THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN UZBEKISTAN: IS SECULARISM STRONGER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TASHKENT 001948 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KWMN KISL UZ SUBJECT: THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN UZBEKISTAN: IS SECULARISM STRONGER THAN TRADITIONALISM? ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Gender issues in Uzbekistan continue to be a complicated matter. De jure, women in this secular, former Soviet society enjoy protections from discrimination, with relatively modern legislation and government policies pushing society towards greater gender equality. De facto, other societal forces-including traditional roles of women-remain as barriers to achieving full equality. There is also a significant urban-rural divide. In general, both men and women have access to at least a basic education, but many men and women do not have access to quality health care-and women are particularly vulnerable because their families are often reluctant to pay for necessary care. Poverty and lack of access to resources (including information) leave many women vulnerable to exploitation, though new outreach efforts aim to change that by educating women about their rights. END SUMMARY. LEGISLATION AND GOVERNMENT POLICY ¶2. (SBU) Uzbekistan inherited from Soviet days systemic equality in many areas: equal access to education, health care, and employment; high literacy rates; and equal social benefits. Women, though certainly underrepresented, have held top leadership positions in business and politics for generations. Since independence, the GOU has tried to expand upon that tradition, and as a matter of official policy has taken numerous steps to eliminate discrimination against women. In line with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),the GOU reports that it has developed a series of national mechanisms to assist the observance of women's rights outlined in the Convention. Its stated priority areas include the legal, economic, and social protection of motherhood and childhood; creating conditions for improving women's social and financial status; and promoting women's participation in all areas of public life. The Women's Committee of Uzbekistan, an organization with strong ties to the GOU, plays a significant role in the coordination and implementation of gender-related policies in Uzbekistan. TRADITIONAL ROLES OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY ¶3. (SBU) The Uzbek national identity, while an ever-evolving notion, includes a strong emphasis on community and family. In Soviet Uzbekistan, women were expected to enter the labor market as "equals," but pre-Soviet traditions continued to dictate that women bear the burden of raising children and maintaining the home. Thus, "modern" Soviet gender policies were actually resented by many Uzbek women. (NOTE: The Soviet system undeniably had many positive effects on the situation of the average Uzbek woman, and many contemporary Uzbek women view "traditional" Uzbek gender roles with contempt-but that view is far from monolithic.) Since Uzbekistan's independence, some segments of society have advocated a return to the conservative pre-Soviet values that had faded from view but never really disappeared. As in many societies, cultural traditions and religious traditions are so deeply intertwined in Uzbekistan that they seem virtually inseparable. Islam enjoyed a major resurgence after the breakup of the Soviet Union; today, almost 90 percent of the population is Muslim. Historically, Uzbeks practiced a fairly rigid form of Islam in which men and women were strictly segregated. Women's lives revolved exclusively around their homes and their husbands; in public, they covered themselves completely. (NOTE: After the Soviet revolution, traditional Uzbek veils were forbidden.) Therefore, the "Uzbek identity," according to most traditionalists, includes Uzbek women who are dutifully devoted to their role as wives and mothers. Though not a negative or culturally unique perspective, per se, this ideal is often accompanied by a host of negative assumptions that disadvantage women. Today, women who enter the workforce still largely retain their responsibilities in the home, which results in difficult time constraints and a noticeable segregation of the sexes both socially and in the workforce-women often occupy lower-paid and lower-status positions. The Asian Development Bank in 2005 reported that only four percent of executive positions in Uzbekistan were occupied by women. ¶4. (SBU) Traditional beliefs have also hampered efforts at overcoming such problems as domestic violence, which often goes unreported. Traditionally, women are expected to "suffer through" TASHKENT 00001948 002 OF 003 abuse from their husbands; therefore, women who seek to leave abusive relationships have very little support, either from their families or from social structures. Indeed, the influential "mahala" (neighborhood) committee system is reputed to be largely unsympathetic to the plight of women in these situations. Divorce is frowned upon, particularly for women. This is one area where the urban-rural divide makes little difference. On the other hand, traditional notions of the honor and dignity of women can potentially have a positive effect. For example, government and society have responded strongly to issues of human trafficking, particularly when it involves sexual exploitation of women. Anti-trafficking measures have included legislation, media campaigns, the establishment of telephone "hotlines," and the building of a rehabilitation center for victims, which is set to open soon. EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE ¶5. (SBU) Women in Uzbekistan generally have equal access to education. Literacy indicators are strong for both men and women, and there is near-universal enrollment in primary school. The number of women enrolling in universities is also on the rise, approaching parity with male students in legal and medical faculties, according to a CEDAW "shadow report" produced by local NGOs in conjunction with the official CEDAW report. However, women and girls in rural areas tend to face more challenges in terms of access to education, particularly if their families are impoverished. Anecdotal evidence indicates that some families facing economic difficulties choose not to send girls to secondary school. There are several reasons for this: first of all, keeping girls home allows them to help with housework or child care. In addition, even public schools often ask their students to make informal payments to support the school's functions or augment low staff salaries. Some families balk at paying even small amounts to educate their daughters, in part because education is seen as unnecessary to fulfill their traditional roles as wives and mothers. ¶6. (SBU) There is a strong history of equal access to health care, and no legal barriers exist to accessing the health care system. Even in remote areas, there are usually childbirth centers that provide prenatal and postnatal medical care to women. However, the quality of available health care is another matter entirely, and those who can afford it seek care from private doctors and clinics. Although (lower quality) health care is theoretically available for free, in practice, patients are often forced to bribe the staff of clinics and hospitals in order to receive care. As with education, when a family faces economic hardships, the health care needs of mothers and daughters often are a low priority, and women and girls' health can suffer as a result. ACCESS TO INFORMATION ¶7. (SBU) "Informational starvation" is also a problem for women in rural areas. While most women in Tashkent have access to information from a variety of sources, including Internet and television programs, many women in small rural communities are extremely isolated and have almost no access to any type of media. Consequently, women in Tashkent tend to have a very modern outlook and usually know their legal rights, in stark contrast to rural areas, where lack of knowledge makes many women vulnerable to exploitation or abuse. (NOTE: Rural communities also tend to be more religiously devout.) To combat this problem, the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan is working with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) on a project called "Legislative and Institutional Capacity Development for Women's Empowerment in Uzbekistan." To date, this project has conducted seminars on women's rights for doctors and secondary school teachers in rural areas, focusing on issues such as domestic violence and discriminative customs (e.g. forced and early marriages). COMMENT TASHKENT 00001948 003 OF 003 ¶8. (SBU) While women continue to face steep obstacles in Uzbekistan, the GOU is taking small but important steps to protect women's rights and promote equality. Gender equality policies are a positive consequence of the GOU's strongly secular outlook aimed at preventing the emergence of more traditionally Islamic social and political values in the country. De facto, however, Uzbekistan remains a strongly male-dominated society where traditional attitudes about gender persist. END COMMENT. NORLAND