The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine is shaping its gender policy with a clear understanding of the challenges posed by wartime conditions, when equality becomes a prerequisite for system stability, state resilience, and post-crisis recovery. These challenges are reshaping both the social and professional landscape of the energy sector.
This was emphasized by Roman Andarak, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine, during the conference “Energy Without Gender,” organized by the Women’s Energy Club of Ukraine.
“Professionalism has no gender. In the context of a full-scale war, this principle takes on particular significance. The war has exposed existing gender inequalities, increased the care burden on women, and led to job losses. At the same time, it has accelerated another process: professions are gradually losing their gender. The energy sector is no exception. It is the ‘nervous system’ of the state, and an industry that for decades was perceived as male-dominated today has a very different face,” Roman Andarak stressed.
He noted that women currently account for 66 percent of the Ministry of Energy’s workforce. “This reflects a new reality in public administration, where professionalism and responsibility prevail over gender stereotypes,” he added.
Women are actively involved across the energy sector, working in control rooms, substations, laboratories, operational headquarters, and restoration teams-often under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions.
Roman Andarak recalled that the first casualty of the war in Ukraine’s energy sector was a woman. Svitlana Pikalo, a dispatcher of the emergency gas service in Chuhuiv, was killed on 24 February 2022 as a result of Russian shelling. Three of her colleagues were hospitalized in moderate condition. Every day, thousands of men and women in the energy sector continue to demonstrate resilience and dedication.
The Deputy Minister emphasized that the Ministry’s gender policy is aimed at ensuring gender equality standards in the energy sector, removing barriers to access to managerial positions, and preventing gender-based discrimination.
Key priorities of this policy include addressing the gender pay gap, promoting the principles of non-discrimination, inclusion, and equal opportunities, and integrating these approaches into the strategic planning of energy companies and socially impactful investment projects.
The Ministry also recognizes the potential for greater involvement of women in the management of energy companies. Experience gained by women in communities and households during the war contributes to sustainable development, energy-efficient solutions, the promotion of energy-saving behavior, and the strengthening of Ukraine’s energy security.
To ensure equal opportunities for women and men, the Ministry plans to launch a pilot mentoring program for women within its central apparatus, establish a children’s room in the Ministry of Energy building, conduct training on gender-responsive budgeting, and participate in UNDP’s “Power of the Future” programme.
“Every person, regardless of gender, has the right to fully develop their professional potential. Men should advance without diminishing women, and women should advance without devaluing the role of men,” Roman Andarak concluded.
