Dr Tamara Martsenyuk, Department of Sociology, National University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy", Ukraine - to University of Glasgow: 18 October - 29 October 2013
Published: 15 December 2016
◾Masterclass: Wednesday 23 October 10.00 – 12.00 Gender equality and the labour market in Ukraine: Legacies and Practices ◾Research Seminar: Wednesday 30 October 17.30 Challenges and Opportunities in researching LGBT Families in Ukraine
Postgraduate masterclass
Gender equality and labor market in Ukraine: Legacies and Practices
During transformation period, Post-Soviet societies (i.e. Ukrainian one) face challenges connected with “free” market economy implementation and nation building process. One of the main contradiction concerns combination of capitalism and patriarchy that marginalize different groups of women and throw them to labor market “niches” mainly connected with low paid reproductive labor (caring, educating and cleaning work).
From the other hand, women were used as “reserve labor force” and state pragmatically integrated them when it was necessary (especially after World War II) and “protected” when traditional male resource had been restored. So, paternalist approach towards Ukrainian women in Post-Soviet Ukraine will be discussed. In the reality women’s rights does not allow women to share reproductive labor duties with men. Parenthood is perceived mainly as motherhood and “moral responsibility” of women to the national. Ukrainian women who de jure have almost all labor rights, de facto face gender segregated labor market and marginalized positions. Motherhood is not enough supported and shifted into neo-liberal discourse of “success” and neo-patriarchal of “moral duty”. State and private sectors of economy benefit from such women’s position who have lack of material, power and time resource to earn for living and to be “good mothers”.
Research seminar
Challenges and Opportunities in researching LGBT Families in Ukraine
In 2011-2012 I participated in the research team of project “LGBT Families in Ukraine: Legislative Regulations and Social Practice”. I plan to share main results and discuss challenges that I faced “being in the field” both theoretical and methodological. I start with broader perspective of state of LGBT movement in Ukraine and attitudes towards homosexuality from Ukrainian citizens, politicians etc. I continue with presentation of project results and position them as public sociology project (discuss possibility to change situation with homophobia in Ukraine).
My publications on this topic:
- Martsenyuk, Тamara (2013). Gender Roles in LGBT Families in Ukraine: Idealization and Reproduction of Heteronormativity, Manifold Angles of Gender: Georgia. Poland. Russia. Ukraine: Conference Materials [Heinrich Boell Foundation, Tbilisi], p. 79-84.
- Martsenyuk, Тamara (2012). The State of the LGBT Community and Homophobia in Ukraine. Problems of Post Communism, Vol. 59, # 2 (March–April), p. 51-62.
First published: 15 December 2016