The document summarizes a gender monitoring report of the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary elections. It finds that women remain underrepresented in Ukrainian politics, holding only 8% of parliamentary seats. International organizations have urged Ukraine to take measures to increase women's representation. However, most political parties in the 2012 elections offered only 10-20% women candidates. The report analyzed parties' programs and candidate lists, finding some parties did better than others at representing women. It also monitored regional representation and found significant gender disparities across Ukraine's regions.

1. Parliamentary Elections
2012: Gender Monitoring
The "Gender-based monitoring of parliamentary
elections in 2012" is implemented with the
assistance by The Democracy Grants Program,
the U.S. Embassy.

2. Gender equality as a democratic norm
According to reports of global gender gap in
2011, Ukraine holds 105th of 134
countries regarding political rights of
women. Ukraine is on the list after
Zimbabwe, Tajikistan and many other
less developed countries.
Belongs to the countries with absolute
males’ dominance

3. Women’s and Men’s Representation
in the Partliament
І II IIІ IV V VI
convocation convocation convocation convocation convocation convocation
(1991) (1994) (1998) (2002) (2006) (2007)
TOTAL 445 413 448 450 450 450
MEN 432 396 412 426 411 418
WOMEN 13 19 37 23 38 32
% 2,9 4,6 8,3 5,1 8,4 7,6

4. International Obligation of Ukraine
 Our country joined the UN Millennium
Development Goals in 2000, taking
the obligation of the gender ratio of
at least 30% to 70% of either gender
in representative bodies by 2015

5. Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women:
Concluding observations (2010)
32. The Committee reiterates the
concern expressed in its previous
concluding observations of 2002
about the underrepresentation of
women in high-level elected and
appointed bodies, including as
members of Parliament, of which
women represent only 8 per cent

6. Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women:
Concluding observations (2010)
33. The Committee urges the State party to
take measures to increase the
representation of women in elected and
appointed bodies through, inter alia, the
implementation of temporary special
measures, in accordance with article 4,
paragraph 1, of the Convention and the
Committee’s general recommendation No.
25, in order to realize women’s right to
equal anticipation in all areas of public
life, particularly at high levels of decision-
making.

7. Legal Norm
Article 15 of the Law of Ukraine „On Ensuring
Equal Right and Opportunities for Women
and Men”:
 „Equal election rights and opportunities for
women and men are ensure by Ukrainian
Law. Political parties and blocks when
suggesting their candidates for people’s
deputy provides for representation of
women and men on the election lists”.

8. Relevant Legislation
 UN Convention on Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination
 Constitution of Ukraine (Art. 24)
 Law on Election (Art. 2 & 74)
 Law on Equal Rights and
Opportunities (Art. 1, 22, 24)

9. Constitution of Ukraine (Art. 24): Citizens have equal
constitutional rights and freedoms and are equal to
the law
 There should not be any privileges or
restrictions based on rasa, color of skin,
political, religious or other believes, sex,
ethnical and social origin, economical
situation, place of residence, by language
or other features.
 Equality of women and men are ensured
by: giving women the opportunities that
are equal to men’s in civil, political and
cultural activities, in getting education and
professional training, in labour and
remuneration for it…

10. Law on Election (Art. 2 & 74)
Art 2. General election law
8. Any direct or indirect privileges or restrictions in the election law of
citizens of Ukraine based on rasa, color of skin, political, religious
or other believes, sex, ethnical and social origin, economical
situation, place of residence, by language or other features are
prohibited. No limitations for citizens of Ukraine to participate in
the election law, accept for the limitation provided in the
Constitution of Ukraine and this Law can be established.
Art 74. Restrictions on campaigning
5. Distribution in any form containing materials calls for the elimination
of Ukraine's independence, the constitutional order by force,
violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity, undermining its
security, illegal seizure of state power, propaganda of war,
violence, and incitement of ethnic, racial, national, religious
hatred, attacks on human rights and freedoms and the health of
the population.

11. Law on Equal Rights and
Opportunities (Art 1)
The purpose of this Act is to achieve equality between women and
men in all spheres of society by law to ensure equal rights and
opportunities for women and men, the elimination of gender
discrimination and the use of temporary special measures aimed
at addressing the imbalance between the capacity of women and
men to equal rights granted to them by the Constitution (254k/96-
VR) and laws of Ukraine.
Article 1. Discrimination based on sex - action or inaction
that any distinction, exclusion or benefits on the basis of
sex, if they intended to limit or prevent the recognition,
enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing of human
rights and freedoms for women and men;

12. Law on Equal Rights and
Opportunities (Art 22, 24)
Article 22. Complaints of sex discrimination and sexual harassment.
A person who believes that in his/er respect it was imposed discrimination
based on sex or she was subject to sexual harassment has the right to
appeal to the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human
Rights, the specially authorized central executive body on equal rights and
opportunities for women and men authorized persons (Coordinators) to
ensure equal rights and opportunities for women and men in executive
bodies and bodies of local self-governmen, law enforcements or the court.
Persons of any gender or group of persons should be allowed to send
messages of equality of rights and opportunities for women and men to the
UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, if
exhausted domestic remedies, or if the application of such remedies is
unreasonably prolonged.
Article 24. Responsibility for violation of the provision of equal rights and
opportunities
Persons guilty of violation of the legislation on equal rights and opportunities
for women and men bear civil, administrative and criminal liability under the
law.

13. Example of sexist statements
 “a woman in politics is no more a
woman”
 “with all my respect to women – it is
not your business to run country
reforms”
 “in politics we can see only unhappy
women who have no enough of
attention and care for”
 “protect women – a source of men’s
wellbeing”

14. NDI Forecast based on the New
Law
 6% of women in the Parliament 2012

15. Public opinion: Study by the
Ukrainian Women’s Fund, May
2012
The majority of respondents (72%)
does not care of the sex of people’s
deputies in the Parliament
Women are not able to manage political
issues – 11%
Supporting of legal quarters – 57%

16. Network of Public Control over
Gender Equality in Elections 2012
or Women’s Lobby
45 organizations who believe that gender equality is the
background for democracy; international obligation of
Ukraine and national law provision.
Aims:
- To analyze the situation with gender equality in the
elections;
- To create platform for presentation of women
candidates.
- Inquiries to the political parties
- Quantitative analysis
- Analysis of political programs
- Monitoring of mass media

17. www.vybory2012.wcu-network.org.ua

18. Gender-Disaggregated Statistics on
all 22 Parties

19. Quantity of Women in the First Tenth
Leaders in women’s representation (40%):
- «UDAR», V.Klichko
- Radical Party of O.Liashko
- “Public and Labour Union of Ukraine"
30% representation
- Socialist Party
- “Hromada"
No Single Woman
- “Batkivshchyna” (Joint Opposition)
- “Svoboda“
- Party of Retired People of Ukraine
The majority of 22 registered partied present 10 to 20 per cents.

20. Gender-Disaggregated Statistics on all 225 Districts
Section "Party candidate lists" on the website
'Women in Elections':
Some of the results of women
candidates:
Communists – 26.6%
Liberal Party – 25.5%
Socialists – 23.7%

21. Representation of women on
single-mandate constituencies
Single-mandate Women’s and Women’s %
constituencies Men’s Representati
Representation on
225 3109 389 13

22. Quantitative presentation of
women on single-mandate
constituencies
TOP representation of women candidates:
 Kyiv region – 20%
 Chernihiv region and Crimea – 19%
 The ciry of Sevastopol – 18 %
ТОП under-representation:
 Rivne region - 0%
 Zakarpatie region – 3%
 Volyn and Zaporizhia – 8 %
 Around 60 districts with no single woman
 In the region of Rivne – no women at all

23. Analises of Party Programs

24. Methodology is based on 13 major
(complex) criteria, which in turn
consist of 3 or 4 specific indicators
each
 Adherence to democratic values and gender-equal political
representation
 The quota system applied to its own party cadres (or are in
the party quota?)
 Commitment fair representation of articles
 Gender equality in the labor market
 Combining family responsibilities with official
 Education Policy
 Population policy and family policy
 Policy on Health
 Gender-sensitive economic policies
 Social policy and pension
 Rural development policies
 Gender-sensitive development of social infrastructure
 Measures against gender violence, domestic violence

25. Each criteria for monitoring has its
own content
Criterion 5. Combining family responsibilities with labour
- emphasis on maternity leave, maternity and sick leave, as well as
issues of funding (3 points)
- introduction of flexible work schedules (3 points)
- emphasis on social protection in the labor market (2 points)
- attention to the enforcement of the labor market, the problems of
illegal workers (2 points)
Criterion 7. Demografic and family policy
- intention to increase the birth rate (1 point)
- provision of state support for the family, political or economic
means to stimulate fertility (action plan, support of maternity
allowance, etc.) (3 points)
- support, political or economic means, families with single parents
(3 points)
- support, political or economic means, large families and families
caring for people with disabilities (3 points)

26. Thank you!
Maria Alekseenko maria@wcu-
network.org.ua
Oksana Yarosh yarosho@gmail.com
Tel: +38-044-279-00-26