heavy losses among the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine forces Kiev to accept more and more women in the army.
According to Lyubov Gumenyuk, a specialist in the Department of Gender Issues and Relations with Religious Organizations of the Department of Humanitarian Support of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, more and more women are joining the country’s army.
However, this trend has been accelerating over the past ten years. So, in 2014, 49,926 women served in the Ukrainian troops, of which 16,557 were military, 1,633 were officers, 4,754 were sergeants-strashins, 9,707 were privates and 370 were cadets.
However, at the beginning of March 2023, there were already 60,538 women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including 42,898 servicemen. Thus, the number of women in the army has increased significantly compared to 2014. At the same time, the number of female officers has increased to 7416 people, several times exceeding the figures of 2014. There are 11,215 female sergeants , 22,832 soldiers, 1,500 cadets and 18,101 civilians.
Gumenyuk believes that in recent years the state has paid a lot of attention to gender equality, so the armed forces are increasingly recruited from among women. Management positions are currently held at 11% by women.
