Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment: Update

Gender roles and Norms

Uzbekistan’s civil, criminal, labor, and family laws are based on the principle of gender equality. the legal framework protecting women’s rights complies with international standards. However, traditional gender contracts, although not constituting formal laws or policies, prescribe the roles of women and men in the family and society, define implicit and explicit rules, and assign different jobs, values, responsibilities, and obligations to women and men. tradition-bound notions of motherhood, children, and family are prevalent in Uzbekistan. a woman who decides to have a career is expected to balance work and family life. Gender stereotypes related to female behavior and social roles significantly affect professional choices for women and men and influence young women’s opportunities in education and in the selection of a field for future career development. Gender norms in rural areas are more conservative, especially regarding women’s roles and marriageable age.
xiv Executive Summary

the most recent decree of the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan (February 2018) defines measures intended to radically improve support for women and for the family as an institution, while continuing to follow systemic approaches to addressing gender inequalities.

Property rights and Access to resources

although legislation guarantees equal rights to property ownership for both women and men, there are still significant gender disparities. Most people acquire residential houses through inheritance, which traditionally favors men. Female-owned property composes only 22.3% of the total value of property registered with the National agency on Land and property Cadastre. Rural households are traditionally headed by men; accordingly, most real estate is registered in their name. Family funds accumulate in the hands of the eldest male, usually an in-law living with the family, who supervises the budget. Women’s limited access to finance and assets affects their economic opportunities and empowerment. to address these issues, adB has supported an affordable housing project that, among other outcomes, gives women better access to housing loans, thus contributing to gender balance in property rights.