Fifteen women came to protest in front of the Defense Ministry over gender restrictions that prevent them from holding leading positions in the army on Jan. 21. They brought with them cooking items as a symbol that they don't want to only cook and clean while serving in the army.
Fifteen former and current servicewomen came to protest in front of the Defense Ministry over gender restrictions that prevent them from holding leading positions in the army on Jan. 21. They brought with them cooking items as a symbol that they don’t want to only cook and clean while serving in uniform.
For example, Ukrainian women are prohibited to serve as sappers, military drivers, photographers or chemical warfare specialists. In all, there are at least 500 professions that women are forbidden to take under the country’s unreformed Soviet-era labor code.
More than 30,000 women currently serve in various positions in the armed forces, according to statistics provided by the Defense Ministry. At least 14,500 are listed as combat personnel, while some 938 women have already served in the war zone in eastern Ukraine.
Many women in combat roles, such as, gunners, actually are officially listed under different positions like medical staff, according to Maria Berlinska, head of the Ukrainian Center for Aerial Reconnaissance.
Others don’t serve on an official basis, so they aren’t eligible for benefits and payment for their service. Thus, many women who want to avoid restrictions, join the former volunteer battalions that are now either attached the defense or interior ministries.
