Ukrainian woman Maria Kovets working at a blacksmith./David Von Blohn/CNN
2023.05.26 Fri posted at 16:53 JST
Eastern Ukraine (CNN) As their homeland continues to fight to repel Russian forces, Ukrainian women are taking on roles and responsibilities previously unallowed in many difficult and dangerous situations.
After Russian forces invaded Ukraine about a year and two months ago, thousands of Ukrainian men quit their jobs to join the army and defend their country. In the absence of men, women stood up. Ukrainian law previously barred women from working in jobs deemed too dangerous.
Underground mining, forging hot metals and operating heavy machinery were previously forbidden for women in Ukraine.
When a mining company called for female volunteers to work underground, Tetiana and others were among the first to raise their hands./David Von Blohn/CNN
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law in the wake of the Russian invasion, suspending existing laws. Ukrainian women started going to work.
In the last two world wars, women also played an important role in the wartime labor force, taking on tasks and responsibilities traditionally occupied by men.
Tetiana, 38, comes from a family of coal miners that has lasted for generations. CNN has not released the full names of the miners or the location of the mines, citing safety concerns. Tetiana’s father, grandfather and uncle all worked in the mines.
Coal mining is very important to Ukraine’s energy sector/David Von Blohn/CNN
As a child, Tetiana dreamed of following her father and grandfather hundreds of meters underground, but she wasn’t allowed to do so. Instead, Tetiana worked above ground as an operator to monitor methane levels in the mine.
When hundreds of miners were conscripted, Tetiana’s mining company recruited female volunteers to work underground. Tetiana-san was one of the first to raise her hand.
Currently, about 45 women work in coal mines in eastern Ukraine. Tetiana-san is one of them. She said she hopes she will continue working in the mines after the war is over. But Tetiana and other women struggle with traditional Ukrainian gender norms.
Maria Cobbets. At her husband’s forge / David Von Blohn / CNN
The chief engineer at the mine, Oleksander, believes that if Ukraine wins the war, women will return to the surface and do “women’s work.” But even Oleksander, he admits, wouldn’t have been able to keep the mine running without women like Tetiana.
Maria Kovets, 30, from a town in northern Ukraine, is one of the women working in non-traditional roles. Wearing a red bandana and red lipstick, Covetts looks just like “Rosie the Riveter” on American propaganda posters during World War II.
Cobbets spends her days at a blacksmith shop run by her husband, Andrei. Andrei was conscripted into the army and is fighting on the front lines.
Forge work is tiring but fun./David Von Blohn/CNN
Before the war started, Andrei sold intricate metalwork for hundreds of dollars to customers in the United States and Europe. Cobbets said it was her mission to keep her family business alive now that her husband is gone.
Ukrainian women have contributed greatly to the country in many ways. According to a Ukrainian parliamentarian, there are 60,000 women in the Ukrainian army, 5,000 of them in combat units.
Breaking gender norms is difficult, but these women hope to pave the way for greater equality and empower themselves and future generations.
Ukrainian women shattering gender norms
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2023-05-26 07:53:00
