Women are more active in advocacy, - according to URAU

In Ukraine, there are four female colleagues for every five male advocates. However, women predominate at the leadership level of bar associations.

Data on the gender and social role of advocates was provided by the Vice President of the UNBA, BCU Valentin Gvozdiy during a meeting of the Bar Council of Ukraine held today in Khmelnytskyi.

As of the end of May, there were 71,286 advocates registered in the Unified Register of Advocates of Ukraine, of whom 60.8% were men and 39.2% were women.

The greatest gender disparity is in Zakarpattia region, where only 31.8% of advocates are women.

The situation is similar in Volyn (34.2%) and Ternopil (34.6%) regions. The regions closest to gender balance are Odesa (44.9%) and Mykolaiv (44.2%). However, even here, the gender gap remains significant.

Among the heads of regional bar associations, however, the proportion is almost mirrored: women account for 54%.

«The Ukrainian advocacy community is setting an example of how to ensure women’s meaningful participation in decision-making processes. These figures from the URAU can serve as a benchmark for other self-governing and professional communities. We are not talking about formal representation — we are talking about meaningful participation, initiative, and responsibility. I am convinced that gender balance in governing bodies is not only a matter of fairness but also an indicator of the maturity of the professional environment», - commented V. Gvozdiy.