76.5% of Kazakhstan's population, both females and males, find the gender situation in the country satisfactory. Women in Kazakhstan perceive their rights and opportunities to be most abundant within the family, followed by the workplace, public life, and politics. However, 26.6% of the women interviewed feel their rights and opportunities need to be improved, The Astana Times reported.
On March 5, a sociological study conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan and the UN Women Kazakhstan on gender equality and female empowerment in Kazakhstan was unveiled. The study, which involved 3,800 respondents from all 17 regions of Kazakhstan, including the cities of national significance - Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent, provides a representative sample of diverse age groups, social positions, nationalities, and professions.
Deep-rooted stereotypes about socially conditioned gender roles persist, reinforcing gender inequality. The study shows that 70% of men and 54% of women believe that a woman's primary duty is to create a comfortable family environment. Furthermore, 77% of men and 54% of women agree that the head of the family should be a man.
The Vice Minister of Information and Social Development, Yevgeniy Kochetov, announced the introduction of premarital counselling to address gender imbalance. This voluntary initiative is expected to yield results that will guide the project's scaling. Additionally, a master's program focusing on gender studies is planned for 2024-2025.
According to Sukhrob Khojimatov, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Kazakhstan, gender-based violence in all its forms poses the most severe threat to human rights protection. Recent estimates indicate that nearly 90% of the global population harbours prejudice against women, with one in four people finding an excuse for domestic violence.
Only in 14 countries do women have equal legal rights with men. The proportion of women in heads of state or government worldwide has remained at 10% since 1995. Women continue to earn 48% less than men for the same job.
The study presents positive trends regarding women's participation in the labour market in Kazakhstan. 75% of men agree that women should work and have their income, and 69% are comfortable with their wife or partner earning more than them. However, only 50% of male respondents believe that a woman can entirely independently manage her earnings. The proportion of respondents who said that a woman should hand over her earnings to her husband or parents is nearly 3% in Astana, 5% in Almaty, and 19% in Shymkent.
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