Oksana Potapova ( uk, Оксана Потапова) is a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

feminist, peacebuilding researcher and activist.

Childhood and education

Potapova was born in and describes her origin as Eastern

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. She started studying for a master's degree in

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

, peace and security in 2020 at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

Activism and research

In 2014, Potapova founded ''Theatre for Dialogue'', a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

that works with women affected by the

war in Donbas War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, developing communication among them and helping them to defend their rights nationally and internationally. The aims of ''Theatre for Dialogue'' include supporting and providing publicity for the efforts of the "huge volunteer movement of women organizing humanitarian action and community dialogue" in relation to the Donbas war. Potapova stated that monitoring and enforcement of pandemic controls during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

shifted policing away from responding to incidents of domestic violence in Ukraine. Based on interviews with five human rights activists from different regions of Ukraine, Potapova found in May 2020 that the pandemic affected women more than men, with women taking on more responsibility for child care, teaching and household management than men. Other concerns for Ukrainian women during the pandemic were job losses and postponement of domestic violence court cases.

Views

Ukrainian feminism

In 2019, Potapova stated that the term "gender equality" was no longer taboo in Ukraine, but laws and political will to promote gender equality were weak, and the

exacerbated the reality of discrimination against women.

Peace processes

Potapova argues that women's participation in

peace process A peace process is the set of sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict. Definitions Prior to an armed conflict occurring, peace processes can include the prevention of an intra-state or in ...

es differs from that of men, since the violence that is to be reduced involves both the violence of the armed conflict and

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...

more generally. She also sees

intersectionality Intersectionality is an analytical framework for understanding how aspects of a person's social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of adva ...

as important, so that not only women, but also discriminated minorities are involved in peace negotiations. In December 2021, Potapova expressed support for the newly launched ''

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

Networking Platform for Women Leaders including Peacebuilders and Mediators''. She argues that women's organisations should be involved in peacebuilding. Potapova argued for replacing military public debate about being "at war" and the "enemy" by a "feminist agenda" of "care, support, solidarity and equality". She called for women to be involved in decision-making processes immediately rather than only after crises. Potapova argued that women's advocacy was becoming more effective in Ukraine by the use of

research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

data and analysis.

Care economy

Potapova argues that the

brought attention to the role of the ''care economy'', part of the informal economy, "childcare, motherhood, caring for the elderly, caring for the sick, activism", which she argued should become a priority over the "profit-driven economy".

References

External links

Theatre for dialogue
– Oksana Potapova and other team members () {{DEFAULTSORT:Potapova, Oksana Ukrainian feminists Ukrainian anti-war activists Ukrainian women activists Living people 1980s births Alumni of the London School of Economics