Comparative Analysis of Western-European, American and Ukrainian

This research focuses on the concepts of female§freedom, independence, liberty, and a feminine ideal§within Western-European, American, and Ukrainian§traditions. The study explores the works of Friedan,§Elshtain, Steinem, de Beauvoir, Kobrynska,§Kobylianska, and Ukrainka. While Western§women-centered thinkers prioritized economic, social,§and political issues with regard to woman s position§in the public and private realms, Ukrainian female§writers, in contrast, drew extensively from their§national stories, ancient and modern. Christianity§and spiritual ideals had a much stronger influence on§Ukrainian writers than political or economic§theories. Feminists despite themselves, these§Ukrainian authors embodied the characters that they§created in their radical and transformational beliefs§and actions. Both traditions share similar concerns§with the dilemmas facing contemporary women in their§respective societies. Common dangers and costs§threaten woman s full liberation under a global§market economy where male privilege remains§entrenched. Without full participation of women in§decision-making processes, democracy for women can be§eroded in the West and stifled in Ukraine.