UNFPA launches campaign to help Ukrainian youth make career choice

KYIV. May 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is launching a nationwide campaign in partnership with the Swedish embassy to Ukraine, the Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and EdCamp aimed to help young people in Ukraine make a stereotype-free choice of their future profession and to popularize science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers and education in technical professions among young women, UNFPA in Ukraine said.

"Gender equality is a key component of responding to the continuing crisis in Ukraine. It involves an opportunity to the young generation to choose their own career path and to realize their potential regardless of gender stereotypes. Sweden sees support of this initiative as an important element of facilitating the future inclusive economic growth of the whole of Ukraine," Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Tobias Thyberg said on the occasion of the campaign's launch.

The UNFPA 2020 survey shows that 56% of respondents believe that professions are divided into "male" and "female", and 21% of parents make their children choose an occupation depending on their gender. Professions in the STEM sector, agriculture, architecture, and construction are "traditionally" considered in Ukraine as "male" careers, while occupations such as teaching, educational science and the arts are for women.