Last year Ukrainians elected a new president and got a rise in minimum wages, as well as a substantial growth in average salaries in the country. Does it mean that Ukrainian women live better now than they did before?

Is life in Ukraine better now than it was a year ago?

A recent online poll by Segodnya.ua revealed unexpected results: Nearly half of participants (47%) complained that their financial situation became worse for the past year.

30% of respondents indicated their situation remained the same.

Only 14% of survey takers said their life became better.

Over 2600 people took part in the online poll.

During the period of January-November 2019 the average wage in Ukraine was 10,340 hryvnia (USD 430) per month. Compared to the same period of 2018, the average salary went up by 18.7%, Ukrstat reported.

2020 statistics of economic development in Ukraine

The data by Ukrstat published on 10 January includes the period from January to November 2019 and comparisons with the results of the previous year.

• Consumer price index went up by 8.3%. This means, financially people are supposed to have more money left, if the wages grew so much more than prices for goods and services.
• Construction output is up by 21.3%.
• Retail trade turnover up by 10.4%.
• Both freight turnover and number of passengers went up (2.4% and 3.5%).
• The volume of export of goods in USD is up by 7.4%.
• Index of agricultural production is up by 8.7%.

Seems like the Ukrainian economy is doing OK, but people are complaining about their life getting worse.

What do Ukrainian women think about their life?

I asked ladies from Ukraine on my Instagram page about their life, whether they feel it became better or worse in the last 12 months. Their answers are much more positive than the ones of Segodnya’s responders: 46% feel it became better, while 54% said it became worse.

To compare the notes, I asked the same question from Russian ladies. Their answers were precisely the opposite: 54% feel they live better, while 46% think it’s worsening.

The difference in answers can be explained by the different audience. Women who are subscribers to my Instagram account are mostly better off than the average person in the country. They often have good jobs and lots of experience of traveling overseas. This is why they feel confident about finding a partner abroad, because the task seems doable and not too scary, as it is for an average person.

What do the Ukrainian women you are communicating with think about it? Is life in Ukraine better today than it was 12 months ago? Comment below!

Data: Ukrstat

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