In a 2024 survey of 800 women-owned rural businesses, Burtak said that the Rural Women Business Network found only 35 per cent of respondents said they had backup power sources capable of maintaining their operations.
“As a result, the risk of power loss translates into an income loss for the entire family,” she said.
UN Women works closely with women’s rights organizations in Ukraine, including SMARTA and the Rural Women Business Network. With the support of the United Nations Women‘s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, UN Women has been able to provide over USD 20 million in grants to 54 women-led organizations since the start of the large-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in February 2022, such as institutional grants to organizations in need, including for items such as generators.
The power cuts are also felt by women who work within the home. Electricity cuts have a major impact on food preparation and storage, and women—who already shoulder disproportionate care burdens—are forced to spend more time on domestic tasks and are therefore less likely to participate in the labour force.
A lack of electricity “affects basic needs, such as cooking food and going in and out of the apartment, especially when you live on the upper floors of a high-rise building. Having to climb up and down several times a day is a real challenge,” said Nataliia Chermoshentseva, a gender expert and activist who coordinates volunteer efforts with the Dignity organization, which works to help communities formerly occupied by Russian forces.