May 20th, 2025. The Ukrainian Women’s Fund has officially launched Ukraine’s first Gender Equality Index (GEI), developed following the methodology of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). Endorsed by EIGE as fully aligned with EU standards, the new Index signals Ukraine’s alignment with European values, even as the country defends its democracy under wartime conditions.
If Ukraine were a member state, the GEI results would place it 20th out of 28 EU countries. The GEI was developed as part of an EU-supported initiative to promote European integration reforms in Ukraine.
Push for the creation of GEI
Olesia Bondar, director of the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, says the opportunity to create a Gender Equality Index based on the EU methodology emerged in 2021.
“We knew that it was a good practice for EU candidate countries to produce national indices, so we were inspired to make one in Ukraine long ago. In 2021, we could finally integrate the development of the GEI into an EU-supported program focused on promoting European integration reforms. We did so working together with the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and with the full support of our national partners—the Office of the Vice-Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and the Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy.”
Bondar emphasizes that launching the Gender Equality Index at this time was a strategic decision aimed at deepening the country’s understanding of gender disparities and areas for growth. She notes that the EU-aligned methodology allows for more effective evaluation and policymaking, supports Ukraine’s broader European integration reforms, and helps ensure that both women and men can fully contribute to the country’s resilience and recovery in the face of war.
Key findings: challenges and progress
Even under the extreme pressures of ongoing war, Ukraine performs comparably to many EU countries, placing mid-range across all six domains—work, money, knowledge, time, power, and health—without ranking last in any. The GEI highlights several areas where progress is needed, starting with persistent gender segregation in education, where Ukrainian women remain concentrated in traditionally “feminine” fields like health, education, and social services, while men dominate technical disciplines. The most significant gap between Ukraine and the EU lies in the domain of “Power”, reflecting women’s underrepresentation in decision-making across politics, business, and public life.
“It is encouraging to see that Ukrainian results are not fundamentally different from the EU average. This Index is proof that the country is not a stranger to Europe. We share the same values, and often, the same challenges. Gender equality is not an imported concept here but a part of our DNA. Ukrainian civil society, especially the women’s rights movement, which counts more than 140 years, has been working toward these goals for generations,” says Bondar. “The country can achieve the European average if a targeted and comprehensive state policy is implemented.”
War’s impact on gender equality
The full-scale war has exacerbated many existing gender inequalities, especially in access to employment, decision-making, and protection from violence. Yet it has also created opportunities, particularly in traditionally male-dominated sectors, where women are stepping into agriculture, manufacturing, business, public administration, and even the army.
Bondar highlights that Ukraine now would rank first among EU countries in civic engagement, with over 57% of women and 54% of men participating in volunteer or charitable work each month, far above the EU average.
“War does not pause progress, but tests it,” says Bondar. “Ukrainian women have stepped into leadership and service roles at an unprecedented scale, and I believe there will be no turning back after the war’s end.”
Next steps: institutionalizing the Index
Bondar emphasizes that the GEI is not intended to be a one-time report but a foundational tool for shaping national policy. Work is already underway to institutionalize the Index in two critical ways.
First, the government is progressively integrating GEI indicators into national policy frameworks, which will serve as concrete targets to guide reforms and measure progress. Currently, 8 of the 31 indicators from the Index have been officially adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as part of the national strategy for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Second, efforts are ongoing to align the Index methodology with the standards of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, with the aim of formal adoption. This step is essential to ensure the Index data’s continuity, accuracy, and official status in national statistical reporting. In parallel, the government is preparing an update to Ukraine’s core legal framework on gender equality–the 2005 Law on Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men, which is expected to reference the Index as a standard-setting tool formally.
The Report on Gender Equality Index for Ukraine is available at the link – Gender Equality Index in Ukraine (GEI)