Feminism in Kazakhstan
Today I’m going to talk about feminism in my country. I am from Kazakhstan and would like to describe the current situation in my country. This topic is quite deep, and you can talk about it endlessly, but I will try to put everything in a concise form as much as possible.
Is there feminism in Kazakhstan? Yes, I think we have it, and it is rapidly gaining momentum and developing. But!!! We still need to strengthen actions to address the issues related to violence against women, low representation of women in politics and the economy, sexual and reproductive rights, gender stereotypes and prejudices, and a lack of awareness about feminism.
At the moment, one of the most important things that feminists are fighting for in my country is the law on violence. Rapists and pedophiles bear extremely unequal punishments for their actions. I am always seized with fear when I read the news about how another man beat and abused a girl and just got off with a fine for his actions or simply lost his freedom for two weeks and could continue to pursue the same victim.
Also, if we talk about stereotypes and prejudices, we have very developed victim-blaming when the victim is accused of her own rape for her “revealing outfit” or that she herself wanted to take a walk at night and had to be prepared for such consequences for such a desire. Such conversations can even work in state court against the victim herself and justify the rapist.
Also, because of the developed corruption, sometimes quite wealthy people can mock the victim for years, and no one can help them because everyone will be on the side of the man.
Also, because of the concept of “uyat”, which translates from Kazakh as “shame,” many girls simply cannot admit or report violence to the police in order to preserve their “honor” and the honor of the family… Also, because of such thinking, women may face difficulties in obtaining information about contraception and abortion. After all, talking about “sex” is taboo and shameful, and abortion is considered “killing” a person.
In Kazakhstan, women face obstacles to accessing economic and political resources. Women are underrepresented in high-level leadership positions in the public and private sectors, as well as in Parliament and other political institutions. And I think that just because of the lack of girls in leadership positions, no matter how good and empathetic the men at the top are, it will still be quite difficult for them to understand women’s problems.
And even though, at the moment, we finally have rallies, women’s marches, and more awareness about feminism and the rights of women, people still treat it as something terrible. Feminists are stereotypically thought of as rebellious and hateful girls who just want attention.
Some people in Kazakhstan are not familiar with the ideas and values of feminism, which can lead to misunderstanding and resistance to this movement. In addition, many women do not realize that they are discriminated against on the basis of gender or do not have access to the information and resources necessary to protect their rights.
I can also say that men are still affected by stereotypical thoughts, and they struggle daily with the burden of being the bread-earner of the family, they are always obliged to pay for the girl and naturally give different gifts, never talk about their problems because they are “strong”, they never cry and they cannot be “weak”.
I would like to conclude by saying that, young people in my country are really becoming more and more aware of feminism in the right direction and we are really taking big steps to eradicate these problems. Unfortunately, people’s mentality cannot be changed overnight, but I believe that we still have a positive future with gender equality.
Editor: Neeti Devkota
