Our History

The public organization, “Progressive Women”, was created in 1995, after the collapse of the USSR. Our organization was something completely new since there were no women’s organizations during Soviet times. “Progressive Women” was founded by three women who did not occupy any real place of power in Soviet society.

These three friends: Natalia Kozlova, Helen Golubeva, and Alla Zalevska, all received higher technical education in different fields during the USSR. During the economic shocks related to the disintegration of the USSR, they did not know when economic stability would be established and began to work in small business.

These women all experienced the inequality of women and men, particularly the impossibility women faced in aspiring to a higher career and social sphere. It served to show the reflections of women’s position in society: their stereotypes, rights and possibilities. As a result, these women wrote the regulations for “Progressive Women” and the organization was incorporated by the Vinnytsia city council.

The society of “Progressive Women” was founded in the autumn of 1995 and since then has had the status of a public organization (NGO). Its primary purpose is to provide an association of women dedicated to the development their consciousness, awakening their self-respect, cultivating gender equality; increasing the political activity of women, and expanding their participation in public and state organizations.

The management of the Society of “Progressive Women” holds an annual general meeting for its members. In the meantime, the Director manages the organization with the help of 5 regular staff. Presently, the society of feminists, “Progressive Women” of Vinnytsia, has 56 members, women between 20-66 years.


As evident from an information survey, 75% of Progressive Women’s members are women of an active age, who joined to realize their rights as women. The educational level of our members is impressive: 53 of 56 have finished university, and 4 have pursued graduate-level studies (2 are candidates of sciences, 1 is graduate student). In Progressive Women, there are specialists of many types: psychologists, teachers, journalists, physicians, engineers, economists. Such human potential allows the successful and effective execution of programs directed to realize the rights of women. In addition, Progressive Women has numerous supporters among the female deputies of the regional administration and the intelligentsia.