Economic Activity of Ukrainian Women: Current Problems and Possibilities of Implementation

The article is devoted to highlighting the features of the implementation of women’s economic activity in the context of modern trends in the labor market of Ukraine. Based on the conducted research, the reasons and factors of restrictions on women’s participation in the labor force were identified. Socio-economic obstacles to the full disclosure of their economic potential were identified, taking into account the specifics of the conditions of a full-scale war in Ukraine. The issues of ensuring decent employment conditions and economic participation of the population are relevant for most countries in the world. Research into the possibilities of increasing economic activity is especially relevant for European countries with a high level of demographic aging, a reduction in the size of the labor force, and, accordingly, an increase in the labor force deficit. Today, Ukraine is faced with the problem of a significant labor force deficit. It arose under the joint action of factors of both a long-term nature (natural demographic decline of the economically active population) and (to a greater extent) short- term factors of military events and their consequences (large-scale migration, forced resettlement, mobilization of men). At the same time, the analysis of the situation on the Ukrainian labor market indicates the existence of a certain paradox: along with a significant labor shortage, there is a relatively low level of population participation in the labor force, especially among women. According to pre-war data, Ukraine lagged behind most European countries in terms of women’s economic activity. The hypothesis for conducting the study was several assumptions about the existence of socio-economic obstacles to women’s employment, for example, the difficulty of combining employment with family responsibilities due to the lack of services and social infrastructure facilities that would support working women, help with job search, retraining, training; insufficient supply of jobs with flexible work schedules from employers, etc. Despite significant progress in expanding women’s labor rights around the world, gender issues of equal participation in the labor market remain relevant not only for Ukraine, but even for the most economically developed countries. Thus, the purpose of the study is to analyze trends in women’s economic activity in conditions of full-scale military aggression, identify factors and obstacles to their employment, and develop recommendations for eliminating barriers to women’s full participation in the workforce. The object of the study is a set of women of economically active age. The study used methods of generalization of information, statistical analysis of data, empirical sociological research, which combined a national online survey of women of working age (18—59 years), a sample size of 716 respondents; flexible interviews with experts — representatives of the State Employment Service of Ukraine, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and non-governmental organizations that are concerned with supporting women’s economic activity and protecting their labor rights; logical analysis methods — to form conclusions and proposals. Based on the results of the study, recommendations were developed regarding opportunities to increase women’s participation in the labor market, realize their economic potential, overcome existing barriers to employment, and improve conditions for combining employment with family responsibilities.