commodity industries; to take all appropriate measures to ensure the application of the
provisions of the Convention to women living in rural areas [8].
By ratifying the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements (1996), the Ukrainian
state placed among the priorities of the comprehensive development of not only cities
but also rural areas, recognizing the "special needs of women, children and young
people in stable, healthy and safe living conditions" (Article 7). The document states:
"The development of rural and urban areas is interdependent. In addition to improving
urban living conditions, we must also strive to ensure adequate infrastructure,
community services and employment opportunities in rural areas in order to increase
their attractiveness, create an integrated network of settlements and minimize
migration of people from rural areas to cities "(Article 6) It is also noted that all of
women and men have to take full participation (including rural areas) in the economic
and political life of the state [8].
The Constitution of Ukraine (dated on June 28, 1996) in Section II "Rights,
Freedoms and Responsibilities of a Person and a Citizen" art. 24 guarantees citizens
equal constitutional rights and freedoms, "there can be no privileges or restrictions
based on race, color, political, religious or other beliefs, sex, ethnic or social origin,
property status, place of residence, language or other grounds."
The framework of the partnership between the Government of Ukraine and the
United Nations (2018-2022) recognizes that women in rural areas are a group of people
who are often out of sight and excluded from the processes of development,
reconstruction and humanitarian activities. Therefore, the UN system identifies women
in rural areas as one of the key target groups for their activities, and, based on the
complementarity of the mandates of various UN structures, is working to address the
problems faced by women in rural areas in Ukraine.
The urgency of the problem of equal opportunities for rural women is due to the
fact that every third woman in Ukraine lives in rural areas, as well as the results of
statistical studies: 48% of women living in rural areas do not have access to medical
services; 36% of women in rural areas do not participate in decision-making in their
communities; 67% of women in rural areas do not have access to the Internet at home;
the average monthly wage of women employed in agriculture, fisheries, forestry and
related industries is 85.5% of men's wages; 32% have no access to drinking water at
home; 21% of women in rural areas have a bank account; internally displaced women
in the countryside face many challenges: respectively, the employment rate among
women living in villages is 17% lower than among women living in large cities;
Moreover, 36% of women in rural areas are heads of households and are mostly
dependent on pensions (42%) and social assistance (32%) [10].
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