Women constitute the majority of staff in the Ukrainian media, but this quantitative presence is yet to translate into qualitative equality of opportunities. The glass ceiling persists: women predominate among executors but are way less represented in the management, particularly in large media. At the same time, they take on the bulk of the workload in daily editorial work, especially during the full-scale war.
In 2025, 10 women executives from leading Ukrainian media outlets took part in the Women Leaders in Media — Ukrainian-European Support Program, organized by the Women in Media NGO in cooperation with the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and with the support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
As part of the training, a strategic session, and a work visit to Germany, the participants analyzed the impact of the war, economic conditions, newsroom practices, and stereotypes on women’s situation in the media. They highlighted three groups of main challenges — personal, newsroom, and systemic — and formed a joint vision of strengthening women’s leadership in the Ukrainian media.
This policy paper serves as a summary of strategic work by program participants and proposes ways of media production supporting gender-sensitive approaches to work and content. The challenges facing women leaders are a result of structural imbalances, not personal limitations. Therefore, support should be provided through institutional solutions: transparent processes, fair workload distribution, flexibility policies, security mechanisms, and access to resources. It is organizations that must guarantee the conditions under which women can effectively fulfill their responsibilities and develop leadership competencies.
Authors:
- Mariya Frey (Suspilne, Board member)
- Oksana Davydenko (Starlight Media, Deputy Director for Legal Affairs)
- Yelyzaveta Nechyporuk (The Kyiv Independent, Head of Social Media)
- Marharyta Buhaichuk (Dykaliuk) (Ukrainian Week, editor-in-chief)
- Aliona Yatsyna (Kordon.Media, CEO, war correspondent, Sumy)
- Ruslana Brianska (Hromadske Radio, Executive Director)
- Kateryna Sereda (MykVisti, editor-in-chief, Mykolaiv)
- Anastasiia Ravva (Espresso.TV, General Producer)
- Viktoriia Beha (Hromadske, deputy editor-in-chief)
- Maryna Synhaiivska (LB.UA, Deputy Editor-in-Chief)
- Liza Kuzmenko (Women in Media NGO, Chair of the Board).