Record in the selection for the 32nd Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition: about half of the applications were submitted by women

The National Antarctic Scientific Center (NASC) reported record participation by women in the open selection for the 32nd Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition (UAE). According to the center's press service, published on Facebook and reported by RBC-Ukraine, 87 applications were received in the current competition, and for the first time in the history of the open selection, about half of them were submitted by women. The previous maximum, recorded last year, was 36% female applications, so the current figure has become a new historic record for the Ukrainian polar program.

How many applications were received and how does this compare with previous years

A total of 87 applications were submitted for the competition for the 32nd UAE. NASC clarifies that this number is lower than last year, but is on par with the figures for 2023 and 2024. Thus, in absolute terms, the selection was not a record, but in terms of gender composition it shows a notable shift: the share of women has for the first time approached half of all polar candidates. The center published an infographic with a breakdown of applications by gender and by chosen profession, showing which positions the female applicants most often applied for.

Structure of the expedition and distribution of positions

According to NASC, the annual Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition traditionally includes 7–9 scientists from various research fields, as well as five members of the station's life-support team. It was precisely for these scientific and technical positions, according to the center's infographic, that the submitted applications were distributed: the most candidates applied for a number of "popular" positions, and the fewest — for those that the center called "traditionally" less in-demand. The specific list of positions and their rankings is presented in the NASC visual materials accompanying the competition announcement.

What's next: selection stages until the end of 2026

After submitting applications, the male and female polar candidates await several subsequent selection stages, which the center reminded about in the same message. NASC summarized that not everyone will make it to the final stage, and the names of the winners will be known by the end of 2026. The selection is taking place against the backdrop of the work of the "Akademik Vernadsky" station, where Ukrainian polar researchers conduct scientific research and life-support operations in the conditions of Antarctica.

Contradictory data

In reports about the competition, one can encounter two different frames of assessment of the "record," which is important not to mix up. On the one hand, NASC emphasizes that women's participation has become an absolute record throughout the history of the open selection (about 50% versus 36% a year earlier). On the other hand, the same center notes that the total number of applications — 87 — is lower than last year, and only on par with the 2023–2024 levels. In other words, in terms of the number of female candidates, this is a historic maximum, while in terms of the overall volume of the selection, it is not a record but a stable average figure. Both formulations are correct, but they refer to different metrics: the share in the structure of applications and the absolute number of submitted documents.