Тип практики: Content practices

Gender Equality in Urban Space: Women’s Visibility in Toponymy

Context

Urban toponymy is an important element of cultural memory and symbolic space that reflects social values and hierarchies. Historically, Ukrainian cities have demonstrated a significant gender imbalance in the names of streets, squares, and public objects, with women’s names being minimally represented or absent altogether.

During the period of decolonization and rethinking of the Soviet legacy, gender equality in urban space has become especially relevant. Local media play a key role in explaining the meaning of these changes and showing how civic initiatives can influence the symbolic visibility of women in public space.

What Was Done

The online publication 0564.ua produced a series of articles dedicated to the initiative “Rivni u Kryvomu” (Equal in Kryvyi Rih) and the implementation of the “Feminist Quarter” project in Kryvyi Rih.

The materials:

  • showed that during 2023–2024 the city received more than 60 toponyms named after women;
  • highlighted the importance of women’s visibility in urban space;
  • addressed gender imbalance, historical injustice, and ways to overcome it;
  • centered on an interview with Olha Kostina, founder of the Rivni u Kryvomu initiative and creator of the Feminist Quarter project.

How It Was Implemented

The editorial team used a comprehensive approach that combined an in-depth interview with the project initiator and a series of news and analytical articles about events and lectures held within the Feminist Quarter project.

Among the published materials were:

  • “Why Rights Are Not Given but Taken: The Third ‘FemQuarter’ in Kryvyi Rih Opened with a Lecture on Emancipatory Movements”;
  • “How to Use Feminine Job Titles Correctly: A Lecture on Feminine Forms at ‘FemQuarter 3.0’”;
  • “‘Stop Cheburashka’: How Women in a Feminist Collage Workshop in Kryvyi Rih Reclaimed the Meaning of March 8.”

This format made it possible to present gender equality not as an abstract idea but as a process of real changes in urban space driven by civic activism.

Impact

The series increased the visibility of women in the symbolic space of the city and helped explain the significance of toponymic changes to a broader audience.

The materials:

  • demonstrated that gender equality can have concrete and measurable outcomes;
  • showed the role of civic initiatives in transforming urban space;
  • contributed to understanding local changes as part of broader social processes.

What Other Media Can Learn From This

  • Use local cases to demonstrate how gender equality is implemented in practice, not only at the level of declarations.
  • Explain the symbolic significance of changes in urban space—street names, memorial objects, and other elements of cultural memory.
  • Combine interviews with experts and activists with a series of thematic materials to provide deep and consistent coverage.
  • Show the connection between civic activism and tangible results, inspiring other communities to launch similar initiatives.
  • Speak about gender equality through the language of urban life, demonstrating how it affects the everyday experiences of residents.

Caring Community Infrastructure: How Media Can Help Create Children’s Corners

Context

The availability of children’s corners in public spaces—medical institutions, administrative buildings, and service centers—is an important condition for ensuring comfortable access to services for parents with young children. At the same time, in many communities such spaces are either absent or are not perceived as a necessary element of public infrastructure.

This issue is directly connected to care work, gender equality, and inclusion, because parents of small children—most often women—are the ones who encounter barriers in their everyday use of public services. Local media can play a key role in identifying such barriers and encouraging practical changes.

What Was Done

The editorial team of the multimedia platform Nove Zhyttia published a series of long-form articles devoted to the shortage of children’s corners in institutions across the Liubeshiv community.

The articles:

  • documented the real conditions experienced by parents with children when visiting various institutions;
  • demonstrated the community’s need for safe and comfortable spaces for young children;
  • noted that at the beginning of the journalistic investigation the number of children’s corners in the community was extremely limited;
  • presented the issue as a systemic problem rather than a collection of isolated cases.

How It Was Implemented

The journalists used an analytical and investigative approach, combining:

  • a description of the problem with concrete examples from community life;
  • interviews with parents and experts;
  • visual documentation of the actual conditions in local institutions.

The publications were actively distributed through the website and social media, which encouraged broad public discussion, involved community residents, and increased attention from institutions and local authorities.

Impact

The journalistic series produced a tangible and measurable result:

  • within a year after publication, the number of children’s corners in community institutions increased from only a few to more than twenty;
  • the creation of children’s corners became a local standard, with newly opened institutions planning them from the outset;
  • the materials generated strong audience engagement and contributed to real changes in approaches to designing public spaces.

As Nataliia Mukha, Director of the Private Enterprise “Editorial Office ‘Nove Zhyttia’,” explained:

“At the beginning of our research there were only a handful of such corners. But within a year we had more than twenty! We not only received active discussion from our audience, but most importantly, creating a children’s corner became a kind of trend in Liubeshiv. Now, when a new institution opens, this element is considered essential. We believe we contributed to this change because we were the first to draw attention to such an important issue.”

This case demonstrates that consistent local journalism can directly influence decision-making at the community level.

What Other Media Can Learn From This

  • Raise local, everyday issues that directly affect residents’ quality of life, even if they do not appear “high-profile.”
  • Work in a series format, returning to the topic and documenting changes over time rather than limiting coverage to a single publication.
  • Combine analysis with lived examples, showing specific spaces, conditions, and people’s experiences.
  • Engage the community in discussion, using media as a platform for feedback and civic pressure.
  • Document the results of journalistic work, demonstrating that media can be a tool for real and measurable change.

Challenging Age and Gender Stereotypes Through a Personal Story

Context

Age-related and gender stereotypes that limit women’s opportunities, particularly in later life, remain widespread in society. The belief that driving is “not a woman’s thing” and that learning new skills after the age of 60–65 is impossible or unnecessary creates invisible barriers to active living and self-realization.

Local media play an important role in challenging these assumptions, because stories of real people from the community can make social change visible and convincing.

What Was Done

The editorial team of the platform Nove Zhyttia published a story about a woman from Liubeshiv who obtained a driver’s license at the age of 68.

The article:

  • presented the personal story of a woman who decided to learn a new skill later in life;
  • demonstrated how she overcame common assumptions about “age limits” and gender roles;
  • emphasized not her exceptionalism, but the possibility of change when motivation and support are present.

How It Was Implemented

The material was written in the format of a human-interest story, which made the topic relatable and understandable for a broad audience.

The editorial team:

  • described the protagonist’s journey in detail, from deciding to study to receiving her license;
  • supplemented the story with comments from driving school instructors, who confirmed that after the publication other older women contacted them to enroll in courses;
  • subtly highlighted the story’s social impact—the possibility for other women to believe in their own abilities.

Impact

The publication generated significant attention both within the community and across the region. As Nataliia Mukha, Director of the Private Enterprise “Editorial Office of Nove Zhyttia,” explained:

“This article caused a real sensation not only among local residents but across the entire region. Our protagonist overcame stereotypes that driving is not really for women and proved that there are no age restrictions if there is a desire to learn. According to the instructors, after the article was published several other older women enrolled in driving courses.”

The story:

  • contributed to changing attitudes toward age and gender roles among audiences;
  • directly encouraged more older women to enroll in driving courses;
  • demonstrated that local journalism can have not only an informational but also a motivational impact.

What Other Media Can Learn From This

  • Tell stories of real people from the community who overcome established stereotypes instead of discussing the issue in abstract terms.
  • Show the process, not only the result, so that change appears achievable and realistic.
  • Combine personal stories with expert commentary, reinforcing the motivational effect with facts and professional assessments.
  • Avoid the language of exceptionalism, presenting women not as “unusual” but as people exercising their right to development at any age.
  • Use local context, showing that opportunities for change exist nearby, within one’s own community.

Countering Stereotypes in Early Childhood Education

Context

In school and preschool environments, gender stereotypes are often reproduced through traditional celebration practices and “customary” educational activities. Defenders of Ukraine Day is frequently mistakenly perceived as a “boys’ day” or unconsciously reproduces the Soviet narrative of the “Defender of the Fatherland Day,” which contradicts both the historical meaning of the holiday and the principles of gender equality.

Educators and parents often find themselves without clear guidance on how to talk with children about war, protection, and military service in ways that do not reinforce stereotypical gender roles from an early age. In this context, specialized educational media play an important role in shaping a modern culture of upbringing and education.

What Has Been Done

Responding to Facebook discussions among parents seeking advice on “buying gifts for boys,” Vchysia.Media published a comprehensive guide “Focusing on Protection, Not Gender: How to Celebrate Defenders Day in Preschools and Schools” for teachers and parents explaining the inclusive history of the holiday and offering non-stereotypical classroom activity ideas.

The article:

  • debunks myths about the holiday being exclusively “for men”;
  • explains why equating it with the Soviet celebration tradition is incorrect;
  • provides a brief historical overview and practical recommendations for educators and parents;
  • clearly emphasizes that this is a day of respect for all who defend Ukraine, regardless of gender.

How It Was Implemented

The material was created in a multi-format format: an analytical article on the website and an illustrated carousel for social media.

The publication was prompted by real questions from parents on social networks who were asking for advice on how to “congratulate boys” in kindergartens. The editorial team transformed this request into high-quality educational content with clear explanations and practical guidance. The text was written as a response to society, without moralizing, in language accessible to parents and educators.

As Inna Lykhovyd, Editor-in-Chief of Vchysia.Media, explained:

“On the eve of Defenders of Ukraine Day, we came across several Facebook posts in which mothers of preschool children were discussing how to congratulate boys on the holiday and what gifts to choose for them. We saw that many parents still associate this day with the Soviet ‘Defender of the Fatherland Day.’ That is why we decided to prepare an educational article explaining the history of the holiday, why it should not be considered a ‘men’s day,’ and how it can be celebrated in educational institutions without reinforcing gender stereotypes and while placing the emphasis correctly. Perhaps the text did not receive a large number of views, but for a young media outlet whose website had existed for only five months, that was not decisive. What mattered much more to our team was taking a clear position and becoming a source of quality, verified information about this holiday that parents and educators could return to whenever needed.”

Impact

The material became a source of verified and systematized information for parents and educators. In particular, the publication:

  • reinforced the editorial team’s position against gender stereotypes in children’s upbringing;
  • has long-term value and can be reused as a reference resource;
  • demonstrates that educational impact is not always measured by the number of views, but by the depth and sustainability of its content.

What Other Media Can Learn From This

  • Listen to audience questions on social media and turn them into structured, verified educational content.
  • Explain sensitive topics in simple and accessible language, focusing on parents and educators as key agents of change.
  • Challenge stereotypes at early stages of socialization, especially in topics related to childhood and education.
  • Combine historical context with practical advice so that materials are not only informative but also applicable in practice.
  • Do not focus exclusively on reach metrics; work with value-based topics that help build a culture of equality and respect in the long term.

Journalistic Audit of a Barrier-Free Environment

Context

Accessibility of the urban environment is one of the key conditions for realizing the rights of people with disabilities and other groups with reduced mobility, including wheelchair users, parents with strollers, and older people. At the same time, in many Ukrainian cities, accessibility remains fragmented or merely declarative, and the actual state of infrastructure often does not meet the declared standards.

In this context, local media can play the role of public oversight, not only informing audiences about the problem but also initiating concrete changes through community engagement and dialogue with local authorities.

What Was Done

Journalists from the municipal enterprise Uman Television Company conducted their own journalistic audit of one district of the city from the perspective of accessibility.

As part of the initiative, they:

  • assessed the accessibility of streets and infrastructure for wheelchair users and parents with strollers;
  • documented problematic areas that make movement difficult for people with reduced mobility;
  • involved local residents and people with disabilities in discussing the findings.

The goal of the material was not only to document the problem but also to draw attention to real barriers in the urban environment and encourage authorities to implement practical solutions.

As Andrii Vdovychenko, Director of Uman Television Company, noted:

“The project became highly visible because journalists did not simply show the problems—they involved people with disabilities and parents with strollers in the discussion. Thanks to this public attention, local authorities began lowering curbs in the most problematic areas, while residents gained an opportunity to publicly identify street sections that required improvement. The audience actively supported the initiative: in the comments, people shared their observations, noted positive changes, and suggested specific locations for improvement. In this way, Uman Television Company promotes inclusive practices and fosters a culture of shared responsibility for creating a barrier-free urban environment.”

How It Was Implemented

The journalistic team:

  • inspected streets and infrastructure facilities from the perspective of users for whom barriers are a daily reality;
  • involved community residents and representatives of groups with reduced mobility in identifying problematic zones;
  • combined critical analysis with examples of positive changes that had already taken place or could realistically be implemented.

This approach helped create an open public discussion about accessibility as a shared responsibility of the community, local authorities, and municipal services.

Impact

The material produced practical results at the community level:

  • local authorities began installing lowered curbs in the most problematic locations;
  • residents received a public channel for reporting areas that required changes;
  • audiences actively participated in the discussion by sharing observations, noting positive developments, and proposing specific locations for accessibility improvements.

The initiative demonstrated that journalistic reporting can become a tool for real change in the urban environment rather than merely a record of existing problems.

What Other Media Can Learn From This

  • Conduct local journalistic accessibility audits based on the real experiences of people with reduced mobility, not only on formal standards.
  • Involve people with disabilities and other groups with reduced mobility as direct participants in media materials rather than external commentators.
  • Combine criticism with solutions by showing not only problems but also possible ways to address them and examples of positive change.
  • Use media as a platform for civic dialogue, where residents can report barriers and monitor authorities’ responses.
  • Treat accessibility as a universal value that benefits not only people with disabilities but the entire community.
  • Follow up on the effects of publications by returning to the issue after initial changes and demonstrating that journalistic attention can have a lasting impact.

Overcoming Ethnic Stereotypes Through Personal Stories and Role Models in the Media

Context

The Roma community in Ukraine often faces multiple forms of discrimination—based on ethnicity, gender, social status, and health condition. Educated Roma women are almost absent from the public media space, which reinforces stereotypes about the “impossibility” of education, professional achievement, and leadership for women from this community.

In this context, media created by the community itself play a key role in shaping an alternative narrative—one grounded in the community’s own voices, experiences, and achievements.

Zinaida Prokopenko, author and head of the media project Roma Are Us and advocacy adviser to the NGO Voice of Romni, explains:

“We began systematically implementing these changes in 2024, when our TikTok channel started growing rapidly and attracting a broad audience. That was when we realized that content about the Roma community generated a strong response, but also required a professional approach to language, ethics, and representation. We therefore created the YouTube channel ‘Roma Are Us’ and defined clear principles for ourselves: non-discriminatory communication, gender-sensitive presentation of materials, and representation of diverse voices within the community. These changes allowed us to move from amateur activism to a conscious media platform that builds trust and strengthens the leadership of Roma women and youth.”

What Was Done

The multimedia platform Roma Are Us produced a YouTube video interview/podcast featuring a Roma woman with a university degree who publicly shared her life story. The material focuses not on vulnerability, but on the protagonist’s agency and strength.

The interview highlights:

  • her experience of overcoming bullying and discrimination at school and university;
  • the intersection of several forms of vulnerability—ethnic identity, gender, and health condition;
  • her path toward professional fulfillment and her active civic engagement in defending the rights of Roma women and youth.

How It Was Implemented

The case was implemented in the format of a video podcast centered on personal storytelling. The editorial team:

  • consciously built the material around the protagonist’s voice, reflections, and lived experience;
  • avoided reproducing stereotypical images of the Roma community;
  • presented the interview as a role model capable of inspiring other Roma girls and women toward education, civic engagement, and self-realization.

This approach created a safe and respectful space for a difficult yet extremely important conversation.

Impact

The video received a strong positive response from audiences:

  • numerous supportive comments;
  • wide sharing of the material;
  • requests for more stories of this kind;
  • increased visibility of educated Roma women in the public sphere;
  • contributed to breaking stereotypes about education, professional opportunities, and the social role of the Roma community.

As Zinaida Prokopenko noted:

“We received more feedback from women and young people who said this was the first time they had seen a positive and dignified portrayal of the Roma community in the media. The use of feminine professional titles, careful language, and respect for the protagonists helped create an atmosphere of safety and trust, thanks to which people themselves began sharing their own stories for future videos. The team also became more united: every participant in the project understands the value of inclusivity and responsibility for one’s words. This approach transformed ‘Roma Are Us’ from an initiative of enthusiasts into a recognizable media platform that influences public perceptions of Roma people in Ukrainian society.”

Restoring Women’s Presence in Literary History: A Series of Articles

Case

Series of interviews and articles “Women’s Faces of the Stanislaviv Phenomenon”:

Context

For a long time, the Stanislaviv phenomenon was represented within the Ukrainian cultural canon primarily through male names, while women—writers, editors, artists, and curators—remained on the margins of the public narrative or disappeared from it altogether.

The absence of women’s voices in the recorded history of literary and artistic processes distorts the understanding of the phenomenon itself as a collective cultural movement. In this context, local cultural media play a key role in restoring memory and shaping herstory.

What Was Done

The online publication post impreza prepared a series of interviews and articles dedicated to women who were active participants in the Stanislaviv phenomenon but remained almost invisible in the public sphere.

Within the series, the editors:

  • documented personal memories of women who participated in the phenomenon;
  • collected and published recollections of relatives when direct interviews were impossible;
  • demonstrated the diversity of women’s roles—from authors and editors to designers and art directors.

The materials return women to the center of the story about the cultural process rather than leaving them on its periphery.

How It Was Implemented

The series was built around the interview as a tool for restoring voice. The editorial team:

  • gave women the opportunity to speak in the first person about their own experiences, participation in the creative process, and the cultural environment;
  • intentionally revisited the established canon of the Stanislaviv phenomenon;
  • documented unique testimonies, including: the first recorded recollections about Olena Rubanovska, a designer, publisher, and art director of the journal Chetver; the last lifetime interview with Maria Mykytsei, which gives the material particular historical and emotional significance.
  • combined journalism, oral history, and cultural documentation within a single project.

Impact

The series became an important contribution to restoring historical justice and shaping women’s history (herstory) within the Ukrainian literary context.

The materials:

  • gained significance not only for the cultural community but also for the families of the protagonists—excerpts from Maria Mykytsei’s interview were quoted during a memorial evening dedicated to her;
  • expanded the understanding of the Stanislaviv phenomenon as a collective process in which women played a full and substantial role rather than a secondary one;
  • contributed to rethinking cultural canons and collective memory at both local and national levels.

What Other Media Can Learn From This

  • Revisit cultural canons from a gender perspective and question established “male” narratives.
  • Treat oral history and personal testimonies as full-fledged sources of cultural memory rather than auxiliary material.
  • Use interviews not only as an informational genre but also as a form of restoring visibility.
  • Document stories “here and now,” recognizing that the loss of witnesses means the loss of part of cultural heritage.
  • Make women’s contributions to literary and artistic processes visible, especially in fields traditionally presented as predominantly male.

Gender Inequality in Public Space: Bodily Autonomy, Ethics, and Double Standards

Context

In everyday public space, unwritten gender rules continue to define how women and men are “allowed” or “not allowed” to look. Nudity, clothing, and ideas of “decency” are often treated as matters of personal taste or morality, yet they reflect deeper mechanisms of social control and inequality.

Women’s bodies are far more frequently subjected to judgment, sexualization, and stigmatization in public space, while similar behavior by men is often considered socially acceptable or neutral. Such double standards rarely become the subject of systematic media analysis, especially at the local level.

What Was Done

The online publication Shpalta produced an interview-based analytical article examining gender inequality in attitudes toward bodily autonomy and nudity in public space.

The article:

  • explored why men are socially permitted to appear shirtless or in informal clothing in public places, while women are stigmatized for similar behavior;
  • analyzed the mechanisms of sexualization of women’s bodies;
  • demonstrated how labels such as “prostitute” or “temptress” function as tools of social pressure and control;
  • moved beyond individual incidents to offer a broader examination of cultural and social norms that sustain inequality.

How It Was Implemented

The material was presented as an analytical interview that went beyond discussing appearance itself.

The editorial team:

  • shifted the focus from moral judgments to ethical, cultural, and power-related mechanisms;
  • used accessible, non-academic language;
  • relied on everyday experiences familiar to readers, allowing them to recognize situations from their own lives.

This approach made a complex gender issue understandable to a broad audience and opened space for reflection.

Olha Maksymiuk, Editor-in-Chief of Shpalta:

“This article is about why and where men have ‘granted themselves’ the right to walk around shirtless, with an unbuttoned shirt, or even in home shorts in public places. And at the same time, why women—even in hot weather, when a bra causes discomfort, or simply because they want their bodies to breathe—cannot be topless without immediately risking labels such as ‘prostitute’ or ‘temptress.’ The author sought to understand whether this is only about nudity or about deeper mechanisms of control over women’s bodies. We received many reactions, comments, and responses from readers who said the topic is important, relevant, and rarely discussed openly in Ukrainian media.”

Impact

The publication generated strong audience engagement through numerous comments, discussions, and responses. Readers:

  • emphasized the relevance of the topic;
  • noted that issues of bodily autonomy and double standards are rarely addressed in depth by Ukrainian media;
  • shared their own experiences of stigmatization and social pressure.

The article encouraged audiences to rethink what is considered “normal” in public space and challenged established gender norms.

What Other Media Can Learn From This

  • Address everyday forms of gender inequality that may seem “minor” but have significant social consequences.
  • Analyze bodily autonomy, ethics, and notions of decency through the lens of rights and equality, rather than morality or subjective judgment.
  • Use interviews as analytical tools, providing context and explanation rather than merely transmitting opinions.
  • Speak the language of everyday experience, making complex gender issues relatable and understandable.
  • Create safe spaces for discussion, where readers can reflect on familiar situations and share their own observations.