Mapping Gender Analytics Ecosystem in UkraineAugust 2025
The analytical report "Mapping Gender Analytical Centers," prepared by Open Space Works Ukraine commissioned by the Ukrainian Women's Fund, documented significant transformations in Ukraine's gender analytics sector during 2021–2025. The defining factor of these changes was the full-scale invasion, which reformatted the demand for research, topics, and organizational models.The study is based on nine expert interviews and a review of 141 analytical publications, outlining the ecosystem's development dynamics, its strengths, and key challenges.
Research Methodology
Semi-structured Expert Interviews
● Semi-structured expert interviews (n = 9) with representatives of civil society organizations, academic institutions, analytical centers and international structures that commission, produce or use gender analytics.
● Types of respondents:1. Organizations that produce gender analytics 2. Organizations and institutions that commission or use gender analytics.
Desk Research
● Database: 32 provider organizations and 141 pieces of analytical materials (2021-2025).
● Criteria for organization selection: The organization was identified by the key informants of the current mapping as an active provider in the field of gender research.
● Focus: research on gender-related issues.
Coordination with Organizational Assessment Process
● Approach: integration of questions related to the gender analytics ecosystem and cooperation with public authorities into interviews with UWF partner organizations.
● Advantage: obtaining additional relevant data without creating additional burden on partner organizations.
Key findings
Producers of Gender Analytics
In Ukraine, the gender analytics sector is driven primarily by civil society. Women’s and human rights organizations combine service provision, advocacy, and analytical work, building on practical cases. Think tanks increasingly apply a gender lens to sectoral research, though gender analytics is still often associated with the expertise of individual specialists.
Positive Developments in the Sector
The study identified a notable rise in awareness of the importance of gender-sensitive data among stakeholders. Civil society clusters and international organizations are increasingly recognizing the need for data disaggregated by sex, age, and disability.
Models of Cooperation
Partnerships between civil society organizations with thematic expertise and sociological agencies have become more prominent. These collaborations give NGOs access to interviewer networks for representative studies, while sociological agencies benefit from improved access to target groups and a deeper understanding of sensitive issues.
Evolving Thematic Focus
Traditional areas of research have expanded to include the situation of women veterans and the roles and rights of women and LGBTQ+ persons in the defense forces. New themes have also emerged, such as the gender dimensions of migration and gender-sensitive approaches to recovery. Research is becoming more intersectional, addressing the experiences of LGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, veterans, women veterans, and national minorities.
Development challenges
Coordination and Avoidance of Duplication
The sector’s high level of activity (85% of analyzed publications were released in 2023–2024) is accompanied by limited coordination among researchers, leading to overlapping topics and potentially inefficient use of resources.
Limited Access to Data
The lack of openness in state statistics complicates the preparation of robust gender profiles. Methodological approaches such as intersectionality and trauma-informed analysis often remain superficial, reduced to donor-driven lists of vulnerabilities without deeper interpretation.
Principles of participation and data validation are frequently applied in a formal manner, with little real incorporation of community feedback. The reliance on basic tools such as manual data processing in Excel restricts analytical depth, especially given short project timelines. As a result, even high-quality studies often end with recommendations that are overly general or disconnected from the data collected.
Role of the State and Funding
State institutions are primarily seen as key targets for advocacy and potential users of gender analysis in policymaking. However, their role in commissioning and funding research remains minimal. Consequently, the sector is almost entirely dependent on international donors, which provides resources but also raises sustainability risks and may affect the objectivity of studies conducted within technical assistance projects for public authorities.
Research Team
Natalia Harasivka
Analyst | Open Space Works Ukraine
Sasha Tselishcheva
Co-Founder | Research Lead & Evaluation Lead |
Open Space / Future Search Facilitator
Related Content
Online presentation of the research
September 24, 2025VideoHow has Ukraine's gender analytics landscape evolved since the full-scale invasion? Who are the key players, and what challenges do researchers face?Our team at Open Space Works Ukraine is proud to share the key findings from the study "Mapping of Gender Analytical Centers in Ukraine," conducted with the support of the Ukrainian Women's Fund.