Ukrainian Women of ‘Demographic Crisis’

How do we understand the ‘confusing’ interplay between traditionalist and progressive gender discourses in post-Soviet Ukrainian politics? How do we conceive of empowerment, agency and creativity of the post-socialist woman-subject under the simultaneous conditions of paternalism, compliance and familialism? How insightful can this kind of ‘confusion’ be and what would ‘clarity’ mean in this case? Relying on Foucauldian insights about the ‘discoursing’ subject and discursive subjectification, I analyze the state discourse on womanhood by relying on the parliamentary discussions and policy documents. Presenting some of my findings, mainly from discussions on ‘demographic crisis’ with its focus on women’s reproductive contribution into the project of nation-building, I explore a conceptualization of the Ukrainian woman in the political discourse as a passive object of state policies limiting her autonomy and as a becoming political subject with a footing in the ideology of maternalism. Ultimately, the question that interests me is how the gap between the ‘reality’ and the political talk serves as an instrument in the discussions to construct multiple strategies, which empower these contradictions to work together in the construction of the woman subject. In my analysis I try to reconcile the woman, driven by nature without any rational choice in the matters of reproduction, with the woman, who still happens not to have children, and finally with the woman, who is the ideal mother. My paper explores how the seemingly confusing, at times contradictory, expectations of women are either ignored or made use of in these discussions.