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UKRAINIAN WOMAN OUR ENGLISH COLUMN THE UKRAINIAN WOMAN IN ECONOMIC LIFE The Ukrainian women, scatter ed a'll over the free world, will ob serve this year the 70th anniver sary of Ukrainian feminist move ment. One of the principal slogans set forth by the organized Uk rainian womanhood, was the right of the woman to full -economic equality with the man. It will be interesting to recall the not long past time and to make a brief survey of what tihe Ukrainian wo men had achieved in the 'economic sphere. In order to answer this ques tion, we must present a short out line of economic situation in Uk rainian provinces under foreign domination in the not far distant past where colonial economic pol icy has -been pursued. Ukraine has been exploited by the occupants and her mineral riches have serv ed to develop industrially the oc cupants wlh.ile leaving Ukraine ec onomically underdeveloped. Such situation obtained -especially in Eastern Ukraine. After World War I Ukraine be came again reunited and restored its freedom and independence as a democratic republic, only to find herself surrounded 'by the enemies from the north, east, west and south. After several years of bloody struggle this 'Country was again overrun by greedy neigh bors. s is well known, the Eastern Ukraine, over 80 per cent of the Ukrainian territory and popula tion, Jell under aggressive red Russia, West Ukraine under Po land, Bukovina under Rumania, while the southwestern province, Carpatho-Uk.raine, joined Czecho slovakia. Each of these parts, having -en dured for centuries under differ ent alien regimes, remained in diverse political and economic cir cumstances. Hence the Ukrainian women were bound to manifest themselves in the economic sphere in varied ways. In general, all enemies occupying Ukrainian territories strived to block the progress and develop ment of the Ukrainian people in agriculture, industry, in building railroads and waterways, even in professional and higher learning. Of course, there had been a dif fer e n-ce -between bo 1 shevіk re'gime and those of Poland and Ruma nia. Under red Moscow all possi bility of free social activity, of cooperative organization and 'en terprise, has been ■completely de stroyed while in Poland and Ru mania there was still a chance of struggling for the development of cooperative movement. Czecho slovakia was the only true demo cratic country where the Ukrain ian province enjoyed freedom of action. In these western Ukrainian provinces the Ukrainian woman proved, through her organization al work and achievement, her real worth and equality with the man. It might be veritably said that the Ukrainian woman had excellently performed her role as an equal with the man not only, but even more so in endurance, for she managed to accord her duties as wife, mother, home- keeper and social worker, as well as in many instances as producer, in fact seemingly too much or al most impossible for a man. In time of war the woman was forced to take over the husbandry since the men were taken to the front. The Ukrainian woman far mer was able to maintain her homestead on an adequate level and at the same time to continue her devotion to cultural and tra ditional duties (embroidery, wea ving, costumes). The men return ing from the front, customarily found everything “as usual,” and continued tihe work carried on by their wives in their absence. No wonder the Ukrainian pro verb has it that the wife holds three corners of the house while the huslband only the remaining one. Her sound instinct had been manifested distinctively in the cooperative movement which had evolv-ed in West Ukraine after the World War I. She was taking part in it not only as a consumer but likewise as a producer and she helped it to become a potent mass factor in economic life. The late author and ideologist of cooperation, Charles Gide, said that “the wife could kill the co operation in the cradle, simply by refusing to do her shopping in co operative stores.” The Ukrainian woman farmer realized this and therefore was selling her agri cultural produce through coopera tives where, in turn, she was buy ing the manufactured products. At the same time she was join ing cooperatives as an active mem'ber, so that the women con stituted over 20 per cent of the membership. In the ’towns the Ukrainian wo men proved their maturity in so cial and economic achievements on equal footing with men, while working in the cooperatives or even in establishing cooper a tiv-e enterprises or businesses of their own. Amid the cooperative establish ments Mhere were two outstand ing economic enterprises—TRUD (Toil) at Lwiv under direction of Mrs. Olena Z-alizn|yak, and Ukrainian Folk Ant under guid ance of Mrs. Irene Pavlikovska. Trud had developed the dress making industry at Lwiv and in other towns of West Ukraine. It
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