Gender inequality in Ukraine is gradually decreasing, and this is evident even in global rankings. According to the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index, the country rose to 62nd place among 148 countries, increasing its score to 0.730. For comparison, in 2024 Ukraine ranked 63rd with a score of 0.722, and in 2022—66th. These figures indicate a three-year trend of improvement, particularly in women’s political and economic representation.
According to The Page, in 2025, the Women’s Fund of Ukraine presented the first Gender Equality Index (GEI), adapted to European methodology. According to this index, Ukraine scored 61.4 out of 100, ranking 20th among 28 countries (27 EU countries and Ukraine). Its neighbors—Slovakia, Romania, and Hungary—were lower on the list, while Poland ranked ahead of Ukraine with an index of 63.4. However, the following year, the European methodology changed: new criteria were added, including the level of violence against women and intersectional inequality, and the calculation of economic activity was updated to account for women’s participation in STEM and IT professions as well as non-standard employment.
Ukraine has made the greatest strides in the political sphere. The level of women’s representation in ministerial positions more than doubled, while the share of women in parliament remained around 21%, slightly improving the country’s ranking due to the updated methodology. Economic participation has also increased: the share of women in leadership positions reached 41% compared to 39.2% in 2024, and the pay gap has narrowed, which has raised.
Analysts note that a significant portion of the positive changes is linked to the war: women have begun to take on leadership roles more actively in business and the public sector, replacing men who are serving on the front lines. At the same time, experts emphasize that the figures do not fully reflect the real stories of overcoming gender inequality and the daily challenges faced by Ukrainian women.
That is why the “Equal Opportunities” project was launched in Ukraine, through which media outlets The Page, SPEKA, and MC.today will explore the topic of gender equality through the lens of their own expertise, combining statistics with real stories and the experiences of Ukrainian women in business and society.