Kyiv

Making Mothers Visible in Kyiv on September 8th 2012
Mother Svitlana Z. speaking with local media at MMV in Kyiv
Setting up the MMV event in the park “Peremoha” in Kyiv September 8th 2012
Anna A, 40.: "After my two sons were born, I had been bringing them up at home for six years, before the older son went to school. It was difficult for me to find a job after such a long career break. So, when my husband started his own business, I became his right hand. But soon the financial crisis damaged our interests and made us both unemployed. We had hardships. To find a job, I had to attend the career enhancement training, but we didn’t have money for it. Fortunately, my friends helped me to get a job and I have started my new life from the very beginning at the age of 39. Now I am an extension student at the university and do my best to continue my career growth."
Hanna B, 40: "My first child was born when I was 36. I had a job before my maternity leave, but after it I remained unemployed. Now I am still looking for a job. It’s difficult to work within the profession, because I have to revise my lost skills and to gain additional experience. Also I want to work flexible hours to pick up my son from the nursery school."
Inna T, 34: "Shortly before my child was born, I changed jobs to one more promising in a new company. But due to the crisis, the department was restructured, and I didn’t have a signed labor contract between me and the employer. At the moment I receive child support from the government in the amount of 130 hryvnia per month. I originally planned to come back to work earlier, but childcare services are very expensive and much higher than my potential salary. I am looking for a job now, because my daughter is two years and nine months now and she will go to nursery school soon. In the newspapers mostly all vacancies are for young people. The employers are not interested in middle aged workers who are coming back from maternity leave, because of possible sick leave to care for the baby. I know this firsthand because I worked in HR long ago, but now I feel it myself. In spite of my work experience I have to start everything all over again."
Lubov K: "My child was born when I was 47 and it was a miracle and a happiness for my entire family. Prior to going on maternity leave I had a job, but when it was over, I was no longer on the permanent staff. I plan to extend my maternity leave up to 6 years. I want to take care of my daughter, who rarely goes to nursery school because of frequent illnesses. I need a part-time job, as well as different kinds of side work."
Ludmyla B, 39: "I am a mother of two children. I have been on maternity leave for three years for each child. I have to admit that it was much easier to find a job after the birth of my first baby than after the second, because by that time I was older. My position wasn’t retained after I took maternity leave. When my second child went to nursery school, I started my job search more actively. After endless attempts I found a job. I wanted to gain new skills, though some of them there dulled, so I had to do my best to reinforce and to renew my old and new experience. Now I am very happy that I have got such an interesting job."
Ludmyla K, 32: "I had a job before maternity leave and I knew my job would be waiting for me after my maternity leave was done. But after 3 years, I realized that a full time job was not for me, because I needed a flexible schedule to pick up my daughter from nursery school after 5 pm. One year later a proper job was found, but in order to get it I had to attend a special, additional three-month training."
Larysa K, 33: "I am a mother of four children. I have been on maternity leave for 3 years. When I returned to work, I had to change my specialization from accountant’s assistant to typography manager. It wasn’t that easy, because I didn’t like this job and felt myself very uncomfortable, but there was no way out. With some time I saw the results of my work and little by little I got used to that job, but still there were no full vacations and no free time for my child. Later I gave birth to my second child, then to the third and to the fourth. Now I have remote work with a flexible schedule."
Liudmyla L, 30: "The birth of the child was a big happiness for me. Officially I have been on maternity leave for 3 years, but I began to work at home starting from the seventh month. It was very important for me not to lose my professional skills. I have recently returned from maternity leave to my previous position. At nursery school I was told that normally it is necessary to sign up for the waitlist during pregnancy, because there are not enough places. So, we are lucky that we managed to get our child into nursery school at the age of 3."
Mariya I, 26: "Before maternity leave I worked at school, but our family moved to another city and at the moment I am trying to find home-based work. In the near future I plan to become a student again in order to change my profession and get a well-paid job. My husband always supports me. Since September we plan to send our child to day nursery. I am very happy that our documents were accepted by the nursery because it is a big problem nowadays and can be hard to get a child into day care."
Nataliya N, 40: "I was on maternity leave with two children for 4 years. During maternity leave my position was not retained, and I couldn’t find a job at all. It was difficult for me to be interviewed and a long-awaited job was found only when my kids went to school. I had a specific type of work and had to renew my lost work contacts as quickly as possible. At that time I was very tired and there was no time for the kids at all, because after work I was trying to learn on my own in order to close gaps in my knowledge."
Nataliya P, 27: "After spending 1 year and 4 months on maternity leave, I had a keen desire and pressing financial need to come back to work again. I was unemployed during maternity leave. On interviews in different companies I was always refused because of my baby, so the new job was found only thanks to my friends. But still I had no chance to be promoted by my new employer, who was convinced that a young mother cannot work properly despite the fact that I was doing very well without errors or omissions. The main advantage of that job was a flexible schedule, so that I could pick up a child from the nursery. When my son grew up a little and went to the nursery school, I found a good full-time job."
Nataliya Ve.: "Before my first maternity leave I worked in a private company and after it my position wasn’t retained. After 3 years and 5 months of being at home with the child, I started working in public service. I have already been at home with the second child for 4 years and 4 months, because of his frequent illnesses. I am interested in side jobs before my son goes to the nursery school. At the moment we are refused because of his diagnosis."
Nataliya Vy, 39: "I have three kids. With each of them I wasn on the maternity leave for three years. I have been trying to find a job for six months now. The employers refuse me because of a big career break, though I don’t feel a loss of qualifications."
Oleksandra R, 31: "I am a state employee and during maternity leave my position was not retained. I wish I could try my hand at another job, but it is not possible because my child is so small. There is a feeling that I lost my professional skills and need to brush up my previous knowledge. It would be great to get help to join the ranks of a new team. Any interesting training is desirable."
Olena M, 23: "Due to family commitments I returned to work when my child was only 1 year and 5 months. The field of work was a new one for me, and I had to learn plenty of new things, and also be aware of what is going on behind the scenes. The grandmother was taking care of the baby. My son is 3 years old now and we want to send him to nursery school. However, there are some difficulties with the documents, because we want to use a nursery school in the district we live, not in the one we are officially registered."
Olena Y, 32: "I have been on maternity leave for three years after the birth of my first baby and five years after the second one, and I could not find a job during all this time. Before I became a mother, I had worked at the factory, but soon afterwards it was liquidated. I decided to change my occupation and gained a legal education. But in spite of my diploma I cannot find a job in this field as well, because I have a lack of work experience and toddlers at home. At the moment I am registered in the labor exchange."
Olga O, 27: "As I stopped working before the pregnancy, I have been on the maternity leave for 3 years. At the moment I cannot find a permanent job because the schedule of the nursery school doesn’t allow working a full day. The employers just do not invite me to interview because of my little child and such a long period of the maternity leave. To overcome these difficulties, I have changed my occupation and became a telecommuter."
Olga P.: "I worked as a freelancer after the first year of maternity leave. My child started visiting a day nursery at the age of 3 because when he was 2 years old there was a shortage of places. Due to the financial crisis I lost my job in the company where I had worked before and had to a find a new workplace in a related sphere. The work conditions were not satisfactory, and I had to start all over again. Soon I became so displeased with the schedule that I decided to quit. Thanks to my friends, I have found a new workplace with a flexible schedule without a fixed wage. At the moment I have enough time for everything, including to be a mother."
Svitlana Z, 44: "Shortly after my first daughter was born, I continued my studies at the university. My kid was taken to lectures with me very often. Later I started to climb a career ladder, working in different companies, and as a result gained a lot of experience working in public service, where I am presently employed. My job is retained and I do not plan to change it in the nearest future, except for different side jobs. At the moment I am on my fourth maternity leave and prefer working at home. My husband and I have a lot of common projects that help me to maintain a high professional level."
Tetiana F, 34: "After spending two years at home taking care of my little daughter, I returned back to my previous workplace. The schedule of the nursery school was very inconvenient and I wasn’t able to pick up my kid in time. I wasn’t delighted with the job, but I was quite realistic about difficulties in finding a good job while having a little child. With passing time, my professional skills renewed and I started thinking about another workplace, but my family went through personal issues and I had to quit. It took me two years to find a new job."
Tetiana G, 31: "I have been on maternity leave for three-and-a-half years. I wanted to start working again after 6 months, but the situation was against me. I decided not to return to my previous job after my maternity leave. Soon I found a job that provided an opportunity for career growth. It would be great if there was a special adaptation program for the mothers after the maternity leave."
Tetiana S, 31: "I am a mother of two children. The first maternity leave lasted two years, after which I found job without a written labor contract. When my family moved to another city, I found a new workplace with better working conditions. After giving birth to my second child, I returned to my previous position a year later. Later I started university and became a part-time student. Soon afterwards I changed my job to a more specific one with a better schedule."
Tetiana St, 36: "Prior to maternity leave I worked as a manager. When it was over, I wasn’t interested in a similar position, because it was clear to me that employers don’t want to have managers with small children. Besides, irregular working hours could hinder me from taking care of my daughter. First, I was thinking about finding a baby-sitter, but by my calculations it was too expensive. As a result, I have recently changed my qualification in order to work on internet projects as a freelancer."
Yuliya K.T, 25: "Initially I wanted to be on maternity leave for three years, but I have returned to work when my son was only 1 year and 3 months. There was no written labor contract, but my employer provided a flexible schedule. Many professional skills were lost during the maternity leave, especially in the sphere of cold calling sales. I tried to renew gaps in my knowledge and to earn money for the family. By that time it was the only suitable work for me, taking into account my experience. In a year I began searching for a new job."
Iryna V, 47: "I have a permanent job in the institute of philosophy that is a state-financed organization. During maternity leave my position was retained. I have two children. After a year of being at home with my first daughter, I decided to come back to work again because of financial problems. My second maternity leave lasted for 2 years, but during the second year I was also trying to earn additional money for the family and was working hard on my research papers at home. Despite a short period of the maternity leave, I had to make up for lost time and to renew my attainments very quickly."
Mother Ludmyla B. standing with her portrait on the event day in Kyiv
Mother Tetiana F. standing with her portrait on the event day in Kyiv
Mother Yuliya K.T. standing with her portrait on the event day in Kyiv
A poster summarizing the event in Kyiv September 8th 2012
Mother Anna A.standing with her portrait on the event day in Kyiv
The crowd viewing MMV Kyiv
Enjoying the portraits at MMV Kyiv
The local event in Kyiv September 8th 2012
Viewing the portrait of mother Iryna V.
Mothers and Fathers both enjoying the MMV portraits at the event in Kyiv
Viewing the portrait of mother Lubov K. at the event in Kyiv
Three of the portraits of mothers in Kyiv at the event in “Peremoha” park
Portraits of mothers in Kyiv at the event in “Peremoha” park
Portraits of mothers in Kyiv at the event in “Peremoha” park
People of all ages looking at the MMV portraits in Kyiv
Mother Svitlana Z. standing with her portrait at MMV in Kyiv
MMV Kyiv installation October 15-16 at Skymall
Crowds enjoying the mothers portraits at the Skymall Kyiv
MMV Kyiv installation October 15-16 at Skymall
Crowds enjoying the mothers portraits at the Skymall Kyiv
MMV Kyiv installation October 15-16 at Skymall
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The International Museum of Women, in partnership with Inside Out, TED, and the Oles Dovgiy and Katerina Gorina Charity Foundation is glad to present Making Mothers Visible Kyiv the aim of which is to promote motherhood all over the world. The Oles Dovgiy and Katerina Gorina Charity Foundation calls attention to the difficulty that women have finding employment after maternity leave in Ukraine. The project consists of the photo exhibition of mothers and their stories about employment after the maternity leave.

Making Mothers Visible Kyiv took place on four dates:

September 8-9, Opening Hours: 11:00-20:00, Place: park “Peremoha”, Address: 2, Perova ave.

September 15-16, Opening Hours: 10:00-22:00, Place: Shopping mall “Skymall”, Address: 2, Vatutina ave.

October 13-21, Opening Hours: 10:00-21:00, Place: “ATMASFERA 360” in Kyiv Planetarium, Address: 57/3, Vasylkivska str., metro station “Olympiyska”

October 22-31, Opening Hours: 10:00-19:00, Place: Oles Dovgiy and Katerina Gorina Charity Foundation, Address: 4, Rysanivska ave.

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