“The purpose of girls is to give birth” or common gender stereotypes in Kazakh society
According to the UNDP Gender Social Norms Index, which measures how deep-rooted beliefs in society hinder the development of gender equality in various areas, 96% of Kazakhstanis still have stereotypes regarding the role of women in society.
The global coverage of this index was 80% of the total population from 75 countries. The findings indicate that about 28% of the global population agrees that physical violence against a spouse is acceptable; about 50% agree with male superiority in the field of entrepreneurship and the likely employment of the male part of the population in the event of a lack of jobs.
It is worth noting that at present the issue of lack of equality between men and women, discrimination and sexism is quite often raised not only in the media, but also in social networks, with “challenges” being held as part of the implementation of various social projects. And yet, the rooted patriarchal foundations have not been eradicated, and in Kazakhstan the issue of gender discrimination persists and manifests itself in various aspects of life.
For example, the role of a woman is often associated with motherhood and marriage, engaged in unpaid care work and housework. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2018, women's temporary contribution to such unpaid domestic work globally is three times that of men's, which in turn is just over 76%. In turn, the analysis of the situation with the gender gap in the delimitation of unpaid work in the care of the home and children is extremely important in the light of its indicator of gender inequality, when domestic duties are often presented as purely female.
A vivid example of the stereotypical attitude to the role of a woman can be the scandalous speech of the candidate of philological sciences, abaev scholar, Zhalel Omar, at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Taraz, where he was invited as part of a project dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the birth of A. Kunanbaev. J. Omar made a speech, drawing a parallel between girls and a marker that tends to dry out; “girls should not become academics, they should give birth to academics. The purpose of girls is to give birth, ”his phrase sounded, which caused justified criticism from both the students of the school, the teaching staff, and also from users of social networks.
Remarkably, the appearance of a woman in Kazakhstan can also serve as a subject for questions and the emergence of stereotypical thinking regarding the possible type of her activity. Thus, a video that appeared on the official account of the Shymkent Youth Resource Center in early summer 2020 caused a wide public outcry and a flurry of criticism from civil activists, human rights activists and users of social networks. https://youtu.be/nXJcE6vLIAI
According to the plot of the video, the heroine, dressed in a short skirt, gets into a taxi, where the driver, mistaking her for a sex worker, specifies the “cost” of her services. Further, the driver explains to the girl that, just as people distinguish between policemen and doctors by the service uniform, he also mistook her for an employee providing intimate services by the clothes of the heroine. The message of the authors of the video was that, being a representative of the Kazakh nationality, the girl should dress and look more modest and decent.
Indeed, as in the first example, the situation with the video can be regarded as unacceptable, and the content of the “instructive” material not only objectively humiliates the honor and dignity of girls, but can also exacerbate the problems of “victimblaming” (accusation of the victim) in society.
According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2020 - a study on global indicators of gender equality from the World Economic Forum - Kazakhstan is ranked 72nd, which is 12 positions lower compared to the 2018 index (60th place), and according to earlier data from 2013-2018, the country lost another 28 positions. This global measurement of the gender gap between men and women takes place in the following key areas: economic participation, education, health and political empowerment.
According to the UNDP report (Human Development Report 2019), the representation of women in the Parliament of Kazakhstan was only 22.1%, and the pay gap in 2018 was 34.2%. This year, the proportion of women in parliament has slightly increased and amounted to 24.3% (27% in the Majilis[3] and 18% in the Senate).
Assessment and analysis of the legal mechanisms of Kazakhstan to address gender inequality
To begin with, it is necessary to note the Constitution as the main legal document of the country, containing provisions in the field of achieving gender equality and combating gender discrimination.
In Art. Article 14 of the Constitution provides for the illegality of discrimination on various grounds, including but not limited to gender. In addition, the Gender Equality Strategy for 2006-2016 , adopted by the decree of the first President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2005, served as a fundamental document adopted in the framework of the implementation of gender policy in the country.
The strategy reflected in nine sections important aspects for achieving equal rights and freedoms for women and men (for example, strengthening reproductive health; achieving equality in social and political life, the economy; gender education; prevention of gender-based violence in society, etc.).