A project aimed to help women realize themselves and achieve success in life is launched in Ukraine
- We’ve united successful women so that their life and professional experience can provide an inspiration and an example for the thousands of young girls. To give them the opportunity to share their knowledge with students and schoolchildren throughout Ukraine. To help young people to make a decision about their future profession and to build relationships between those who have succeeded and those who are at the very beginning of their career path, – said Elena Pinchuk. – Many project participants have come a long and a difficult way to achieve their professional success, and they are very well aware of the importance of getting help and some friendly advice. Our project has no age restrictions. Every woman who wants to succeed will receive our support!
- Coca-Cola Company is aware that women are the driving force behind economic and social progress. That is why we support projects for women all over the world, – said Olesya Zhulynska, PR director of Coca-Cola Ukraine. – And now in Ukraine together with the Elena Pinchuk Foundation, we are implementing a joint "I Can!" project, which will inspire, help and unite women. This project is more than just our corporate social responsibility. We are confident that the active participation of women in economic processes and public life will accelerate the development of Ukraine. This fact is confirmed by the statistics from other countries. Over the past decade, the number of women in leadership positions in public administration, politics and business has significantly increased. But the elimination of the gap between women and men in all spheres is still far away. Unfortunately, Ukraine still remains among the countries with unequal women’s rights. That is why our project is extremely important. Mentoring and sharing successes stories of women's achievements will inspire and open up new opportunities for the country.
Within the framework of this project, famous Ukrainian women recorded short video interviews, where they talked about their life stories. They will be the source of inspiration for the thousands of young women who are at the very beginning of their careers and who sometimes lack confidence in their own strengths. Each woman who has agreed to share her professional successes, will conduct a series of lectures, hold several meetings with young women and will become their mentor.
Currently more than 30 well-known women have become the mentors of the project. Journalists Oksana Sokolova and Olena Froliak, athletes Lilia Podkopayeva and Alina Shaternikova, parliamentarians Olena Kondratyuk, Olga Belkova and Maria Ionova, designers Anna October and Svetlana Bevza, Chairman of the Ukrainian Fashion Week Irina Danilevskaya, civil clerks, academics, heads of major international companies and corporations are among them. New names keep coming on this list.
First of all, the project’s goal is to create the new role models, share success stories, demonstrate that many women in Ukraine hold high positions, manage their own businesses and become famous in art world.
To join the project, you need to go to the website ican.org.ua and turn in your application to invite speakers to Ukrainian schools and universities or send in a mentorship request.
Gender Stereotypes in Ukraine
It has been proven that women are agents of change in the society. If a country can provide them with access to quality education and decent work, to prevent adolescent pregnancy and domestic violence, the number of women who are below the poverty line and vulnerable to HIV and other socially harmful diseases is decreasing.
A number of gender studies have shown that women in Ukraine are discriminated against in terms of equal wages, access to resources and opportunities.
55% of Ukrainians believe that men should manage a large business, and only 65% believe that women can be leaders of the large companies (Ukrainian Institute of Sociology).
Men's salary is usually 45% higher than the salaries of women doing the same job (Global Gender Gap Report 2015, World Economic Forum).
69% of men in Ukraine believe that leading a household is the same form of self-realization as having a job (United Nations Fund for Population Activities in Ukraine).
Only 14% of Ukrainian women have the right education ad qualifications to compete with men for top positions in job search.
76% believe that the men are leaders of a family (Analytical Center RATING Pro).
59% of Ukrainians believe that taking care of children is a responsibility of women.
Only 22% of Ukrainian men are ready to split domestic chores with a woman (Project of United Nations Fund for Population Activities in Ukraine).
70% of Ukrainians believe that men should receive higher salary than women (Analytical Center RATING Pro).
For detailed information, please, contact Pavel Piminov, Communications Director, Elena Pinchuk Foundation: +380 44 490 4805, [email protected].
Photogallery
