Ella Libanova, director and co-founder of the Institute of Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, says Ukraine can return women who fled abroad due to the war if it allows them to work in their professions again. Speaking on the People's Planet project, Libanova said this applies primarily to highly qualified specialists who cannot always use their skills abroad.
Libanova highlighted a paradox where displaced women may feel safer and earn more abroad while losing professional status. She noted a Ukrainian surgeon in Europe might work as a nurse or as an uncertified caregiver, questioning whether that would satisfy her. She added that losing status could drive women home, hoping the most qualified return because they lost the most.
Return expectations and migration numbers
Convinced returns will be harder for women who work in their own fields abroad, Libanova explained, because they keep the same role and status while earning more. She also revised her overall return expectations down to about 30 percent, compared to her 2022 hope of 50 percent and dream of 60 percent.
Libanova pointed out that 70 percent of Ukrainian women aged 25 and older who left have a higher education degree, calling it a fantastic figure. She said this high proportion occurred because emigrants mostly left from major cities like Kharkiv and Kyiv.
Separately, economist and financial analyst Oleksiy Kushch previously stated that Ukraine loses about 800,000 citizens annually. He said net migration accounts for 500,000 of that loss, measured as the gap between arrivals and departures, which directly harms consumer purchasing power and business growth.
