With new male recruits sent to the front lines, women are stepping into traditional male roles, such as demining, logistics, and security functions. Since 2022, unexploded ordnance and landmines have caused more than 1,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, so the need is urgent. Women now make up about a third of Ukraine’s deminers, and that share is growing as NGOs increasingly recruit women, seeking the benefits of gender equity. The humanitarian group is based in Mykolaiv and Kherson and nearly four out of 10 of its deminers (38%) are women. “As women take on more visible and essential roles, they are not only reshaping the landscape of aid and recovery,” says van Broekhoven.