The First Gender Museum in Ukraine and Eastern Europe - Museum of Women's and Gender History - aims at gender education, strengthening cultural links between Ukraine and other countries, consolidation of women's movement, attracting journalists' and community's attention to the women's and gender issues. The goal of the project is to convert the Gender Museum into an Incubator of Gender Projects and a Centre of Women Leadership and Innovative Education Centre in Ukraine.
Ukraine is a patriarchal society with family violence, gender discrimination and sexual harassment at the work place, 30% gender pay gap, underrepresentation of women in politics (9.5% in Parliament), homophobia, etc. Official education and mass media promote only two main gender roles for women: a mother and housekeeper or a young beautiful Barbie. Young girls need more information about gender roles and opportunities for self-realization in future life.
Museum collection comprises about 3,000 exhibits from different part of Ukraine and other countries. There are documents, books, textbooks, toys, CDs, personal belongings of people dealing with gender issues, souvenirs, different tools of women's work, photos etc. The Museum provides education activity on gender issues using interactive methods and visualization of different gender problems. 150-200 persons visit the Museum each month and they get insight and new gender vision here.
Even today the Museum attracts gender experts and volunteers who disseminate ideas of gender equality in the region. In future it will be an Incubator of Gender Projects and a Centre of Women Leadership and Innovative Education Centre in Ukraine which creates new approaches and ideas, react to the new situation and challenges and provides modern vision of gender relations to Ukrainian youth.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
