The Government is working to empower women and provide them with opportunities to develop and fulfil their potential, in particular through systemic changes to labour legislation and the implementation of support programmes. This was stated by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, in her speech at the Women’s Economic Empowerment Congress (WEE Congress), organised by UN Women in Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and financial support from the governments of Denmark, France and Sweden.

This year’s WEE Congress brought together more than 120 representatives of government, business associations, private companies, state and local institutions, and international development partners.

“Women’s contribution to economic development has been growing dynamically in recent years. They are increasingly opening businesses and taking leadership in communities. We, as a state, support that dynamic. We are working on systemic legislative changes, in particular, in the draft of the new Labour Code we enshrine the principle of equal pay, introduce eight types of employment contracts that allow home and remote work. We are simplifying the conditions for starting a business through grant programs 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 Yuliia Svyrydenko.

The opening of the WEE Congress was preceded by a press briefing dedicated to the gender pay gap in Ukraine. The briefing also discussed the results of the first wave of the national information campaign “Of course, You can!”

According to Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine, the gender pay gap, estimated at 18.6%, remains a critical issue in Ukraine, reflecting broader challenges of inequality in the workplace where women earn less than men for equal work. However, during russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian women have taken on more responsibilities, assumed new roles, and actively stepped into professional domains that were previously predominantly led by men. Addressing this disparity is not just about fairness; it is about unlocking the full potential of the workforce for the benefit of Ukraine’s economic development and fostering a more inclusive and gender-responsive recovery.

“Women still face gender barriers in the professional environment. They are underrepresented in blue-collar professions, in high-paying sectors, and in leadership positions. Our task is to change this. That’s why we are implementing policies to support women’s professional development and women’s entrepreneurship through grants for start-ups and grants for business scaling. We are also expanding opportunities for women to learn and master new skills. In November, we introduced vouchers for women – from now on, every woman will be able to receive UAH 30,000 to master one of 30 professions where women have traditionally been underrepresented: tram or trolleybus driver, excavator operator, crane operator, milling machine operator, and others,” said Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

“Of Course, You Can!” is a campaign initiated by UN Women together with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with the support of the Office of the First Lady and the Government of Sweden to overcome gender stereotypes about women’s professional development, draw attention to the gender pay gap between men and women, and join efforts to support women’s professional fulfilment and equal representation in any field.

The first phase of the campaign reached more than 8 million Ukrainian women and men and was supported by more than 10 women’s human rights NGOs and 8 large Ukrainian businesses. More information about the campaign is available on the specialised website www.youcan.in.ua (in Ukrainian).