Éva Berde

Széchenyi István University, Győr, Hungary

E-mail: evi.berde@gmail.com

ORCID 0000-0001-5614-0801

Turning the triple burden of Ukrainian depopulation into a quadruple burden: The results of a survey among Ukrainian refugee women

Sándor Remsei

Széchenyi István University, Győr, Hungary

E-mail: remsei.sandor@sze.hu

ORCID 0000-0001-8862-4544

Abstract. The effects of the Russian-Ukrainian war on Ukraine's demographic landscape are immense. One key consideration is whether Ukrainian refugee women intend to return to their country after the war ends. If the return is planned, the question of whether they would wish to have children is also relevant. This study explored these issues by surveying women who fled to Hungary and the Netherlands. Among those surveyed, 42% did not plan to return under any circumstances, and only 12% intended to return even if their home area came under Russian control. Logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing the intention to return, with reluctance to have additional children and income earned through employment emerging as the strongest explanatory factors. However, we found only modest associations between the intention to return and other variables. Our findings suggest that deeply rooted personal preferences shape these women’s plans.

Received: April, 2024

1st Revision: February, 2025

Accepted: March, 2025

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2025/18-1/16

JEL Classification: F22, H84, J13

Keywords: Russian-Ukrainian war, refugee women, survey, depopulation in Ukraine, intentions to return to Ukraine, childbearing plans