A Comparative Study on Muslim Women's Work in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

Abstract

During the Soviet Era, Central Asian countries underwent the process of forced modernization and womens emancipation. As part of an effort to modernize and industrialize the region, the Soviet government implemented female liberation campaigns in Central Asian Muslim societies. However, despite the common Soviet experience, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan show different levels of gender inequality. The purpose of this paper is to examine why such disparities occur. This paper argues that the culture – whether sedentary or nomadic a society was before the Soviet colonization – is a key factor in understanding the current gender relations in two countries. By observing the status of women in labor market, it suggests that gender inequality level is higher in traditionally sedentary Uzbekistan than nomadic Kazakhstan.