94% of female board members agreed that a diverse board contributes to better performance.
While 87% of the boards surveyed include at least one woman, only 31% of board seats are currently held by women.
Most organizations reported having initiatives aimed at reducing discrimination and promoting equality. However, only 29% measure gender representation, and just 15% track gender pay disparities. One-third of respondents said their organizations had taken no action in response to discrimination cases.
Only 38% of respondents said their boards had formal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in place, while 29% said they were unsure.
Among those who said their boards had DEI policies, 67% of women and 50% of men believed the measures were effective.
More than half of respondents — 54% of women and 65% of men — said DEI conditions in Ukrainian business had improved since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The factors respondents cited as having the most positive impact on DEI were the redefinition of women's roles during wartime — cited by 77% of women and 48% of men — and global trends, cited by 63% of women and 78% of men.
The most commonly cited obstacles to DEI were low female representation in business (53% of women and 70% of men) and the perception that many women have shifted focus to other priorities (40% of women and 52% of men).
Talent Shortage, Gender Disparities Persist
The report also highlighted a worsening labor shortage in Ukraine. Since the onset of the full-scale war, 74% of businesses report facing talent shortages due to the overall decline in the workforce.
Women continue to be underrepresented in Ukraine’s labor market, making up just 47% of the labor force. The unemployment rate is also higher among women — 75% of the officially registered unemployed are women.
In leadership, the gap is even wider: Fewer than 15% of CEOs in Ukraine are women.
A previous report found that only 15% of Ukrainians support employing women in traditionally male-dominated professions.
In February 2025, the State Employment Service of Ukraine launched a pilot project aimed at addressing this issue. Four companies applied to participate in a government-backed initiative to train women for careers traditionally held by men.