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Institute of Sociology
NAS of Ukraine

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Institute of Sociology
NAS of Ukraine

Author(s) / Editor(s):

Strelnyk Olena Oleksandrivna, Senior Research Fellow, Doctor of Sciences in Sociology, Department of Social Structures, Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Associate Professor (part-time)

 email: olena.strelnyk@gmail.com

 ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9027-4758

Year: 2024

Pages: 197–219

Publication language: Ukrainian

Publisher: Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Type of Publication: chapter in edited volume

Publication Place: Kyiv

DOI: TBD

The chapter examines three dimensions that, on the one hand, constitute important systemic factors of gender (in)equality in Ukraine, and on the other — already demonstrate certain positive or negative trends. The legislative dimension is related to martial law, within which the traditional (patriarchal) gender order is most clearly reproduced: men are assigned the role of defenders of the state during wartime, which also affects women and acts as a negative factor for gender equality. The (geo)political aspect pertains to the processes of European integration and the aspiration of Ukrainian society to distance itself from the values of the “Russian world” (russkiy mir), which is an important factor in sustaining gender equality policies. The sociocultural dimension relates to the positive dynamics of public attitudes toward the distribution of gender roles and attitudes toward LGBT people rights in the context of war. In analyzing the impact of the full-scale war on gender (in)equality in Ukraine within these defined dimensions, the study argues that the observed trends do not provide grounds to claim a strengthening of patriarchal (conservative) attitudes and discourses at the political and sociocultural levels of Ukrainian society. Rather, it is a case of an eclectic combination of conservative views, discourses, and policies with the ongoing progress of Ukrainian society toward gender equality.

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Is There a Conservative Gender Turn Occurring in a War-Torn Society?