Of Course, You Can! How a campaign in wartime Ukraine helped women see new possibilities and act on them

“Of course, you can” campaign’s visual. Photo: UN Women/Serhii Periiev

What began as a campaign about the gender pay gap grew into a two-year effort to advance women’s economic empowerment, reaching more than 35 million people across Ukraine. In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the campaign responded to one of the country’s most urgent economic challenge: a severe shortage of workers and the critical role women play in the workforce.

In Ukraine, more than 70 per cent of employers report difficulties finding workers. Against this backdrop, UN Women, in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, launched the “Of Course, You Can!” campaign on International Equal Pay Day, 18 September 2024, to raise awareness of the inequalities and barriers women face in the labour market.

From awareness to real-life steps

While many women have taken on new roles and multiple jobs to compensate for lost family income, large numbers of unemployed and inactive women remain outside the workforce.

“Ukraine’s labour market urgently needs people, knowledge, and professional flexibility. Greater involvement of women across all sectors of the economy, including those traditionally considered male-dominated, is essential to overcoming labour shortages and supporting the economy during wartime. Women must have access to quality reskilling, decent jobs, and professional fulfilment,” said Dariia Marchak, Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, at the launch of the campaign.

Dariia Marchak, Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine. Photo: Courtesy of the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine 

Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative, highlighted that Ukraine cannot afford to overlook women’s talent and potential, especially as the country prepares for recovery. 

“Women’s economic participation is not a secondary issue. It is essential to build a resilient and inclusive economy. ‘Of Course, You Can!’ reflects this shift by moving beyond simply raising awareness of barriers to connecting women with real opportunities to work, learn, lead and contribute to Ukraine’s recovery,” she said.

Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine. Photo: UN Women/Dmytro Korenev 

Turning a slogan into access to information

During the 2026 campaign phase, official data still showed a 27 per cent gender pay gap, underscoring that significant barriers persist even as employers struggle to find workers.

The campaign took the next step. Rather than simply telling women that “they can”, it showed them where and how they can find opportunities and connect with them. As a result, a repository of opportunities open to women was created and promoted through its social media channels, website and national media. These included UN Women’s initiatives such as She Demines and She Drives, as well as State Employment Service vouchers, retraining and reskilling programmes, grants for women entrepreneurs, and information on new labour rights under the proposed Labour Code.

UN Women also joined forces with the State Employment Service and other partners to connect women with reskilling, employment and entrepreneurship support. Stories of women who had already taken advantage of these or similar opportunities helped make these pathways more relatable.

Real women. Real workplaces. Real stories.

The campaign put real women in their real workplaces at the centre of its content: driving buses, working in energy and telecommunications, conducting scientific research and entering humanitarian mine action. Their stories challenged stereotypes through everyday experience.

From left to right, clockwise: Oksana Korol, a dispatcher at DTEK energy company; Olena Pareniuk, a radiobiologist studying the impact of radioactive substances on living organisms and helping the Ukrainian government determine priorities for humanitarian demining; Nataliia Petrenko, a bus driver at Kyivpastrans municipal enterprise; Viktoriia Vereta, a mobile network base station maintenance engineer at lifecell. Photo: UN Women/Andrii Bren

Tapping new ground: Women in humanitarian mine action

The campaign also highlighted women’s participation in humanitarian mine action, a field critical to Ukraine’s recovery and traditionally dominated by men. Women working in humanitarian demining shared their experiences with others considering entering the profession.

“You just must take the plunge and do it. You must try it to understand whether this profession is right for you or not,” Ryta Mazankova, Head of the humanitarian demining team at the Ukrainian Deminers Association. Photo: UN Women/Andrii Bren

A campaign that leaves something behind

The campaign website brings together a library of practical resources, including online training courses and success stories, so that women can continue to access them beyond the campaign period.

The campaign also built a broad partnership network spanning businesses, civil society organizations and influencers. Private and public sector companies were invited to show what more inclusive workplaces can look like in practice. Collaboration with Women’s Empowerment Principles signatories, including Epicentr, a major Ukrainian retail chain; Avrora, a national retail company; Lika Comfort, a Ukrainian manufacturer; and Intellias, a global technology company, highlighted examples of employers creating opportunities for women.

The national campaign “Of Course, You Can” has been implemented within the framework of UN Women Ukraine’s Strategic Note (2025-2029, through financial support from the Governments of Austria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Poland and Sweden, and in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine.