TAJIK WOMEN LEADERS FRUSTRATED BY CULTURAL ATTITUDES AMONG

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000882 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM KWMN TI SUBJECT: TAJIK WOMEN LEADERS FRUSTRATED BY CULTURAL ATTITUDES AMONG WOMEN DUSHANBE 00000882 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: Leaders of Tajikistan's political parties discussed how women are marginalized in politics and the frustrations they share trying to empower women, at a roundtable with PolOff June 4. All pointed out that Tajik cultural norms are oppressive to women, but sometimes it's the women themselves who uphold the traditional female roles in a male-dominated society. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Of Tajikistan's eight registered political parties, none are led by women and only two have institutionalized leadership positions for women. Two parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Party, could not identify women leaders to participate in the roundtable. Soliha Ahmadova, Head of the Women's Department of President Rahmon's People's Democratic Party and Tahmina Qayyumova, head of the party's young women's department attended the roundtable. The Head of the Women's Department for the Islamic Renaissance Party, Zurafo Rahmoni, and Mahbuba Fayzulloeva, daughter of the late chairman Said Abdullo Nuri, represented the party; Mamlakat Joyjieva attended from the Democratic Party of Tajikistan. WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT, OR NOT, AS THE CASE MAY BE ¶3. President Rahmon issued a decree in 1999, aimed at empowering women in Tajik society, which ordered all government offices including ministries, local governments, and state universities to employ at least one woman in a deputy level position. The government also established the Committee on Women's Affairs in 1991 and in 2002 the Department on Gender Equality, both reporting to the president's office. "Main Directions of the State Policies for Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Men and Women in Tajikistan 2001-2010" serves as an action plan to pursue gender equality. As a result of these government initiatives, women now fill 17 percent of government positions, are elected officials in each district government, and comprise 90 percent of school principals. The second of two deputy prime ministers is a woman as is the Minister of Health, and 11 women serve as elected national parliamentarians. Roundtable participants agree that the president's initiative has made an impact, but more opportunities for women to play a prominent role in governing and shaping Tajikistan's future are needed. They point out that many proposals in the action plan have not been implemented and although the government's quotas have meant that more women can obtain positions in government, most of those positions are appointed, not elected. ¶4. The mindset of women themselves proves one of the biggest hindrances to achieving gender equality and providing more workplace opportunities for women. Roundtable participants expressed strong disappointment when they told PolOff that the female parliamentarians themselves argue that a woman's role and responsibilities are at home. The women leaders at the roundtable described the most difficult part of their job as breaking down the cultural stereotypes that women hold of themselves. Many Tajik women they encounter still believe that politics is "the business of men." ¶5. Roundtable participants complained that the government and political parties' push for more female participation during the November 2006 presidential election was merely lip service. In order for more women to participate in politics or run in elections, real legislative reform needs to be implemented that creates a more open political playing field for all interested participants. The representatives of the political parties say that the fees are often too high for women. Rahmoni proposed one partial solution to the Islamic Renaissance Party leadership - i.e., that the party should assist women who choose to run for an elected position. TAJIKISTAN'S ECONOMIC WOES PUT WOMEN IN UNTRADITIONAL ROLES, WITH NO SUPPORT ¶6. All the women around the table nodded their heads when Zurafo Rahmoni of the Islamic Renaissance party said that "Women are shackled by economic problems in Tajikistan." With anywhere between 600,000 to one million Tajik men serving as labor migrants abroad, Tajikistan faces a complicated social dynamic. In some villages the men's departure has led to positive developments such as women take a greater role in business, working at the bazaars, or filling vacant positions in local government. However, labor migration also means that many women are left destitute because some migrants do not send money home to their families and the women have to fend for themselves, DUSHANBE 00000882 002.2 OF 002 while still occupying an inferior position in their communities. The woman bears the burden of being the breadwinner while also keeping house. Unfortunately, the gender gap in education means that most women in rural villages are under-educated with little skills to obtain the high-paying jobs -- and few jobs available for them. EDUCATION FOR ALL ¶7. The representatives from the People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan (President Rahmon's party) disagreed with the other political parties on the Ministry of Education's edict against the hijab and defended the party line that girls should not be allowed to wear inappropriate dress to school; but all participants agreed that women's education should not be impeded by debates on dress. Although the Tajik government insists that all pupils are mandated to attend school, in practice, this is not the case and more boys attend schools than girls. Anecdotal evidence suggests drop-out rates for girls are higher than for boys, especially in rural areas feeling the greatest impact of out-migration. ¶8. Zurafo Rahmoni revealed that the Islamic Renaissance Party's Women's Department is working with a leading fashion designer in Tajikistan to produce a Sharia-appropriate school uniform that is uniquely Tajik so that government officials cannot criticize it as an external influence from Iran or Arab countries. The new national dress uniform would include the Tajik national headscarf, which is not a hijab and is permitted by the Ministry of Education's new dress code. The Islamic Renaissance Party accepts the Tajik national headscarf as a form of hijab. They are optimistic that the government will compromise and accept their new proposal on school uniforms. (Note: The Tajik headscarf does not fully cover a women's head like a hijab, and does not wrap around the neck under the chin. End Note.) Rahmoni's proposal is a good example of moving beyond the hijab debate and taking proactive steps to ensure that all women receive education regardless of religious practices. ¶9. COMMENT: The roundtable discussion demonstrated that promoting gender equality and raising women's status entails more than creating a body of law addressing gender inequality and checking off the box as complete. In Tajikistan problems of poverty and a poor healthcare and education system affect both men and women harshly; but in a country where women in some families are still viewed as second class citizens, women suffer disproportionately. More also needs to be done to change the attitudes of society -- both men and women -- to value women and girls. Unfortunately, only a few of the political parties have decided to take on this task. END COMMENT. JACOBSON