Three years of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine roll back decades of progress for women’s rights, safety and economic opportunities

Photo: NGO ‘Zaporuka’/Danylo Sekunda

On the three-year mark, UN Women calls for a scale-up in support to women and girls, in light of the 6.7 million women in need of life-saving assistance.

Kyiv — Russia’s three years of mass attacks on Ukraine are having a devastating effect on women and girls, with 1,869,000 internally displaced, almost 6.7 million women in need of humanitarian assistance, and more than 3,799 women and 289 girls killed, with the actual number of deaths likely much higher, according to the United Nations.

The full-scale war has pushed an entire generation of Ukrainian women backwards: they are facing heightened exposure to gender-based violence; rising unemployment; decreased decision-making power; greater domestic burdens; and a severe mental health crisis.

Gender-based violence, already high before the war, has surged 36 per cent since 2022. War-related distress has contributed to this increase of gender-based and domestic violence, and to the higher rates of depression among women and girls. Women don’t have equal access to the economy. In 2023, women made up 72.5 per cent of the unemployed. By 2024, only 48 per cent of displaced women were employed, compared to 71 per cent of men. Women also earned 41.4 per cent less than men in 2023, doubling the pay gap since 2021. Unpaid care and domestic work have risen, with women spending 56 hours per week on childcare in 2024, up from 49 hours before the war. The closure of childcare facilities has worsened the burden.

Despite the immense challenges, women are leading the resistance. Women have stepped into leadership roles as humanitarian workers, civil society leaders, community mobilizers, and entrepreneurs—today, one in every two business in Ukraine is founded by a woman. New opportunities for women in sectors previously dominated by men, such as security, transportation, and demining are opening up.

More than at any time since 24 February 2022, women in Ukraine need life-saving assistance, support to regain access to their rights and to lead in decision-making about Ukraine’s future.

“Donors’ support to Ukrainian women-led organizations and programmes is crucial so they can continue promoting gender equality, women’s rights and leadership," says Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine. "Women’s full engagement will be essential to rebuild Ukraine as a gender-equal and gender-responsive society — across all areas of society, the economy and political life. Only in 2024, UN Women supported more than 180,000 women and girls affected by the full-scale war in Ukraine, including though the Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund.” 

UN Women is providing life-saving humanitarian assistance; psychosocial and legal support; protection services and responses to conflict-related sexual violence; and economic empowerment programmes to help women generate income for themselves and their families. UN Women supports the adoption of laws to advance women’s access to rights and women’s meaningful participation in decision-making and public policy processes across Ukraine.

UN Women calls for investment on women’s empowerment and gender equality in all recovery and development efforts. UN Women calls for renewed support to women’s rights organizations and women leaders to deliver humanitarian assistance, participate in early recovery and in peace processes. 

More information: 3 Years of Russia’s Full-Scale War: Women’s Resilience, Immense Challenges, and Hope

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