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podcasts

ZMSBw Podcast “Zugehört” (in German)

Women in the Ukraine War: A Conversation about Gender Roles and their Significance

 

 

Women are playing a central role in the war in Ukraine and are challenging traditional gender concepts. Women are also regularly involved in the training of Ukrainian soldiers by the Bundeswehr in Germany. In this podcast, Sabine Barz, Gender Advisor at ST-C EUMAM UA (European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine), and Dr Kristiane Janeke from the Bundeswehr Centre for Military History and Social Sciences (ZMSBw) talk about the gender perspective in the armed forces and the significance of gender roles during the war.

The Position of Women in the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Around 68,000 women are currently serving in Ukraine, of which around 5,000 are on the front line. Their motives are very similar to those of their male comrades. At the same time, they continue to take on the majority of family duties and also provide psychosocial support in the combat zones.

The Work of a Gender Advisor

Sabine Barz explains her work as the Bundeswehr’s first Gender Advisor and describes how she advises the military leadership on gender-specific issues and analyses the social dynamics in crisis areas. The focus is less on debates such as gender stars and more on the concrete effects of gender roles on military operations.

Sexualised Violence as a Strategy of War

As in other wars, sexualised violence is being used as a weapon of war in the  Ukrainian-Russian War. Russian armed forces are committing systematic attacks against women as well as men and children. The aim is not only to humiliate the victims, but also to traumatise entire communities. The physical and psychological consequences are severe and often long-term.

Traditional Role Models in Transition

While Russia continues to rely on rigid gender roles in its propaganda, the war in Ukraine is changing social perceptions. Women are increasingly taking on active roles in the armed forces and at the same time demanding more equality in society. The conflict has the potential to permanently change gender roles and challenge existing power structures.

For the Podcast of the ZMSBw Podcast Series “Zugehört” click here

Zwei Damen mittleren Alters mit Brille, sitzen in einem Tonstudio und lächeln freundlich in die Kamera

Sabine Barz and Dr Kristiane Janeke discuss women and gender in the war in Ukraine, the significance of gender roles and the gender perspective in the armed forces. The Podcast is in German.
Runtime: 53:33

Release date: 23 January 2025. Copyright: Bundeswehr/Andrea Nimpsch

 

Literature and other Sources

Ackermann, Tina,  Frauen auf der Flucht. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Bonn 2024.

Barz, Sabine, „Genderperspektive ist ein wichtiger sicherheitspolitischer Faktor“, Zebis, Hamburg – 14.2.2024, at: https://www.zebis.eu/veroeffentlichungen/positionen/genderperspektive-ist-ein-wichtiger-sicherheitspolitischer-faktor-ein-interview-mit-sabine-barz/

Barz, Sabine, “Einsatz mit Leidenschaft – die Gender Advisor des Special Training Command”, Interview von Lea Bacherle, n. d., at: https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/organisation/weitere-bmvg-dienststellen/territoriales-fuehrungskommando-der-bundeswehr/aktuelles/einsatz-mit-leidenschaft-die-gender-advisor-des-stc-5706100

Fischer, Sabine, Die chauvinistische Bedrohung. Russlands Kriege und Europas Antworten, Berlin, Heidelberg 2023.

Havryshko, Marta, “Vergewaltigung als Kriegswaffe? Einige Überlegungen zu sexueller Gewalt im Krieg gegen die Ukraine”, 18.5.2022, at:
https://geschichtedergegenwart.ch/vergewaltigung-als-kriegswaffe-einige-ueberlegungen-zu-sexueller-gewalt-im-krieg-in-der-ukraine/

Oksanen, Sofi, Putins Krieg gegen die Frauen, Köln 2024.

Shuster, Simon, The Showman. Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky, Bew York 2024.

Siedaia, Yuliia,”Frauen in den Streitkräften der Ukraine (SDU): Stereotype und Fortschritte”, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 13.4.2023, at: https://www.kas.de/de/web/ukraine/blickpunkt-ukraine/detail/-/content/frauen-in-den-streitkraeften-der-ukraine-sdu-stereotype-und-fortschritte

Ukraine-Dossier des ZMSBw, https://zms.bundeswehr.de/de/mediathek/kanal-dossiers/kanal-dossiers-ukraine