State of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Odesa Region Amid Full-Scale War

The conducted research revealed an increase in the number of women entrepreneurs in Odesa region: as of January 1, 2024, their share rose from 47.8% to 49.3% compared to the previous period. Women account for 30.3% of leadership positions in limited liability companies in Odesa region. The largest number of women entrepreneurs and business leaders is concentrated in the city of Odesa — 65.2% of respondents.

In terms of employment structure, women entrepreneurs in Odesa region predominantly work in sectors with a low share of STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), despite the region’s considerable potential in green energy, producing 6.9% of Ukraine’s total renewable electricity generation. The service economy dominates. The share of trade among registered women-led businesses in Odesa region amounts to 58.3%. According to the survey data, this is the most resilient sector — 24.7% of women-run trade businesses have not ceased operations since the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

According to the quantitative study results: – 39.2% of surveyed women are engaged in trade, – 18.0% provide business services in accounting and auditing, – 14% work in household services (beauty salons, dry cleaners, clothing tailoring), – 3.8% of women entrepreneurs are involved in telecommunications and information technology.

The full version of the article is available in Ukrainian only via this link.