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Women's Entrepreneurship in Odeska oblast: A Driver of the Economy in Times of War that Needs Support

May 1, 2025

Over the past two years, the number of women entrepreneurs in the oblast has increased by 26% and now exceeds 57,000. Over half of all operating businesses in the region are women-owned. Yet behind these figures are stories of challenges, determination, and barriers that still require systemic attention.

These are the results of a large-scale study, Assessment of the State of Women's Entrepreneurship in Odeska Oblast, Analysis of Obstacles and Barriers, conducted by Right to Protection in cooperation with Pro-Consulting LLC.

Resilience in Times of Uncertainty: Business Women Do not Give Up

Women's entrepreneurship in Odeska oblast is not just holding on, it is demonstrating a high level of sustainability: 70% of newly established female-owned businesses do not disappear three years after launch. And during the full-scale invasion of 2022, 63% of women kept their enterprises and stayed in the country.

Women entrepreneurs include not only local residents but also internally displaced persons (IDPs). Over 217,000 IDPs have moved to Odeska oblast, and 60% of them are women. More than 70,000 of them are of working age. This is a vast economic potential that is still underutilised.

Barriers That Slow Down: From War to Taxes to Discrimination

The main challenges faced by women entrepreneurs are:

• war (71%)
• economic instability (65%)
• shortage of personnel due to mobilisation
• psycho-emotional stress
• rising raw material prices and reduced solvency of the population
• energy attacks that increase business costs
• tax increases

Equally, critical are the limited access to finance and difficulties in obtaining loans and grants. This is compounded by a lack of mentoring, training, and networking, as well as psychological fatigue, stress, and indecision, which women themselves identify as barriers to their development.

And there was gender discrimination: 17% of women faced prejudice, sexual harassment, and unequal pay.

Deep Inequality between Urban and Rural Areas

Entrepreneurship in Odeska oblast is not just about Odesa. But women from the raions and villages are in a much worse situation: interruptions in mobile communications, electricity, lack of access to information, consultations, and public services. Compared to the city, there is almost no support in the oblast.

Why Doesn’t the Existing Support Work?

Despite the availability of state and international programmes such as eRobota, Affordable Loans 5-7-9%, Diia.Business, assistance from the UN, Caritas and others, only 13% of women have taken the opportunity to apply for grants or other forms of assistance.

The reasons are trivial and painful: disbelief, lack of information, irrelevance of programmes to women's real needs, bureaucracy, lack of application skills, and distrust in the system.

What Do Women Entrepreneurs Need Today?

When asked about their greatest needs, women responded with the following:

• financial support (grants, microloans)
• training and business competence development
• psychological support and stress management
• mentoring and counselling
• assistance in cooperation with government agencies
• the creation of professional communities

What to Do About It? Recommendations of the Study:

✅ Creation of training centres, resource rooms, and business hubs

✅ Introduction of entrepreneurship courses, including in ‘male’ areas (IT, technical professions)

✅ Increasing access to grants and microfinance

✅ Implementation of mental health programmes

✅ Development of women's business communities

✅ Improvement of digital and physical infrastructure in villages and hromadas

The full text Assessment of the State of Women's Entrepreneurship in Odeska Oblast, Analysisof Obstacles and Barriers stady

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Women's entrepreneurship in Odeska oblast is not just about the economy, but about social sustainability, hromadas, employment, and innovation. However, its development should not be based solely on the strength of women's spirit. It needs a systematic, targeted, gender-sensitive support policy.

If the state, international partners, hromadas, and business communities come together to create access to resources, training, and support, women can not only restore but also build the economy of the future.