A Ukrainian Woman in the Third Year of Full-Scale War: Who Is She?
How does she assess her mental and emotional well-being? How does she balance work and personal life, and what issues capture her attention? What does she think about the role of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, her approach to donating, and which vulnerable groups’ rights is she most ready to support? Gradus Research, in collaboration with Biasless, conducted the second annual survey on the well-being of Ukrainian women, identifying key behavioral shifts compared to the previous year and uncovering new trends.
Gender Equality Research: A Survey for Biasless
“The survey results reveal several important insights about the lives of Ukrainian women during the war. First, women in Ukraine rarely perceive themselves as a vulnerable group whose rights need protection. This leads to the second insight: most women facing professional barriers don’t report them, as they believe these obstacles to be insignificant. The third point, however, provides balance: in the third year of full-scale war, women are dedicating more time to themselves, striving to find a new equilibrium between heavy workloads, family responsibilities, and their ambitions for career and personal growth,” comments Evgeniya Blyznyuk, sociologist and CEO & Founder of Gradus Research.
“This year, we included questions about women’s aspirations for leadership and career advancement in Ukraine. Today’s realities demand this, and true gender equality is only possible when women’s voices are powerful and influential at the highest levels—in business, government, and the non-profit sector. We found that 50% of women consider themselves ready to take on responsibility and lead change, while 46% are somewhat less willing. Setting aside the challenges of war and economic instability, the women surveyed cited five personal factors as obstacles—grouped under the umbrella of ‘imposter syndrome.’ This is largely fueled by entrenched gender biases, which we will need to address for decades to come,” explains Iryna Rubis, head of Biasless, trainer, and strategist in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Despite Stress, Women Are Focusing More on Their Health and Self-Care
An increasing number of Ukrainian women are prioritizing their health—45% of respondents, up from 37% in 2023, said they are now more concerned about their well-being. Despite high levels of stress (reported by 45% of respondents), women are carving out more time for themselves (18% of respondents, compared to 13% last year).
This shift comes as women also report greater responsibilities:
- Caring for family and friends: 33% (up from 30% in 2023)
- Main job responsibilities: 24% (up from 14%)
- Additional part-time jobs: 21% (up from 14%)
These findings suggest that women are learning to allocate their resources more effectively and prioritize self-care.
The trend toward better work-life balance is further supported by the fact that more respondents feel they can “switch off” from work at the end of the day (51%, up from 39% in 2023). Additionally, 50% report satisfaction with the balance they have established between work and personal life.
Peace and Stability Are Key for Professional Fulfillment
When it comes to professional growth, Ukrainian women identify peace (53%) and economic stability (38%) as their top needs. Other barriers include:
- Lack of self-confidence: 29%
- Insufficient courage or determination: 28%
- Limited knowledge: 18%
- Weak professional networks: 15%
Only 4% of respondents cited gender bias as a barrier to professional fulfillment, and 63% believe respect and gender equality in Ukraine are improving.
However, challenges remain. More than half (60%) of women have faced inappropriate treatment at work, such as devaluation of their opinions or having their ideas credited to others. Despite this, only 25% reported these incidents, with the most common reasons for silence being:
- Lack of confidence that the complaint would be taken seriously (37%, up 12% from 2023)
- Perception that the behavior was not severe enough to report (31%)
- Fear of making the situation worse (23%)
- Concern about negative career impacts (19%)
Growing Aspirations for Leadership
Nearly half of the respondents (46%) are actively pursuing career growth and leadership roles, striving to increase their influence and responsibility. However, 42% pointed to the war as a major obstacle preventing women from achieving leadership positions.
Women in the Armed Forces Inspire Change
82% of respondents believe that women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine make meaningful contributions for all Ukrainian women.
- 70% agree that women in the military demonstrate that “a woman’s place is wherever she chooses it to be” (up 6% from 2023).
- 41% believe that women’s service highlights the visible and significant role females play in achieving victory (up from 33% in 2023).
Support for Vulnerable Groups
Respondents prioritized supporting the following vulnerable groups:
- People with disabilities: 29% (state responsibility: 28%)
- War veterans: 24% (state responsibility: 26%)
- People aged 55 and older: 22% (state responsibility: 19%)
Additionally, 31% of respondents believe the state should actively protect the rights of all vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, combat veterans, neurodiverse individuals, internally displaced persons, LGBTQ+ communities, and minorities. Meanwhile, 22% are ready to contribute to this protection personally.
Survey Details
The well-being survey was conducted by Gradus Research in collaboration with Biasless. Data was collected through a self-completed questionnaire in the Gradus mobile app.
- Target group: Women aged 18+ living in Ukraine (excluding temporarily occupied or active combat zones).
- Sample size: Wave I (April 6–8, 2023): 1,029 respondents; Wave II (May 17–23, 2024): 1,168 respondents.
- Sampling structure: Reflective of the target group by age, region, and settlement size.
