The primary incentive for highly qualified Ukrainian women to return to Ukraine might be the loss of their professional and social standing abroad, where they cannot fully utilize their specialized potential.
Director of the Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences, Ella Libanova / © Screenshot from video
Highly skilled Ukrainian specialists abroad do not always find opportunities to apply their abilities. Therefore, the prospect of working in their field again could serve as a significant motivator for their repatriation.
This viewpoint was shared by Ella Libanova, the director of the Institute for Demography and Social Studies at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in an interview with The Ukrainians Media.
Loss of Status as a Return Incentive
The researcher highlighted an interesting life paradox faced by our female compatriots after relocating to other countries. While abroad, a Ukrainian woman might feel completely secure and earn considerably more than in her homeland, she inevitably risks losing her professional standing. As an illustration, the expert cited the situation of medical professionals who, in foreign countries, may have to accept significantly lower-level positions.
“A doctor in Ukraine, a surgeon. What will she do in Europe? A medical assistant, and in most cases, without a recognized diploma, meaning a caregiver. Will this satisfy her? I’m not sure,” the demographer explained the core of the issue.
According to her, this painful loss of professional status could become one of the primary factors prompting a substantial number of Ukrainian women to return home. The institute’s director hopes that the most qualified individuals will be the first to come back, as they have experienced the most significant career setbacks in emigration.
Why Other Women Will Remain in Emigration
Conversely, for women who continue to work in their usual professions within the service sector abroad, the situation is entirely different. Persuading them to return to Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities will be exceptionally challenging, as they adapt quickly to new economic conditions and suffer no career losses. Professionals such as hairdressers or nail technicians are employed in similar roles and maintain the exact same social status they held at home. The only difference is that they receive substantially higher financial compensation for their work in the European market.
Realistic Forecasts and the Educational Phenomenon
Assessing the overall prospects for the return of Ukrainian refugees, Libanova admitted that her expectations have significantly shifted since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Over time, the expert’s perspective on the demographic situation has become considerably more pragmatic and less optimistic than it was two years ago.
In the spring of 2022, the expert anticipated that approximately half of those who had left would return, even dreaming of a figure as high as sixty percent. Now, her expectations are much more modest, as she hopes for the return of at least thirty percent of our citizens. A distinctive feature of the current unprecedented wave of migration is also the departure of a vast number of highly educated women from Ukraine.
“Seventy percent of our women aged 25 and over who have gone abroad have higher education. This is a phenomenal figure,” the researcher emphasized during the conversation.
This high level of education among refugees is largely attributed to the geography of hostilities and evacuation at the outset of the full-scale war. Primarily, residents of major cities, including those from Kharkiv and Kyiv, who traditionally have a higher proportion of university graduates, moved abroad at that time.
As a reminder, passport exchange procedures for Ukrainians abroad have been simplified. Now, individuals aged 18 to 60 no longer need to present a military registration document or the “Резерв+” application when abroad to process their documents.
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