Equal Mobilization Rules: Ukrainians Propose Drafting Women Without Children

The latest petitions propose changes to mobilization legislation that would allow mobilizing women without children and equalize the duties of men and women. The authors are convinced that able-bodied women could serve the Motherland in the same way.

New petitions propose to equalize the duties of men and women

On the Cabinet of Ministers website, almost simultaneously petitions appeared that women could be mobilized as men are if they do not have children. Therefore, in the authors' view, it would be right to extend and establish identical basic rules of mobilization, military registration, and training for service. This is stated on the portal where Ukrainians can propose changes to laws.

Making the mobilization law equal for everyone is proposed for the sake of an even distribution of the workload, which would correspond to the constitutional principles of equality of citizens' rights. The authors propose mobilizing women without children. Another petition was created for mandatory military registration of women.

In the first case, the author notes that every citizen must defend the state, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity. However, the burden of service currently falls on men. Therefore, the authors believe it would be appropriate to involve women in this matter as well. At the same time, Ukrainian women who raise children could be exempt from mobilization.

Supposedly, women who do not raise children do not fulfill duties for which the state could guarantee them. In the opinion of the initiator, mobilizing women would allow increasing the mobilization resource and adhering to the principles of the Constitution.

Equal principles of fulfilling military duty by citizens of male and female gender are proposed in another petition. Relevant changes could supposedly remove different approaches to military service for men and women. But the “most fair and equal distribution of duties to defend Ukraine among citizens regardless of gender,” in the author's view, could be a more lawful option. At the same time, mobilization conditions must be absolutely equal.

It is proposed to take into account age, health status, military occupational specialty, needs of the Defense Forces, etc. Grounds for deferral should not be divided by gender.

The third petition proposes mandatory military registration of women and the possibility of their conscription during mobilization. That is, the author wants women not to join service voluntarily, but to undergo registration like men. Registering all women for military service would be the first step toward an equal obligation of citizens.

Such appeals to the Cabinet of Ministers were registered so that legislators could study the issue and initiate the necessary legislative changes.

Mobilization of women in Ukraine: are such changes possible

Such initiatives, of course, provoke society to discussion and various hasty conclusions. Yet petitions often do not lead to changes in law, especially if the government understands that fulfilling them is impossible. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that proposals for mobilizing women would not receive Cabinet approval.

No women's mobilization is planned, nor are any changes planned regarding fathers of three children. Stop spreading nonsense,

— wrote Kovalenko.

As a reminder, earlier on the Cabinet site a petition was registered proposing to cancel the deferral from mobilization for men who support three or more children up to 18 years. The author believes this rule is unfair toward fathers of one or two children.

Lawyer Oleh Panychak, in comments to 24 Channel, stated that he does not consider this discrimination. Equal treatment before the law does not mean absolutely identical treatment of people with different family circumstances. A father with many underage dependents has more responsibilities and potential consequences for the family in case of mobilization.