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30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

How a civic activist from Lviv made a breakthrough in advocating for women’s rights and gender equality

By UNDP Ukraine

March 6^th, 2018

Lyubov Maksymovych, 64, a civic activist and head of “Center "Women's Perspectives" NGO, grabs her morning coffee and hurries up to the Lviv City Council. The meeting with local state officials is about to start. Lyuba, who is chairing the Public City Council of Lviv's Economic Department, is well-prepared to lobby for inclusion of gender analysis of the city enterprises into the Regional Development Plan.

Having founded the Center "Women's Perspectives" in 1998 with like-minded women activists in Lviv, Western Ukraine, she and her team contributed to a breakthrough in advocating for gender equality in this traditionally patriarchal region.

30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

“Invisible women”, business incubator and growth as a leader

With educational background in engineering, Lyubov pursued her academic career at Lviv Polytechnic University. However, having completed MBA at the Wayne State University, USA in 1992, Lyubov came back to Lviv and launched a business incubator at the Polytechnic University.

“Having set up a business incubator, I have realized how underrepresented Ukrainian women are at the management level in business and politics. No one questioned the situation at that time. The glass ceiling was a common situation. It was taken for granted that woman’s place is at kitchen and with kids,” tells Lyuba.

“In 1990s-2000s, women were almost invisible at the decision-making level. They were outsiders forced to stick to marginal positions and being satisfied with that.”

“Until we have at least 30% of women in policy- and decision-making, we will not have enough support to push for reforms in healthcare, education and social services sectors. And that’s what I am also fighting for.”

“Until we have at least 30% of women in policy- and decision-making, we will not have enough support to push for reforms — “Until we have at least 30% of women in policy- and decision-making, we will not have enough support to push for reforms"

breaking trafficking traps

Under Lyubov’s leadership, Women's Perspectives became one of the first NGOs that raised the issue of human trafficking. Severe economic recession, high unemployment rate and weak social security have been pushing many Ukrainian women to look for work abroad. Often, being lured by prospects of high salaries, women found themselves trapped in sex slavery. It is estimated that between 1991 and 1998, 500,000 Ukrainian women had been trafficked to the West.

A high percentage of survivors of human trafficking are originally coming from the regions bordering with Poland. Only in 2017 Ukraine was finally withdrawn from a list of countries with intense human trafficking.

“I will never forget one of our first cases of assisting a survivor of human trafficking”, says Lyubov. “19-year old girl from Kropyvnytsky, Central Ukraine, was brought to our Centre after spending 6 months in sex slavery in Germany. It was 1999. She was so intimidated, it took us quite a while to restore her ability to communicate with others, learn again to trust others.”

Dealing with numerous similar cases, Lyubov was still astonished how state officials continued denying the issue.

“When I raised human trafficking issues at the meetings with state authorities, I often got interrupted. Men were shouting at me: Ukraine is a decent country, we don't have the issue of human trafficking here. Those who go abroad for work, know what they are going for,” recalls the civic activist.

30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

“For the last 15 years or so we have achieved quite a noticeable progress in advocating for gender equality in Ukraine. It would have not been possible without voices of Ukrainian civil society.

We have never stopped persuading the authorities and the media that domestic violence, human trafficking and women’s underrepresentation in decision-making are worth paying attention to. And these “women’s issues” should be included into policy-making agenda.”

crusade against domestic violence

Domestic violence is another important angle of Lyubov’s activities. In 2017, the National Police has registered 4,543 domestic violence cases in Lviv region only. However, according to Lyubov, this statistics does not reflect the real situation.

Many of those exposed to domestic violence prefer to remain silent, and trust to law-enforcement bodies is still low. Women's Perspectives offered psychological, legal and social services to affected populations. Lyuba says that over the years the flow of beneficiaries has significantly grown.

35 percent of domestic violence survivors approaching the Centre are rural women from Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Annually, 350-400 women seek assistance at Women’s Perspectives.

“Domestic violence is still a taboo for many Ukrainian families. We have been trying to change this widespread attitude not to wash dirty linen in public by conducting advocacy campaigns, training.”

In 2017, Lyubov led UNITE campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence in Lviv region, supported by UNDP and other UN agencies.

Ukraine ranks 61st in gender equality, 34th in women’s economic participation and opportunity, 28th in educational attainment, 51st in health and survival, and 103d in women’s political empowerment out of 144 (scale ranking 1 as the highest). Overall gender ratio of women leaders in business is 40% vs 60% of men.

social enterpreneurship

Lyubov came up with an idea of setting up a social enterprise when she has founded a business incubator, helping women to start businesses and providing mentorship.

In 2015, Lyubov launched Rukomysly Handicraft, a social enterprise aimed at creating jobs for socially vulnerable people. In 2017, 69 women from socially vulnerable groups received training at Rukomysly. The initiative was supported by UNDP and other donors. Rukomysly produces hand-made felting, batik, and wooden goods.

30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

“Rukomysly was created at the time when the conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted. Our first employees were internally displaced women,” tells Lyuba.

30% of women in power: that’s what I am fighting for!

Natalia Miahkova, who works at the social enterprise, tells how she started working with Rukomysly:

“I have been living in Lviv for 3 years already. I'm originally from Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. I moved out when the war broke out and the fighting began. I managed to start a new life thanks to support from Women’s Perspectives. I came here in summer 2015 to participate in the first wool felting workshop. I have stayed here since then. I met wonderful people who helped me to regain confidence in the future and realize that life goes on.”

Lyubov Maksymovych believes that work with Rukomysly helped IDP women, many of whom had traumatic experiences and haunted by the memories of shelling, to recover and to integrate in a new community.

a new boost for civic activism

In 2014, Women's Perspectives has joined a network of civil society organizations (CSO)/hubs, supported by UNDP in Ukraine and funded by the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 9 CSO hubs of the “first wave”, scattered across Ukraine, aim to develop the civil society in their respective regions.

“Transforming a gender-focused NGO into a powerful regional civil society organization-hub was one of the biggest challenges for me as a chairwoman. Thanks to this experience, now we are able to share our extensive experience with less experienced NGOs and civic activists,” says Lyubov Maksymovych.

In 2017, Women's Perspectives provided consultations on organizational development, project and financial management to more than 350 activists and 130 non-governmental organizations. Since its foundation in 1998, the Centre supported more than 10,000 civic activists and 450 NGOs.

NGO “Center "Women's Perspectives" belongs to the CSO hubs’ network, supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine under “Civil Society for Enhanced Democracy and Human Rights” project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Footnotes

Photos: Roksolana Potsyurko. Text: Oksana Khomei

FootNotes

Photos: Roksolana Potsyurko. Text: Oksana Khomei

© 2026 UNDP Ukraine

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