Ukraine’s Women Keep the Economy in Gear Despite the War
From coal mines to dairy farms, women have stepped into tough jobs as men have been called up.
Watch: Ukraine’s Hidden Army
Tetiana Ustymenko’s family has worked in the coal mines of eastern Ukraine for generations, and as a girl she longed to carry on the tradition. But when she grew up, she discovered women weren’t welcome “deep below the heart of the planet,” as she describes the mines. Yet for more than two years, Ustymenko has spent untold hours piloting a small train along miles of tunnels, transporting miners and materials to subterranean worksites. She has Russian President Vladimir Putin to thank for the opportunity. “It’s good that women are being given a chance to prove themselves,” Ustymenko says. “It’s just a pity that it’s the war that got us here.”
Soon after Russian troops surged across Ukraine’s border three years ago, more than 15% of the men working at the mine were mobilized. With most other big employers in the country facing a similar labor crunch, the management began seeking women to fill some posts at the mine, about 60 miles west of today’s front line. Roughly 140 women now work underground in what the company considers less strenuous positions.