Policy Shift from East to West: Roll-Call Voting on Gender Legislation in Ukraine, 2002-2016

Beginning in the early 2010s, Ukraine has attempted to establish a closer relationship with Western democracies. At high cost, including mass protests and military conflict, this attempt entails fundamental transformations in domestic policy, including promotion of gender equality and improvement in the protection of women rights. This paper addresses changes in how gender equality has been promoted by Ukrainian parties and parliamentarians by examining laws voted on in the parliament. Empirically, this research combines data on party platforms, legislative roll-call voting data, and the East European Parliamentarian and Candidate Database (EAST PaC), which are the universe of parties, candidates, and parliamentarians for national elective office in Ukraine. I focus on parties that had parliamentary representation in 2002-2016 to explore how, before and during the attempt at the policy shift toward the West, major political parties across the ideological spectrum in the Ukrainian Parliament have voted on major issues of women’s rights, gender equality, family social security, and the political and economic equality of men and women. This paper contributes to the study of gender equality and women rights in the post-Soviet space by exploring how political parties and parliamentarians influence gender policy over time.