THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE CURRENT UKRAINE CONFLICT
In times of conflict and suffering, military conscription most often falls on men, and the efforts of women in defence seem to be less recognised. In fact, when considering the equality paradigm, women's rights seem to be limited by other factors influencing gender presence in the military.
The presence of women in the military is seemingly as essential on the front line as that of their male colleagues. In Ukraine, as in many other EU countries with comparable military and defence systems, the range of opportunities within the army does not always conform to the notion of equality from a gender perspective.
As stated by Viktoria Arnautova, Gender Advisor to the Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there is still a military-gender gap. The outbreak of the Crimean Crisis in 2014 brought to light many issues with respect to the status of women and their relationship with the armed forces. As Arnautova says, prior to the conflict only "few commanders have had gender training, so many still live with their stereotypes about women having no place in the army”.
In 2021, the female component of the Ukrainian armed forces accounted for 22.8% of the total, according to the Defence Ministry. Compared to just a few years back, prior to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, “military women and veterans are not perceived as unusual anymore,” reiterated the head of the military veterans' movement and civil society activist, Andriana Susak-Arekhta. As a result of Ukrainian law № 2523-VIII on equal rights for women and men in the army, instituted in 2018, Ukraine has seen an increase in the number of women in the army. When speaking about the law, Susak-Arekhta stated that it "helped break down the public misconception of women soldiers".
If little progress has been made in allowing women to participate in the army, then less effort has been made to recognise their fundamental role when compared with their male counterparts. As Ukraine is currently under attack, women of all occupations and backgrounds are abandoning everything to defend their country.
The role of women in the war is essential. The events that are affecting Ukraine have a “new female face,” as described by the First Lady Zelenska. Ukrainian women are those “who take children to shelters every day without panic and entertain them with games and cartoons to protect children's minds from war”. Women at war are also those “who give birth in bomb shelters”. They are, in short, soldiers.
A GENDER PERSPECTIVE ON CONFLICT AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Feminism offers a more-than-useful perspective on realpolitik, arriving at a deconstruction of mainstream-malestream warfare. Understanding gender in conflict requires grasping the nuance of an individual situation reflecting the current political context, which then enables relevant analysis and the implementation of effective conflict resolution. NATO, for example, has recognised the importance of adopting gender-aware policies. In 2018, after the NATO/EAPC summit in Brussels, the organisation adopted a significant policy direction striving towards the inclusion of women. The Summit established the amalgamation of Women, Peace and Security (WPS) as part of UN Women for Peace's inclusion initiatives. It secured NATO's recognition and amplification of the role of women in military structures, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping efforts, which were previously limited.
Gender perspective is not only about increasing the level of women’s representation in the army, but also about widening the scope of inclusion in a traditionally “male-exclusive” environment. Women encounter challenges that men generally do not confront or do not respond to in the same way. Thus, a gender approach does not privilege one perspective over the other, but rather provides a subtle understanding of the conflict. Harassment, exclusion, trafficking, and access to resources needed to deal with biological differences are recognised within conflict analysis for their essential and reflexive power over society, for both men and women
A more gender-sensitive approach to defence not only allows for a deeper understanding of women and the military, but also provides an insight into individual perspectives, which become paramount in comprehending warfare and its wider effects. Women in warfare today face two conflicts: they must fight for their country whilst dually struggling for gender equality and human rights.
After graduating from Bologna University with a degree in Politics and International Relations in 2018, Alice worked for NGOs and the financial sector. At Metropolitan University of London, She is currently finishing her Master's degree in Human Rights and International Conflict. Her main interests are Theory of International Relations, Militarism, and Human Rights.