‘Why?’ Ukrainian Army Faces Criticism for Making Women March in Heels
"Pretty sure this idea wasn't a woman"
Move that to most certainly.
“Women, like men, fight in combat boots.” Recently released photos promoting an upcoming military parade received widespread criticism over the decision to make female cadets rehearse in heels.
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Roughly 31,000 women serve in the military, more than 15 percent of the Ukrainian armed forces, a figure that has more than doubled since 2014, according to the military, as Ukraine has waged a yearslong war against Russian-backed separatists in the eastern parts of the country.
Yet women have faced sexual assault and harassment, and researchers have shown that they face gender discrimination and remain assigned to poorly paid and low-ranking positions.
A research study by the United Nations on Ukrainian women in the military published in 2016 found that women had to wear male footwear and uniforms, or obtain an adequate one on their own, and that they were not provided with female hygiene products.
“I have the impression that there are no women in the army,” one female respondent told the researchers in the study, “The Invisible Battalion.”
Another woman said, “Every man I met at the battalion said I should be at home and have kids.”
Anna Kvit, a Kyiv-based expert on gender equality and a co-author of the study, said women’s conditions had improved since the report’s publication. Yet, she added, women still face poor recognition, discrimination and inadequate uniforms and shoes.
The pictures showing a unit made of women exclusively also sent a wrong message, Ms. Kvit said, one in which women were isolated in the army and segregated from the men.
“Beyond the heels, it’s totally ridiculous, and against Ukraine’s promises to integrate women in the military sector and promote gender equality,” Ms. Kvit said.
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