Ukraine

High Poverty, Divorce, and Abortion Rates

Ukrainian mothers today face many adversities due to a variety of socioeconomic factors, and their well-being is overshadowed by basic economic survival. Persistent fiscal uncertainty is thought to be the cause of Ukraine's consistently low birth rate, which was estimated at 1.25 children born per mother in 2008. The childcare infrastructure is inadequate as many preschool and kindergarten centers have closed in light of economic and demographic considerations. Ukraine's high divorce rate of 3.59 per 1,000 persons has been attributed to both economic pressures and an unequal division of domestic duties. Many mothers work long hours for low wages, while maintaining a second shift of domestic obligations. Due to the high divorce rate, many Ukrainian children grow up in a one-parent household, and second marriages are not commonly entered into, by women, in particular. Social stigma, economic factors, and societal pressures dictate that men are unlikely to welcome a child from a previous marriage.

Like other post-Soviet countries, abortion remains a major method of birth control in Ukraine. Both the shortage and high cost of contraceptives have been cited as factors contributing to the persistently high abortion rate. The Ukrainian Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (UAOG) and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) have initiated measures to improve obstetric care and family planning services. The infant mortality rate has improved in recent years, dropping from 20.9 per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 13 in 2008.

According to the Labor Code, Ukrainian mothers are entitled to paid maternity leave of 70 calendar days prior to, and 56 days following the birth of a child. Maternity leave is paid for through the State Social Insurance Fund, and unpaid parental leave may be extended up until the child's third birthday. [Page 1227]Both maternity and parental leave policies guarantee a mother's position be held until such time as she returns to work.

The transition to a free market society has been slow in Ukraine, and both inflation and the persistence of low wages have contributed to a deterioration of the standard of living. Many mothers seek employment in other European countries that offer better wages, leaving their children in the care of a grandparent or other relative. Of the 120,000 Ukrainians now working in Italy, it is estimated that over 80 percent are females who consistently send a portion of their earnings home to support children in Ukraine. Ukrainian women are well educated, with a literacy rate of 99.6 percent, according to 2006 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) figures. However, many Ukrainian mothers fall into the low-income category due to a general lack of economic development in the country. Ukrainian mothers, and women in general, remain vulnerable to human trafficking and sexual exploitation, including surrogacy.

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