| General Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 65 (2010) |
| Women in parliament | 17.5% (2012) |
| Women over 25 with secondary education | 93.2% (2010) |
| Women in labour force | 57.4% (2011) |
| Gender Inequality Index [1] | |
| Value | 0.285(2021) |
| Rank | 68th out of 191 |
| Global Gender Gap Index [2] | |
| Value | 0.663 (2022) |
| Rank | 114th out of 146 |
| Part of a series on |
| Women in society |
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This page examines the dynamics surrounding women in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan is a country in Central Asia, with a population formed largely of Tajikistani (84.3%), with a significant Uzbek minority of 13.8%, and smaller numbers of Kyrgyz, Russians, Turkmens, Tatars, and Arabs. Tajikistan is one of the poorest states of the former Soviet sphere. It is a largely rural and agricultural country: as of 2015, only 26.8% of the total population lived in urban areas. The country experienced a very turbulent period in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, with the 1992-97 civil war severely damaging its already weak economy. About 90% of the population is Muslim, with most of them practicing Sunni Islam. [3]
Women in Tajikistan, although living in a strongly patriarchal society, do have a very high literacy rate at 99.7% (as of 2015). [3] Although the use of modern contraception is low (27.9% as of 2012), the total fertility rate is only 2.71 children born/woman (2015 estimate). [3]
The Soviet era saw the implementation of policies designed to transform the status of women in Tajik society. During the 1930s, the Soviet authorities launched a campaign for women's equality in Tajikistan, as they did elsewhere in Central Asia. Eventually major changes resulted from such programs, but initially they provoked intense public opposition. For example, women who appeared in public without the traditional all-enveloping Muslim veil were ostracized by society or even killed by relatives for supposedly shaming their families by what was considered unchaste behavior.
World War II brought an upsurge in women's employment outside the home. With the majority of men removed from their civilian jobs by the demands of war, women compensated for the labor shortage. Although the employment of indigenous women in industry continued to grow even after the war, they remained a small fraction of the industrial labor force after independence.
In the early 1980s, women made up 51 percent of Tajikistan's population and 52 percent of the work force on collective farms, and 38 percent of the industrial labor force, 16 percent of transportation workers, 14 percent of communications workers, and 28 percent of civil servants. These statistics include women of Russian and other non-Central Asian nationalities.
In some rural parts of the republic, about half the women were not employed outside the home in the mid-1980s. In the late Soviet era, female underemployment was an important political issue in Tajikistan because it was linked to the Soviet propaganda campaign portraying Islam as a regressive influence on society.
Some argue that the issue of female employment was more complicated than was indicated by Soviet propaganda. Many women remained in the home not only because of traditional attitudes about women's roles but also because many lacked vocational training and few child care facilities were available. By the end of the 1980s, Tajikistan's preschools accommodated 16.5 percent of the children of appropriate age overall and 2.4 percent of the rural children.
Despite all this, women provided the core of the work force in certain areas of agriculture, especially the production of cotton and some fruits and vegetables. Women were underrepresented in government and management positions relative to their proportion of the republic's population. The Communist Party of Tajikistan, the government - especially the higher offices - and economic management organizations were largely directed by men.
In the last decades of the twentieth century, Tajik social norms and even de facto government policy favored a traditionalist, restrictive attitude toward women that tolerated wife beating and the arbitrary dismissal of women from responsible positions. In the late Soviet period, Tajik girls still commonly married while under-age, despite official condemnation of this practice as a remnant of the feudal Central Asian mentality.
After the violent conflict of the 1990s, which destabilized the country, the 21st century saw a very weak economy, plagued by unemployment and social problems. As a result, large numbers of people, mainly men working in the construction industry or other low-skilled jobs, left abroad in search of work opportunities: by 2009 it was estimated that approximately 800,000 Tajiks were working in Russia. [4] Women remaining at home often experience severe poverty, often resorting to subsistence farming. In 2003, it was estimated that 64% of Tajiks lived below the poverty line. [5]
Domestic violence in Tajikistan is very high, due to traditional Tajik patriarchal values, as well as a reluctance by the authorities to intervene in what is viewed in Tajikistan as a "private family matter". [6] Nearly half of Tajik women have been subjected to physical, psychological, or sexual violence by their husbands or in-laws. [7]
Domestic violence is often seen as justified by Tajik society: a UNICEF survey found that 62.4% of women in Tajikistan justify wife beating if the wife goes out without telling the husband; 68% if she argues with him; 47.9% if she refuses to have sex with him. [8] Another survey also found that women and men largely agreed that it was justifiable for a husband or mother-in-law to beat a wife/daughter-in-law who had "talked back", disobeyed, left the house without permission, had not prepared dinner on time, or had not cared for the children properly. [5]
In 2013, Tajikistan enacted the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence, its first law against domestic violence. [9] NGOs working on women's issues first drafted the proposal in 2007. After no progress was made for three years, Muyasara Bobokhanova, a founder and head of the Association "Woman & Society", sought help from the President, requesting a working group made up of legislators, NGO representatives and other areas of government meet with international organizations to discuss the issue. Specific issues that were western, such as punishment, were removed from the original draft. Focus was directed toward prevention, through addressing the causes, such as unemployment and instability that lead to violence and ensuring that legal and psychological assistance is provided to victims. [10]
Although Tajikistan's laws prohibit forced and child marriage, these practices are common throughout the country, and very little is done to curb these customs. Rates of child marriage increased drastically during the civil war, when parents forced their daughters to marry, in order to protect their premarital chastity (that could be lost through rape, which could affect the 'reputation' of the family). Fear of the girl remaining unmarried is another factor, which also encourages parents to arrange early marriages, since it is not socially acceptable for a woman to not have a husband. [11]
The Government of Tajikistan in August, 2019 announced the renewal of its reproductive health programme for a four-year period ending in 2027 afterwards Nairobi Summit made a commitment. The programme of US$4.1 million is aimed at enhancing the accessibility, quality, and efficiency of reproductive health and family planning services focusing on the most vulnerable citizens who constitute over 75 percent of the population and mostly live in rural areas. [12]
Women's involvement in local government is considered relatively low. In rural jamoats only 15.2% of elected deputies are women. [13] The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in the east of the country had the highest share of elected female deputies in rural jamoats at approximately 21.2%.
The OSCE Border Management Staff College was established in Dushanbe in 2009 with the aim to provide quality training for border security professionals from various government agencies. The emphasis of this program was to improve border security on the Afghan-Tajik border in the south of the country. At first the college attracted predominately male participants; the OSCE reported that from 2009 to 2013 approximately 90% of participants were men. [14] The college then implemented special training programs for women to encourage gender equality and career opportunities for women in border security. A study by the International Organization for Migration found that female border guards were considered much better than their male counterparts in detecting human trafficking cases, de-escalating conflict situations and identifying fraudulent documents. [15] The Tajik Border Forces has since been working to attract more women to the agency. So far, the college has completed six leadership training courses specifically for women in their work to promote gender equality and empowerment for women in border security and management. [16]
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital and most populous city. Tajikistan is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It is separated from Pakistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor. It has a population of over 10.7 million people.
The politics of Tajikistan nominally takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the executive branch and the two chambers of parliament.
Demographic features of the population of Uzbekistan include population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. The nationality of a person from Uzbekistan is Uzbekistani, while the ethnic Uzbek majority call themselves Uzbeks. Much of the data is estimated because the last census was carried out in Soviet times in 1989.
Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and largest city. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and China to the east and southeast. Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's over 7 million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians.
Emomali Rahmon is a Tajik politician who has served as the President of Tajikistan since 1994, having previously led the country as Chairman of the Supreme Assembly from 1992 to 1994.
Istaravshan is a city in Sughd Province in Tajikistan. In 2000, the Tajik government changed the name of the city from Uroteppa.
Konibodom is a city in the Sughd Region of northern Tajikistan, in western Fergana Valley. It has a population of 54,400.
Batken Region is a region of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Batken. It is bounded on the east by Osh Region, on the south, west and north by Tajikistan, and on the northeast by Uzbekistan. The northern part of the region is part of the flat, agricultural Ferghana Valley. The land rises southward to the mountains on the southern border: the Alay Mountains in the east, and the Turkestan Range in the west. Its total area is 17,048 km2 (6,582 sq mi). The resident population of the region was 548,247 as of January 2021. The region has sizeable Uzbek and Tajik minorities.
Tursunzoda is a city in western Tajikistan, known for its aluminium smelting plant TadAZ. It is located 60 km west of Dushanbe, near the border with Uzbekistan. It is near several rivers, Shirkent and Karatag immediately to the west and east of the city, and Kofarnihon further east. Its population is estimated at 55,700 for the city proper and 298,800 for the city with the outlying communities (2020). Its population was given as 40,600 in the 1989 census, falling to 39,000 in 2000, and estimated at 37,000 in 2006.
Panj District is a district in Khatlon Region, Tajikistan. Its capital is Panj. The population of the district is 119,700. The district has been an area of ethnic tensions betweek its Uzbek and Tajik residents. During the early Soviet period the district was officially named Kirovobod District.
Rasht District is a district in Tajikistan, one of the Districts of Republican Subordination. It lies between the city of Vahdat in the west and Lakhsh District in the east; its southern neighbors are Nurobod, Sangvor, and Tojikobod districts; its northern border runs along the eastern finger of Sughd Region and along the international border with Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is the town Gharm. The population of Rasht District are known as Gharmis. The population of the district is 127,400.
Rudaki District is a district in Tajikistan, one of the Districts of Republican Subordination. It stretches south from Dushanbe, bordering on Shahrinav District, the city of Hisor, and Varzob District from the north and northwest, Tajikistan's Khatlon Region from the south and the east, and Uzbekistan from the west. Its administrative capital is Somoniyon, a southern suburb of Dushanbe, called Leninsky in the Soviet period. The population of the district is 518,200.
Women in Kazakhstan are women who live in or are from Kazakhstan. Their position in society has been and is influenced by a variety of factors, including local traditions and customs, decades of Soviet regime, rapid social and economic changes and instability after independence, and new emerging Western values.
Women in Kyrgyzstan traditionally had assigned roles, although only the religious elite sequestered women as was done in other Muslim societies. Rural inhabitants continue the traditional Siberian tribal practice of bride kidnapping. Bride kidnapping, known as ala kachuu, girls as young as 12 years old are kidnapped for forced marriage, by being captured and carried away by groups of men or even relatives who, through violence or deception, take the girl to the abductor's family who forces and coerces the young woman to accept the illegal marriage. In most cases, the young woman is raped immediately in the name of marriage.
The Tajikistan health system is influenced by the former Soviet legacy. It is ranked as the poorest country within the WHO European region, including the lowest total health expenditure per capita. Tajikistan is ranked 129th as Human Development Index of 188 countries, with an Index of 0.627 in 2016. In 2016, the SDG Index value was 56. In Tajikistan health indicators such as infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest of the former Soviet republics. In the post-Soviet era, life expectancy has decreased because of poor nutrition, polluted water supplies, and increased incidence of cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, and typhoid. Because the health care system has deteriorated badly and receives insufficient funding and because sanitation and water supply systems are in declining condition, Tajikistan has a high risk of epidemic disease.
The jamoats of Tajikistan are the third-level administrative divisions, similar to communes or municipalities, in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. As of January 2020, there are 368 rural jamoats, 65 towns and 18 cities in Tajikistan. Each jamoat is further subdivided into villages
Domestic violence in Tajikistan is very high, due to traditional Tajik muslim family values, as well as a reluctance by the authorities to intervene in what is viewed in Tajikistan as a "private family matter".
The Border Troops, also called the Border Service, is the border guard of Tajikistan. Functioning under the State Committee for National Security as part of the Armed Forces, the border guards are trained by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, along with the Afghan Border Police. A higher education college is located in the capital, Dushanbe, the Border Troops Academy, and a Border Troops Training Centre is located south of it, in the Rudaki District. The main control station of the border troops is the Border Management Center of the Main Border Guard Directorate of the SCNS.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is a pan-Islamist and fundamentalist group seeking to re-establish "the Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate)" as an Islamic "superstate" where Muslim-majority countries are unified and ruled under Islamic Shariah law, and which eventually expands globally to include non-Muslim states. In Central Asia, the party has expanded since the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s from a small group to "one of the most powerful organizations" operating in Central Asia. The region itself has been called "the primary battleground" for the party. Uzbekistan is "the hub" of Hizb ut-Tahrir's activities in Central Asia, while its "headquarters" is now reportedly in Kyrgyzstan.
Since their independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union, and suffering through a civil war that lasted from 1992 to 1997, Tajikistan has had a difficult time recovering economically and structurally. This economic strain has affected the family dynamic. It is now common for the men to work abroad in Russia, leaving the women to manage the land and children. Up to 74% of the population live in rural areas and rely heavily on agriculture. These women take on the duties of their husbands and or family members, along with their responsibilities as caretakersf. In some cases the men do not return to their homes and or ask for a divorce, leaving their wife and children in a vulnerable position. Tajikistan's culture is deeply patriarchal, with women not attaining the same rights as men. Domestic violence has been a prevalent issue in Tajikistan. Lack of education, resources, cultural norms, and government enforcement, have been factors in women not reporting these crimes. Another issue is the landscape of Tajikistan: 93% of the region is mountainous. The poor infrastructure and isolated villages is a contribution in the difficulty of changing the ideas surrounding genders. The Tajikistan government, with help through partnerships with organizations like the United Nations and other Non Governmental Organizations have drafted several resolutions throughout the years to ameliorate these issues within their society. However, this issue still needs to be researched more deeply.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Country Studies. Federal Research Division. (Data as of 1996.)
