Intimate Partnerships During War: Virtual Interviews with Women in Two Ukrainian Cities Under Russia’s Full-scale Invasion

Theodore P. Gerber , University of Wisconsin–Madison
Anna Popovych, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Brienna Perelli-Harris, University of Southampton

As demographic research on how armed conflict affects fertility has grown, a newer literature on how war affects intimate partnerships has emerged. Thus far, studies on this topic have analyzed post-conflict survey data from high-fertility contexts to address two themes: age at marriage and inter-partner violence. We study how armed conflict affects intimate relationships qualitatively. We conducted 22 semi-structured, in-depth virtual interviews with women of childbearing age in Ukraine's two largest cities in spring 2023, more than one year into Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion, which has produced widespread destruction and death, driven over 7,000,000 refugees (mainly women and children) from the country, displaced millions of others internally, and shattered Ukraine's economy. In addition to perceptions of how the war has affected rates of marriage and divorce, we address its impact on relationship quality and on gender power dynamics among couples. Our informants recount a diverse perspectives and experiences (both their own and acquaintances') that illuminate variable ways that war affects relationships while it is still underway. They see partnerships as both strengthened and weakened, in some cases observing that the war intensified relationship dynamics that were muted before Russia’s full-scale attack. They point to acceleration of new relationships, especially with soldiers, and rapid progression to marriage, reflecting a desire to “live for today.” Thus, war-related uncertainties can lead young people to accelerate rather than delay key life course events. Finally, the interviews highlight how the war has both heightened and undermined traditional gender norms and power dynamics within relationships.

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 Presented in Session 62. Family Diversity and Wellbeing