CABAR.ASIA
Kazakhstan: HOW GENDER STEREOTYPES PREVENT WOMEN FROM BUILDING A CAREER
by Nazerke Berikkhan
96 per cent of Kazakhstanis have prejudices against women, according to the Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) of the UN Development Programme. According to the survey, 75 per cent of respondents believe that men are better political leaders than women. 67.5 per cent think that men are better at running a business and have more rights to work amid the lack of jobs, and 68.5% think that a man may beat his wife.
According to the UNDP, the analysis shows that the so-called "glass ceiling" affects all aspects of life of women, while gender stereotypes and biases prevent them from becoming successful in politics, labour market and education.
According to the UNDP, the analysis shows that the so-called "glass ceiling" affects all aspects of life of women, while gender stereotypes and biases prevent them from becoming successful in politics, labour market and education.
"Are you a feminist?"
Alina (not her real name) is 22 years old, she lives in Almaty. Now she is an independent girl who knows her rights. But at the beginning of her career, she encountered sexism at her work:
- The company did not have a vacancy, but I found contacts of the chief and emailed him that I wanted to work there, and asked to look at my CV. He emailed me various tasks for a month. He tested my knowledge and skills and then invited me to their office.
I was a trainee and he did not trust me my personal project. I joined a team that consisted of men only. They were professionals and were making cool projects. They took me to their team because they needed to hear a girl's opinion about their new project about women.
The chief did not come to work, he just gave instructions. Our team was working by ourselves. Once we discussed the viral video at work. All were laughing and encouraging the humour. But it was wrong for me as women were insulted on this video.
When I expressed my discontent, one of my colleagues said, "Are you a feminist?" I explained to him that there were various types of feminism, that I was not a radical feminist, but supported the liberal form. He looked at me with such a contempt and said out loud that "female feminists were crazy," and that "women must sit at home", etc.
I didn't say anything as I did not want to cause a scandal and I needed that job.
I was a trainee and he did not trust me my personal project. I joined a team that consisted of men only. They were professionals and were making cool projects. They took me to their team because they needed to hear a girl's opinion about their new project about women.
The chief did not come to work, he just gave instructions. Our team was working by ourselves. Once we discussed the viral video at work. All were laughing and encouraging the humour. But it was wrong for me as women were insulted on this video.
When I expressed my discontent, one of my colleagues said, "Are you a feminist?" I explained to him that there were various types of feminism, that I was not a radical feminist, but supported the liberal form. He looked at me with such a contempt and said out loud that "female feminists were crazy," and that "women must sit at home", etc.
I didn't say anything as I did not want to cause a scandal and I needed that job.
Once, they decided to give me a ride home after work. There were three of us in the car and the same colleague said that his wife had a beauty parlour and they were talking about it. I also wanted to join the conversation and said I didn't go often to beauty salons. He looked at me via a mirror and said, "I'm sure you don't." And they both started laughing.
I felt uncomfortable, I didn't get them. Then I said that I go to beauty salon only when I have money. He said that all girls can find money to go to a beauty salon anyway. I felt ill at ease, came home, and broke into tears. Because at that moment I ran out of money. I didn't have money for food, not to speak of a beauty salon.
I felt uncomfortable, I didn't get them. Then I said that I go to beauty salon only when I have money. He said that all girls can find money to go to a beauty salon anyway. I felt ill at ease, came home, and broke into tears. Because at that moment I ran out of money. I didn't have money for food, not to speak of a beauty salon.
"No one shall be subject to any discrimination for reasons of origin, social, property status, occupation, sex, race, nationality, language, attitude towards religion, convictions, place of residence or any other circumstances."
Later on, I wrote to him what I felt and that he didn't know anything about my financial status. He apologised and promised a chocolate bar to me. I think he was scared that I could tell everything to our chief.
After a few days, when we were at a store, he threw the chocolate bar towards me with disgust. It was obvious from his appearance that it was very difficult for him to apologise to me, the girl.
After that case, he started to nag me often. He didn't say anything directly, but made sure I heard him. He was saying that men must beat women. He was saying it in my presence on purpose.
I tried to wear slouchy and baggy styles at work because my colleagues were religious and I wanted them to feel comfortable when working with me. However, I don't wear such styles outside work.
I am faithful, but I don't qualify myself as belonging to any religion. They didn't like it and we had a conflict. Then they told me to recite the kalima when I am dying, as if it would help me (kalmia is the evidence of faith in Islam). They took my faith as fun and they didn't take me seriously.
Every time, my colleagues taught me what I should be like. They said it was high time for me to get married, that my peers have two children at the age of 22. In their opinion, a girl must not be like me, but must sit at home and raise children and be a good wife.
After a few days, when we were at a store, he threw the chocolate bar towards me with disgust. It was obvious from his appearance that it was very difficult for him to apologise to me, the girl.
After that case, he started to nag me often. He didn't say anything directly, but made sure I heard him. He was saying that men must beat women. He was saying it in my presence on purpose.
I tried to wear slouchy and baggy styles at work because my colleagues were religious and I wanted them to feel comfortable when working with me. However, I don't wear such styles outside work.
I am faithful, but I don't qualify myself as belonging to any religion. They didn't like it and we had a conflict. Then they told me to recite the kalima when I am dying, as if it would help me (kalmia is the evidence of faith in Islam). They took my faith as fun and they didn't take me seriously.
Every time, my colleagues taught me what I should be like. They said it was high time for me to get married, that my peers have two children at the age of 22. In their opinion, a girl must not be like me, but must sit at home and raise children and be a good wife.
"Persons who think that they have been subjected to discrimination in the labour area have the right to apply to court or other instances in the manner established by the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
But according to lawyer Aiman Umarova, women rarely go with such cases to their manager, not to speak of courts:
- There are many cases of discrimination against women, but no one maintains official statistics. Women rarely report such cases.
Discrimination at work has become a normal phenomenon, which has become widespread. According to the Labour Code and the Constitution, discrimination is an unacceptable thing. In fact, these articles do not apply.
The law defines clearly only article 123 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is about coercion into sexual intercourse. But it is very difficult to prove. Both harassment and coercion take place in secrecy, away from public eye. You can take an audio or video, but all these evidences may be incompetent in court because they were taken illegally.
Discrimination at work has become a normal phenomenon, which has become widespread. According to the Labour Code and the Constitution, discrimination is an unacceptable thing. In fact, these articles do not apply.
The law defines clearly only article 123 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is about coercion into sexual intercourse. But it is very difficult to prove. Both harassment and coercion take place in secrecy, away from public eye. You can take an audio or video, but all these evidences may be incompetent in court because they were taken illegally.
Aiman Umarova
lawyer
photo from personal account on Facebook
photo from personal account on Facebook
Sexism and discrimination against women are deemed normal
According to the social study held by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Kazakhstan, urban residents face more impairments or restrictions because various social groups reside in the city and each of them has their own views and opinions.
Women at the age of 30 to 60, with university degree, high and medium financial status and with regular jobs, usually encounter discrimination.
Women at the age of 30 to 60, with university degree, high and medium financial status and with regular jobs, usually encounter discrimination.
Dina Tansari
head of the NeMolchi.KZ Abuse Victims Fund
photo: voxpopuli.kz
photo: voxpopuli.kz
- Sexism roots in the patriarchal education because many people carry their relationships within their family or with wife over to their work.
For example, pay attention to this fact: how often do you see in an office that women lay the table and bring hot tea to men during the lunch break? It's not important whether they are top managers or someone else. If there's one man and one woman in the society, the woman will be laying the table. This is the rule.
This patriarchy, which is fully rooted in the family, is carried over to work and they don't even notice it. People live with it in their offices and transport, restaurant, football field. It is the image of a man who was raised in a patriarchal environment. So, everything becomes sexism.
For example, pay attention to this fact: how often do you see in an office that women lay the table and bring hot tea to men during the lunch break? It's not important whether they are top managers or someone else. If there's one man and one woman in the society, the woman will be laying the table. This is the rule.
This patriarchy, which is fully rooted in the family, is carried over to work and they don't even notice it. People live with it in their offices and transport, restaurant, football field. It is the image of a man who was raised in a patriarchal environment. So, everything becomes sexism.
Alina lived far from office and it was difficult for her to get to work. Therefore, she decided to tell her chief about her situation. He allowed her to live in the office for a while.
- Our office was a small apartment. I lived there for free so I decided to clean the apartment and wash the floor. I bought special detergents and toilet paper at my expense. My colleagues saw it and even praised me. And then they asked me to clean the toilet.
There were five men in the apartment and they left the toilet dirty. I used to clean the toilet bowl after them. Then, they got used to it and started to make orders. Our kitchen was also a mess. They didn't wash their mugs, left the dishes all around the kitchen. Once, I cleaned up the mess and they thought I would be doing it all the time.
But I wrote in our general chat that they must clean up after themselves and wash their mugs. Then it all stopped and I felt happy. But our relations with colleagues got very tense. Sometimes, they didn't even say hi to me. They thought that the chief employed me out of pity. They didn't take into account that I was performing all tasks and tried my best for one month for free. Why? Because they didn't see I was a specialist, I was just a girl for them.
There were five men in the apartment and they left the toilet dirty. I used to clean the toilet bowl after them. Then, they got used to it and started to make orders. Our kitchen was also a mess. They didn't wash their mugs, left the dishes all around the kitchen. Once, I cleaned up the mess and they thought I would be doing it all the time.
But I wrote in our general chat that they must clean up after themselves and wash their mugs. Then it all stopped and I felt happy. But our relations with colleagues got very tense. Sometimes, they didn't even say hi to me. They thought that the chief employed me out of pity. They didn't take into account that I was performing all tasks and tried my best for one month for free. Why? Because they didn't see I was a specialist, I was just a girl for them.
A woman must always fight and assert her rights to survive in the patriarchal society, according to gender expert Aida Alzhanova.
Aida Alzhanova
gender expert
photo: ncagip.kz
photo: ncagip.kz
- It's all very simple, a woman has the same rights as men: right to life, right to health, right to freedom of speech. The main thing is that women must be aware of it.
When budget money is spent on TV programmes that show what a woman must do in a family and how she must behave not to annoy a man, I think it's a misappropriation of public money. It throws the country back to the gross feudalism and does not lead to real democracy.
Therefore, sexist expressions on the media or by politicians must be strictly suppressed.
When budget money is spent on TV programmes that show what a woman must do in a family and how she must behave not to annoy a man, I think it's a misappropriation of public money. It throws the country back to the gross feudalism and does not lead to real democracy.
Therefore, sexist expressions on the media or by politicians must be strictly suppressed.
It's harder for women in Kazakhstan to build a career than for men
- I lived in the office for four months. Every day was a stress for me. I could not tell what I think to their face and solve the problem because they were all against me. Sometimes, I was crying all night long. I didn't know what to do and where to go.
I was losing my hair because of the stress. Then I understood that I could not bear it and talked to my boss. It's not important for him if you are a woman or a man. What's important is how you work. He understood my situation and gave me a separate project.
Why didn't I do it before? Because I wanted to work in that sphere. It would be impossible in another company. Therefore, I always kept silent, just nodded my head, agreed that I was silly and didn't know anything.
Now my boss knows my skills and capacities and trusts me in full. Of course, it is difficult to work alone, yet it is better than to work with sexists. In general, there are very few women in my profession because many women cannot stand it. The pay here is not very high, so I have to survive among men.
I was losing my hair because of the stress. Then I understood that I could not bear it and talked to my boss. It's not important for him if you are a woman or a man. What's important is how you work. He understood my situation and gave me a separate project.
Why didn't I do it before? Because I wanted to work in that sphere. It would be impossible in another company. Therefore, I always kept silent, just nodded my head, agreed that I was silly and didn't know anything.
Now my boss knows my skills and capacities and trusts me in full. Of course, it is difficult to work alone, yet it is better than to work with sexists. In general, there are very few women in my profession because many women cannot stand it. The pay here is not very high, so I have to survive among men.
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), in 2020 Kazakhstan took 74th place among 153 world countries in the gender gap index. It has 14 parameters in four areas: career, education, health and political rights.
When it comes to managerial positions in commercial companies or state agencies, women rarely hold managerial offices.
When it comes to managerial positions in commercial companies or state agencies, women rarely hold managerial offices.
According to the experts, labour values are closely related to the prevailing stereotypes in the society, where men traditionally have lead roles and women have secondary roles. Therefore, it is more difficult for women to climb the career ladder than for men.
"It is worth noting that laws and rules play a major role. It's important that women know where to go and file a complaint. Once a woman is protected, there will be no sexist attitude. If a woman is not protected by law or rules, there's discrimination," said Dina Tansari.
According to regional expert in gender issues Akmaral Sman, the legislation, strategies and projects on protection of women's rights were not developed with participation of women or vulnerable people. If their opinion, interests and needs were really reflected in these documents, we would have a totally different situation:
"It is worth noting that laws and rules play a major role. It's important that women know where to go and file a complaint. Once a woman is protected, there will be no sexist attitude. If a woman is not protected by law or rules, there's discrimination," said Dina Tansari.
According to regional expert in gender issues Akmaral Sman, the legislation, strategies and projects on protection of women's rights were not developed with participation of women or vulnerable people. If their opinion, interests and needs were really reflected in these documents, we would have a totally different situation:
Akmaral Sman
regional expert in gender issues
photo: oilan.podbean.com
photo: oilan.podbean.com
- When we develop programmes and strategies, we do not always see the equal number of men and women. This is the main reason why our initiatives are not effective – there is no involvement of people of all sexes and different social standing. Therefore, the outcome we'll have won't meet the needs of the society of Kazakhstan.
Gender analysis must be performed to prepare programmes and projects. If we speak about the gender-based labour, we should remove male and female notions. Once organisations build up proper communication, raise awareness of gender sensitivity, as well as create programmes of staff development in terms of technical and ethical issues, it will lead to positive changes in the society.
Gender analysis must be performed to prepare programmes and projects. If we speak about the gender-based labour, we should remove male and female notions. Once organisations build up proper communication, raise awareness of gender sensitivity, as well as create programmes of staff development in terms of technical and ethical issues, it will lead to positive changes in the society.
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Right to work free of discrimination
The Labour Code of Kazakhstan sets forth prohibition of discrimination: "No one may be subjected to any discrimination in exercising their labour rights." An employee has a right (article 22, Labour Code of Kazakhstan) to equal payment for equal labour without any discrimination. And the employer must (article 23, Labour Code of Kazakhstan) ensure it.
However, very often the law exists on paper only. So, if you are exposed to discrimination at work, you can go to court or labour inspection at your location. You should specify in your complaint:
Make sure you have copies or keep a few copies of photo, video, audio evidences you could make.
However, very often the law exists on paper only. So, if you are exposed to discrimination at work, you can go to court or labour inspection at your location. You should specify in your complaint:
- What is the violation or restriction of your rights and ask to restore them;
- Declare any action of your employer illegal or discriminatory;
- Demand compensation for moral injury (if any moral or physical health issues followed)
Make sure you have copies or keep a few copies of photo, video, audio evidences you could make.
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