Ukraine in numbers (06/18/00)

Ukraine in numbers

Information about Ukraine given below was obtained from sources provided in the reports "The World's Women: Trends and Statistics 2000," published by the U.N. Secretariat Division of Statistics; "Progress of the World's Women: UNIFEM Biannual Report," published by the U.N. Development Fund for Women; and "Global Trends in Women's Access and Leadership," published by the non-governmental organization International Foundation for Election Systems. Within the U.N. reporting structure, Ukraine is included within the group of 20 East European countries.

Official employment levels for women have dropped dramatically in almost all East European countries between 1985 and 1999. Furthermore, women's salaries have dropped in real terms, while wage inequality between men and women has increased. However, the rate of salaried employment for women in Ukraine in 1990 was 57 percent, 54 percent in 1996 and 50 percent in 1998, still one of the highest rates for women in the region, and in keeping with most developed nations (female employment in the Baltic countries is between 50 and 54 percent, the Czech Republic, 46 percent; the United States, 48 percent). Though women's salaries in Ukraine are low, salaried employment is an indicator of a more fully evolved economy; in many countries with less-developed economies, women are only paid for piece-work, or a per-day wage, or not paid at all for labor performed.
Within the block of East European countries, at 0.43 percent, Ukraine still has the highest percentage of the population infected with HIV/AIDS virus, compared to Estonia at 0.01 percent, Russia at 0.05 percent and Poland at 0.06 percent. The rate of infection in the United States is 0.76 percent of the population. However, all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have between 2 percent and 26 percent of the population infected with the deadly virus; in almost each of these countries, 50 percent of those infected are women.
Ukrainian law mandates that a woman be given 126 work days (approximately 22 weeks) of paid maternity leave. Norway offers 18 weeks at full pay, and an additional 26 weeks for either parent. Hungary offers 24 weeks at full pay. In comparison, U.S. law mandates that an employer offer only 12 weeks of maternity leave, unpaid.
As of June 1999, only 2 percent of women in Ukraine expressed satisfaction with the general living situation in their country. Political corruption is seen as a common and serious problem by 88 percent of women. About 58 percent feel that their vote does not influence decisions made by political leaders and 56 percent do not believe that Ukraine is a democracy; while 16 percent do and 18 percent are undecided.

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