Driving tractors. Mining coal. In Ukraine, these sorts of tough jobs often go to the men. But many Ukrainian men have gone to war. They’re busy defending their nation from Russian invasion. So who mines the coal and plows the fields back home?
The answer: Women.
Nineteen-year-old Kateryna Koliadiuk went to school for agronomy. That’s the science of growing crops. But she never saw herself in the actual field, working with heavy machinery. Then she read an ad seeking women for a tractor driving course. Curiosity took over. She found herself face-to-face with massive industrial farming machines.
“In the beginning, I was so scared,” she says. “In the beginning, I couldn’t do this.”
Now she drives a tractor with confidence.
Ukraine has been at war with Russia for three years. The conflict has drained Ukraine’s economy. Russia’s first attacks shocked Ukraine’s businesses. Now those businesses are ready to hire again. But they face a worker shortage. About a million Ukrainians serve in the military. Another 5 million Ukrainians have fled the country altogether.
To fill the gap, Ukraine’s economy ministry launched training programs for women. These programs teach about construction, farming, and transport—industries usually dominated by men.
These women prompt comparisons to Rosie the Riveter. During World War II, many men left their jobs for military service. Women filled critical roles in factories, shipyards, and farms. Media icon Rosie represented them and their contributions to the war on the home front.
Viktor Kuznetsov is the head engineer of a mine in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region. Since Russia invaded, he’s hired over 100 women. He says the mine couldn’t function without them.
“War is making changes, always making changes,” says Kuznetsov.
Former accountant Iryna Ostanko was looking for a new job. She decided to become an elevator operator at the mine. She was inspired by her husband, who has worked at the mine for 15 years.
“Before, in this place underground, there were no women at all,” she says. “Women appeared here after the start of the full-scale invasion when a lot of men left to defend our country.”
God made men and women in His image. When He created Adam, He declared that it wasn’t good for man to be alone. (Genesis 2:18) He built men and women to help each other. Together, they accomplish more than they ever could alone.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. — Ecclesiastes 4:9
