Women of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: Historical legacies impacting contemporary involvement

This research explores the development of the status of women in post-Soviet Central Asia. The research shows that women in Kyrgyzstan are more actively pursuing opportunities to contribute to civil society than what is found in Tajikistan, where the pressures for women to return to more traditional roles has resulted in considerably fewer opportunities for female involvement in the sphere beyond the home. This research aims to explain the reasons we see such different levels of female involvement in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, despite their shared history as Soviet republics and the similar economic problems the states experienced with the transformation of their societies in the decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Research concerning female involvement in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the education system, and the problems related to rural life is utilized to explain the divergent paths of the two nations. It is concluded that a primary factor in the development of gender relations is due to the pre-Soviet traditions that have resurfaced in the post-Soviet era with the development of each individual state’s national identity.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Russian, E Eur, Eurasian St

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Blackburn, Rebecca A.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hitchins, Keith

• Gender Relations in Central Asia
• Women in Tajikistan
• Women in Kyrgyzstan
• Women and Education
• Civil Society
• Women and Islam

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2011 Rebecca A. Blackburn

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24380

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/24380