The 140th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Women's Movement: Education as a Catalyst for Change

140 years ago, events began to unfold in Ukraine that forever changed society — the emergence of the women’s movement. It was a time when courageous Ukrainian women challenged stereotypes and began fighting for equality, access to education, the right to vote, and self-realization.

Karazin University became one of the centers supporting these changes. The university's founder, Vasyl Karazin, emphasized the importance of education for peasant women as early as 1842. However, this right was granted only after his death.

In February 1861, a private tutor, Lyudmyla Ozhyhina, submitted a request to the curator of the Kharkiv educational district, seeking permission to attend medical lectures to obtain a medical degree. While the curator and the university council supported her aspiration, the government disagreed. Thus, Karazin University initiated discussions on the challenges of women’s higher education at that time.

A graduate of Karazin University, educator, and social reformer Khrystyna Alchevska founded a women’s Sunday school in Kharkiv, which she led from 1862 to 1919. She also served as the vice president of the International League of Education.

Karazin University graduate and professor Vasyl Danilevskyi, who headed the department of normal physiology, actively participated in the establishment of the Women’s Medical Institute in Kharkiv in 1910 and became its first director.

Historian and ethnographer Oleksandra Yefymenko became the first woman to be awarded the title of Honorary Doctor. This decision was made by the university’s Academic Council in 1910.

Opening the doors of higher education to women was a historic step that enabled many Ukrainian women to join the fields of science, culture, and socio-political life. Education at the university has been, and continues to be, a powerful tool in the fight for women’s rights, voices, and opportunities.

The women’s movement, which emerged in various parts of Ukraine, demonstrated that the power of change begins with every woman who believes in her own potential. Today, as we celebrate the 140th anniversary of this movement, we honor those who walked this challenging path and those who continue it today.

Together, we are building a future where knowledge and freedom belong to everyone.