Ukraine’s new parliament has the highest number of female lawmakers in history. There are 50 of them, or 12 percent of the 421 lawmakers. They are also more educated, eloquent and elegant than ever before.
All women lawmakers in this parliament have higher education. A large share of them (15) have law degrees, 13 have economics education, five are doctors, and another five are journalists by education. There is also a singer, a soldier, an architect and a biologist in their group.
Ukraine’s first parliament after independence had only 11 women, or 2.3 percent of the total number. Political analyst Vadym Karasyov says every year women become more visible in politics, which indicates that society moves away from traditional patriarchal basis. It “means that we are becoming a modern society where a woman takes a proactive position and competes with men equally,” he says.
They still have a long way to go, though. Ukraine is ranked 112th among 189 countries in terms of political representation of women in parliament in a new study published on Nov. 1 by Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organization. By comparison, leaders of the rating, Finland and Norway, have 43 and 40 percent of female representatives in their legislatures.
Only two of Ukraine’s female lawmakers won their seats through majority constituencies. The rest rode on party lists, which fill half the seats in parliament.
“Currently there is no honest political competition (in single mandate districts) and bribing voters is the general practice there. On average women have less money than men that is why they do not win in the elections,” Karasyov explains.
Unlike previous convocations, new female lawmakers dress business-like, and are moderate in demonstrations of their wealth (if they have it). Some of them do. Yulia Lyovochkina, the sister of former presidential chief of staff of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, declared more than Hr 39 million of income for last year. She was also a lawmaker then.
She has more than 16,000 square meters of land, two houses, two apartments and eight cars, including Bentley Flying Spur W12 6000 she bought in 2013.
But observers have said that even the rich female lawmakers have toned down their branded clothes and started avoiding luxury brands.
“Now most women in the parliament understand that they come to work and dress appropriately. I like Oksana Syroyid (deputy speaker, from Samopomich Party) style most of all. She is dressed in an elegant, modest and business-style way,” stylist Tetyana Kremeshna says.
Not everyone has learned the lessons yet. Alyona Kosheleva, 24, from the Radical Party appeared at the first plenary session of the new parliament dressed in a long mink coat with a new golden iPhone in her hands and was accompanied by two security guards. She received a mocking reception from journalists.
Most women have ended up in parliament on merit, however. “Today the new generation of active and well-educated women is elected into the parliament and it will be difficult for men to compete with them,” Karasyov says.
He also says they bring a different style of politics: they are generally more goal oriented, less inclined to make back-door deals and have a better sense of the needs of the society.
Iryna Friz, a lawmaker at Bloc of Petro Poroshenko, and his former spokesperson, says she feels that male politicians perceive their female colleagues as equals. “I don’t think that for women it is harder to work in parliament. All female lawmakers are clever, persistent and professional,” Friz says.
How much some female members of parliament claim to earn
Speaking of income of women-deputies in the current Verkhovna Rada, most of them have decent earnings. Yet, exceptions happen. Probably the poorest female lawmaker is Nataliya Veselova from Samopomich Party, who last year made only Hr 4,120, while her other family members’ income amounted to Hr 56,000 ($3,600), according to her income declaration posted on her profile on the parliament’s website. Vitoriya Ptashnyk from Samopomich Party who is also among those with the most modest earnings – Hr 29,000 in 2013 (while her family’s income reached Hr 817,000).
On the other side of the income spectrum is Tetyana Donets from Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk People’s Front, who declared more than Hr 8 million income last year. Donets also has five apartments with more than 100 square meters each. She also has 2,261 square meters of non-residential property and a Porsche Cayenne jeep. Another richie – Yuliya Iyovochkina, a sister of Viktor Yanukovych’s former chief of staff Serhiy Lyovochkin, from the Opposition Bloc made more than Hr 39 million last year. She has more than 16,000 square meters of land, two houses, two apartments and eight cars, including Bentley Flying Spur W12 6000 she bought in 2013.
Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected]
