FACTORS OF PROFESSIONAL SELF-REALIZATION OF WOMEN SERVICE MEMBERS IN THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the socio-psychological challenges and factors influencing the professional self-realization of women service members in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It outlines the historical trajectory of women’s participation in combat roles, from the Cossack era to the current stage of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The study emphasizes the significant increase in the number of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine after 2014, and especially following the full-scale invasion in 2022, accompanied by an expansion of functional roles and a higher level of professional responsibility. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the concepts of self-actualization by Abraham Maslow, personal growth by Carl Rogers, the ethics of care by Carol Gilligan, psychoanalytic feminism by Nancy Chodorow, and psychosocial development by Erik Erikson. These approaches made it possible to outline the specifics of the formation of women’s professional identity in the military environment, taking into account gender stereotypes, social expectations, and intrapersonal conflicts. The empirical portion of the study is based on the results of an original questionnaire administered to 197 female officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The main groups of factors and barriers to professional self-realization were identified. The necessity of developing comprehensive psychological support for the professional development of women service members, integrating personal resources, motivational factors, and mechanisms of social support, is substantiated. The results obtained can be used to improve personnel policy, psychological support systems, and gender integration programs in the security and defense sector of Ukraine.