Abstract

The article is devoted to the revealing and systematization of the main reasons that contribute to or, conversely, prevent the social and political participation of women in modern Ukraine. The conducted analysis of quantitative and qualitative indicators of women’s participation in public and political life allows to state that the level of social and political activity of women in Ukraine is still quite low and too few women are represented in the state authorities. The study revealed the following main groups of factors that affect social and political activity of women in Ukraine: social and economic; cultural; social and political. Also among the reasons that motivate women to be active in the political sphere we can distinguish the positive and negative reasons. There were found two groups of reasons that limit the social and political participation of Ukrainian women: lack of resources and particular features of socialization. Besides the general reasons that limit the social and political participation of Ukrainian women were identified such specific causes that restrict women’s representation in the state bodies of Ukraine: institutional barriers and cultural barriers. It is proved that there is need to improve the social and political participation of women and to increase quantitative and qualitative representation of women in the state authorities of Ukraine. The most effective strategy to smooth out representation of men and women in public and political spheres of Ukraine is to follow conscious comprehensive policy of positive discrimination.