6 ABSTRACT
This study examines the gender sensitivity of government communications in Ukraine’s defence sector in the context of the full-scale war. Using official greetings issued on International Women’s Rights Day and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, as well as state recruitment campaigns, the research identifies the coexistence of emancipated models of femininity and traditional stereotypical representations of women as “guardians of the home” or symbols of sacrifice. The use of feminatives and lexical innovations is gradually shaping a more inclusive public discourse; however, the content often remains symbolic and fails to fully recognize women as equal subjects of defence processes. The analysis of recruitment centres’ information campaigns indicates a growing emphasis on voluntariness and professionalism of service, yet gender sensitivity in these communications remains fragmented. The findings confirm the need for the consistent integration of a gender perspective into state information policy in order to effectively mobilise human potential and implement the concept of comprehensive defence.
Keywords: gender-sensitive communication, government communications, comprehensive defence, military recruitment.
CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS
BRIEF SUMMARY
METHODOLOGY
Data analysis methods
CHAPTER 1. ANALYSIS OF GENDER SENSITIVITY IN GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS IN THE DEFENCE SECTOR: SELECTED CASE STUDIES
1.1 Communications for International Women’s Rights Day
1.2 Communications for the Day of Defenders of Ukraine
1.3 Summary of Chapter 1: Analysis of Gender Sensitivity in Government Communications in the Defence Sector
CHAPTER 2. GENDER SENSITIVITY IN GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS IN MILITARY RECRUITMENT
2.1 Summary of Chapter 2: Gender Sensitivity in Government Communications in Military Recruitment
CONCLUSIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS: DEVELOPING GENDER-SENSITIVE GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS TO INCREASE WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN THE DEFENCE FORCES
REFERENCES
BRIEF SUMMARY
Context. In March 2021, the Presidential Decree “On the Military Security Strategy of Ukraine” for the first time defined comprehensive defence as the cornerstone of national military security, identifying the information component as one of its key elements. A standalone Information Security Strategy was also approved. Although the legal discourse surrounding participation in national defence largely employs gender-neutral narratives, Ukrainian legislation — as in many countries with conscription-based systems — formally assigns the obligation of military service to men, while women retain the right, but not the duty, to serve.
The research methodology is based on: (1) an analysis of communications produced by Oblast State Administrations (OSAs) and Oblast Military Administrations (OMAs), identified through media monitoring between 2015 and July 2025, using thematic analysis with a combined deductive–inductive coding logic, as well as an analysis of communications from selected institutions within the defence sector; and (2) an analysis of the websites and Instagram pages of the Ukrainian Army Recruitment Centre and the Ground Forces Recruitment Centre of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for the period from 2024 to July 2025, applying thematic analysis with an inductive coding approach.
CHAPTER 1. АNALYSIS OF GENDER SENSITIVITY IN GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS IN THE DEFENCE SECTOR: SELECTED CASE STUDIES
The study findings confirm that government communications in the defence sector combine elements of inclusive, gender-sensitive language with deeply entrenched gender stereotypes.
CHAPTER 2. GENDER SENSITIVITY IN GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS IN MILITARY RECRUITMENT
The content analysis of military recruitment centres revealed a discrepancy between the declared principle of open recruitment for all, reflected in part through gender-sensitive communications, and the actual limitations on opportunities for women, resulting from the persistence of gender stereotypes and the predominant focus on male audiences
CONCLUSIONS
Since 2014, government communications have shown steady progress: inclusive language has expanded, feminatives have become more common, and the institutionalization of the Day of Defenders of Ukraine has secured women’s visibility in the public sphere.
Recruitment is becoming more service-oriented and grounded in civilian experience, while campaign materials increasingly feature real-life stories of servicewomen and data on female candidates, strengthening women’s sense of belonging within the defence sphere.
At the same time, these positive changes have not yet become the norm: celebratory messages continue to rely on stereotypes, recruitment communication at times reproduces traditional role expectations, and concrete information on positions, responsibilities, and service conditions for women remains insufficient.
To enhance the effectiveness of communications, it is essential to move from the formal visibility of women toward their substantive presence, achieved through concrete descriptions of roles, socially reflective approaches to commemorative dates, and transparent reporting by state institutions. Such an approach not only supports morale but also strengthens the mobilisation and sustainability of defence capacities at all levels.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Develop standardised style guides and public communication templates with mandatory use of feminatives and gender-symmetrical formulations — for defence ministries and agencies, central government bodies, and Oblast Military Administrations.
- Synchronize communication standards across all state institutions and introduce regular monitoring of their implementation — central government bodies, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and communications departments.
- Eliminate stereotypical and paternalistic narratives and discontinue comparative framings such as “women are no less capable than men” — state media, institutional press services, and bodies responsible for information policy.
- Ensure the systematic inclusion of women in information content by using feminatives, statistics, interviews, and materials highlighting achievements — press services of the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as volunteer and media units.
- Ensure gender balance among speakers and participants at official events and in media appearances — event organizers and institutional press services.
- Develop information products addressing the specific conditions of women’s recruitment into the Armed Forces, service conditions, opportunities for professional development, and social protection — state media, institutional press services, and communication centres.
- Update the official titles of holidays, commemorative dates, awards, ranks, and positions to inclusive formulations — relevant ministries responsible for maintaining official registries and the State Office for Documents and Calendars.
- Combine symbolic and practical elements in communications (for example, historical and cultural references with contemporary examples of achievement) — institutional communication departments and event organizers.
- Use authentic images of women in specific operational roles and avoid abstract symbolic representations — press services, institutional media centres, photographers, and videographers.
- Establish an archive of authentic stories of successful women in the defence sector — institutional press services and research and archiving centres.
- Emphasize women’s rights, safe service conditions, and equal access to positions and decision-making in official government communications — central government bodies, institutional press services, and state media spokespersons.
- Transform official communications into a tool for structural change by introducing regular reporting on progress in addressing equality and discrimination issues — central government bodies, the Ministry of Defence, and designated communication departments.
The research was conducted by the non-governmental organisation (CSO) Expert Resource Gender in Detail as part of the project “Gender Approach in the Context of Comprehensive Defence”, funded by the grant “Best Practices of the Swedish Gender Approach as a Tool for Empowering Ukrainian Women to Implement Sustainable Reforms and Promote Ukraine’s European Integration”, with financial support from the Swedish Institute and in partnership with the Swedish International Liberal Centre.
The project draws on gender mainstreaming practices within Sweden’s comprehensive defence system. It represents the first attempt in the Ukrainian context to explore the possibilities of implementing a Swedish-style comprehensive defence strategy in Ukraine while simultaneously integrating a gender perspective across key sectors, including the economy, care work, the armed forces, civil defence, governance, information policy, and the volunteer movement.
The project’s concept author and project lead is Tamara Zlobina, PhD in Philosophy, and Head of the CSO Expert Resource Gender in Detail.
Project mentors and reviewers of the analytical reports:
Olena Strelnyk, Doctor of Sociological Sciences
Hanna Hrytsenko, Gender Expert
Project managers: Alyona Hruzina, Halyna Repetska
