As war draws men to fight, Ukraine’s women take tough new jobs in machinery and mines

Ukrainian women take on new roles as men are drafted to war

Women were mostly employed in education and health care. Now there's demand in the industrial and military areas

As war draws men to fight, Ukraine's women take tough new jobs in machinery and mines

Ukrainian women are taking jobs once reserved for men, who are being drafted for the war with Russia. Some women are now driving tractors and working in coal mines.

In the Lot region, a single-sex mechanics training program allows female farmers to master the use and maintenance of tractors. The vehicle remains a very masculine symbol of agriculture. Le Bourg (Lot), report "When I arrived, I wanted to buy some gloves. Look what I found," exclaims Adeline Garric, 42, angrily throwing a pair of turquoise gloves onto the table. "I have tiny hands, and it's impossible to find decent gloves. I find my (…) Read m…

Women take tough new jobs in machinery and mines

Kateryna Koliadiuk was curious. The 19-year-old Ukrainian agronomy student spotted an ad seeking women to enroll in a tractor driving course and decided to try. But the industrial vehicle was huge and complex, and she wasn't sure she could operate it.

From operating agricultural machinery to working in coal mines, Ukrainian women are increasingly finding jobs in fields that were traditionally reserved for men. This shift is not just a matter of personal choice. Since the full-scale Russian aggression in Ukraine began and men have gone to fight on the front lines, women have been tasked with rebuilding the country. Involving women in male-dominated fields is also part of Ukraine’s government p…