Ukraine hosted the Women’s Economic Empowerment Congress (WEE Congress), organised by UN Women with the support of the Ministry of Economy. The event brought together over 120 participants from governments, business, NGOs and international partners. During the event, initiatives to ensure equal opportunities for women were discussed, including gender pay equality, which remains a challenge in the country.
One of the main topics was the elimination of the gender pay gap, which stands at 18.6%. According to Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, the government supports women through legislative initiatives, including a new Labour Code, business start-up grants and professional development programmes.
Read also: UN Women Ukraine: Increasing the Role of Women in Leadership Positions
‘We are working on systemic legislative changes, in particular, in the draft new Labour Code we are enshrining the principle of equal pay, introducing eight types of employment contracts that allow home and remote work. We are simplifying the conditions for starting a business through grant programmes that provide funding from UAH 150,000 to UAH 8 million. We support Ukrainian women in their efforts to acquire a new profession or improve their skills through the services provided by the State Employment Service. Our ambitious goal is to reduce the gender pay gap to 13.6% by 2030,’ said Yulia Svyrydenko, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.
The press briefing for the Congress also covered the results of the national information campaign ‘Of Course You Can!’ aimed at overcoming gender stereotypes and supporting women’s professional development. The campaign reached over 8 million people and was supported by a number of women’s organisations and businesses.
Read also: UN Women in Ukraine: а program to bridge the gender pay gap has been launched
The campaign also introduced new programmes for women, including grants for retraining in non-traditional professions for women, such as tram driving or excavator driving. Such initiatives are expected to help reduce the gender pay gap to 13.6% by 2030.
‘The gender pay gap of 18.6% remains a critical issue in Ukraine, reflecting wider issues of inequality in the workplace. Women in Ukraine often earn less than men for the same work, despite having the same qualifications and putting in the same effort,’ said UN Women Representative in Ukraine Sabine Fraser Günes.
The government plans to continue its work to strengthen the legislative framework for women’s rights, particularly in the labour sphere, and to expand partnerships with businesses and NGOs to support women’s economic empowerment in Ukraine.
Read also: Registration for the course “Advocacy and Art” supported by UN Women in Ukraine
