Ukraine has achieved a lot on the way to gender equality, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has said.
Speaking on Saturday at the Second Ukrainian Women's Congress in Kyiv, she said that both America and Ukraine had achieved a lot in the pursuit of gender equality.
She said that the first time she was in Ukraine from 2001 to 2004 she mostly dealt only with men. In 2016, when she came back to Ukraine, now it is a 50-50 balance, the ambassador said.
According to Yovanovitch, most of her circle of interaction is women holding high ranking office.
In turn, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ukraine Judith Gough said that the negative perception of gender issues in society is often associated with propaganda. Gender as a tool is used trying to prevent Ukraine from coming closer to Europe, she said. Talks about gays in Europe are used to convince Ukrainian people that Ukraine does not need to go there, Gough said.
She said that the main thesis in this context concerns vocabulary. The term gender has become in some places toxic, she said. However, when one starts to say equality for all or equality of opportunity it is a normal conversation, the ambassador said.
Gough said that the United Kingdom also passed this way, when the word "feminism" seemed very scary.
She said that as for the church, they have their own point of view, but Christian values also concern the provision of equal rights and understanding of all people.
In addition, the ambassador said that Ukrainian women, being in a war situation, cannot afford to be weak.
She said that if there were not all those conflicts, the people would not have changed. Ukraine is also in a military conflict, now women cannot be weak, as everyone should unite and restore their country, Gough said.
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