The New York Times published an article about women who have replaced men at war in heavy labor jobs

Ukrainian women are increasingly taking on jobs in mines and other physically demanding roles that were traditionally held by men before the war.

This shift is highlighted in an article by The New York Times titled “The War Is Draining Ukraine’s Male Workforce. Women Are Stepping Up.”

At one of the mines in the Donbas region, around 1,000 men—about one-fifth of the entire workforce—have been mobilized for the war. To partially fill the gap, approximately 330 women have been hired to work at the mine.

One of these women is 21-year-old Yatsyna, who was working as a nanny just a year and a half ago. She was initially drawn to the mining job because of the good salary and pension benefits. However, she eventually found that she enjoyed the work itself and now aspires to become an electromechanic.

At the Pokrovska mine, 30-year-old Valentina Korotayeva, a former shop assistant from Pokrovsk, now works as a crane operator. She lost her previous job when a missile struck near her store. Yuliya Koba, a former child psychologist, now works as a conveyor operator at the same mine.

The mine has provided stable employment for tens of thousands of people in an economy devastated by war. Several women mentioned that working in the mine is their way of contributing to the war effort, supporting Ukraine’s economy while men are fighting on the front lines.

In addition to mining, many Ukrainian women have become truck or bus drivers, welders in steel plants and warehouse workers. Thousands have voluntarily joined the military.

Despite this influx of women into the workforce, it is still insufficient to address the significant labor shortage caused by the war. Women interviewed for the article mentioned that, initially, their male colleagues held gender-based stereotypes, but over time, they realized that women could perform the work just as well as men.

At the same time, Ukrainian employers acknowledge that women are often reluctant to take on these physically demanding jobs, partly because there are many other employment opportunities for women with decent pay. Additionally, there are no restrictions on women leaving the country to find work abroad, which many have done. As a result, Ukraine is facing a labor shortage not only in traditionally male-dominated fields but also in those typically held by women.