Motherhood, the Economy, and the Defense Industry: Expert Says Discussions About Mobilizing Women Are Premature

Political expert and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Oleksandr Musiienko explained that discussions about strengthening mobilization should focus not on women, but on lowering the conscription age and addressing draft evasion, Politeka reports.

He spoke about this in his blog.

According to the expert, former Defense Minister Reznikov has argued that Ukraine should follow Israel’s example and mobilize women. This would double the mobilization pool, while women would not necessarily have to go to the battlefield but could take up rear positions in support and logistics, allowing men to be moved closer to the front.

“We have not yet resolved the issue of the 1.5–2 million people who are simply hiding and are not updating their military registration data at all. What are we going to do with them? We haven’t resolved this issue. So perhaps we should first address the issue of the 1.5–2 million men who, in one way or another, are avoiding military service?” Oleksandr Musiienko notes.

According to him, if discussions about strengthening mobilization have already begun, then it would be more appropriate to talk about lowering the conscription age from 25 to 23 or 22, especially since military commanders support such measures. The expert emphasizes that this is a matter of fairness, because it is far too early to move on to mobilizing women; there is absolutely no need for that at this stage.

“Who said that women in the rear cannot perform functions and tasks that support the economy? And what about motherhood? We have a difficult demographic situation. We need to involve more women and offer them jobs at defense plants and in the defense industry. This is necessary. The state should provide opportunities to help make this happen. Bring these people into the workforce and let them work. That is what needs to be done, rather than talking about mobilizing women now. I do not support such an idea,” Oleksandr Musiienko concludes.