Only 5% of Ukrainian female refugees plan to return to Ukraine soon

The Executive Director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Natalia Kharchenko, revealed that only 5% of Ukrainian women refugees plan to return to Ukraine in the near future.

She presented the findings of the study “Preconditions for the return to Ukraine to participate in the restoration efforts of Ukrainian women who have found temporary refuge abroad.” According to the study, the primary reasons for staying abroad among female refugees include life-threatening situations due to military actions (44%), access to significant aid for Ukrainian internally displaced persons (36.5%), better living conditions abroad (36.5%) and concerns about the lack of electricity and heating in the winter (35%).

Other factors include more promising life prospects (32%), disappointment in the Ukrainian authorities (31%) and destruction in the area of residence due to the conflict (28%). The survey also indicated that 73% of respondents did not experience a decrease in income in the last year, while 31% reported an increase. Most respondents rated the social conditions in their current country of residence more favorably compared to Ukraine.