Gender Equity

Women produce more than half of the food consumed in Ukraine. Yet, these very people who are keeping their families alive suffer from major inequalities. Too often they are denied stature in their families, authorities in their enterprises and full participation in their communities.

Gender and Family Focus is one of 12 Cornerstones of Heifer’s model for just and sustainable development. Heifer’s vision of justice and sustainability refers to gender equity, where men, women, boys and girls are valued equally and enjoy the same opportunities to achieve their full potential. Heifer is fully dedicated to gender equity and promotes fair sharing of work, decision making, resources and benefits among all members of the family and community.

Gender equity is a concept not yet widely understood throughout Ukraine, yet many contemporary social problems were caused or aggravated by the persistence of unequal gender roles. These roles stemmed from deeply rooted traditional and cultural stereotypes of women’s work and women’s roles.

Heifer is particularly concerned with the impact of gender-related stereotypes on the social environment of the Ukrainian village. Overlooked by governmental programs and denied education, rural women face a cycle of poverty and despair. Without help, many flee to overcrowded cities in Ukraine and abroad, where they often resort to prostitution to stay alive. Improvement of a woman’s status, caused by a more accurate assessment of their abilities and roles, had increased the range of lifestyle options available to village women. It was anticipated, that having received gender awareness training, the families adopted a more equitable division of labor and responsibility.

Heifer’s Gender Equity Program has proven that the war against hunger and poverty can be won, but only with the full participation and leadership of women and men. Through its projects, Heifer supplies women in Ukraine with livestock, which provides milk, wool, manure and other products that improve nutrition and income as well as help small-scale farmers use their tiny plots of land. Heifer’s Gender Equity training helps women work together to overcome social and cultural barriers and develop self-confidence and leadership skills. Gender Equity workshops help men understand the need to support their wives in their struggle for improvements.