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Women's work: discrimination against women in the Ukrainian labor force

Hiring practices severely disadvantage women in Ukraine

Authors: ; Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Publisher: Human Rights Watch , 2003

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This paper examines gender stereotypes and discrimination in hiring practices in the Ukraine. As a result, women are increasingly pushed into low-wage service sector or public sector jobs or seek employment, including secondary employment, in the unregulated informal sector. Many women choose to go abroad to seek better economic opportunities, a choice that may leave them vulnerable to being trafficked into the commercial sex industry or other forms of forced labour. This paper examines and exposes stereotypical hiring patterns in the UK.

This paper surveys research on discrimination against Ukrainian women in employment recruitment, conducted by Human Rights Watch in April 2003 in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv. HRW concentrated on the impact of gender-specific job advertising and discrimination against women during hiring interviews, and also gathered material on discrimination in promotions and salary raises, as well as sexual harassment.

From their interviews and investigation, HRW has come up with a series of recommendations, including:

  • all branches of government should uphold in practice and in law international human rights obligations to guarantee the right to nondiscrimination
  • officials at the highest levels of government should publicly condemn discrimination and organise national anti-discrimination training programmes for officials at all levels as well as for trade unions and employers
  • the Verkhovna Rada should take steps to amend legislation to prohibit job advertising based on gender and remove gender restrictions on parental benefits. The Ministry of Labor should conduct ex officio investigations of employers suspected of discrimination. And the State Employment Service should refrain from all practices that promote gender-specific recruitment
  • the European Union (EU) should work with Ukraine to harmonise its legislation and practices with EU norms that pertain to nondiscrimination
  • international financial institutions should recognise the role that discrimination plays in limiting economic opportunities for women and perpetuating poverty, and they should condition support for Ukraine on measurable progress in prohibiting discrimination in the labour force.