In recent years, wide-ranging reforms have been implemented in our country aimed at creating equal rights and opportunities for women and men, ensuring the full participation of women in social and public life, supporting them socially, economically, and legally, as well as protecting them from harassment and violence.
Thanks to the high political will and initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the issues of ensuring gender equality, protecting the interests of women, and ensuring the strength of families have been designated as priorities of state policy. The programs and strategies adopted in this regard are recognized not only at the national but also at the international level.
The participation of women in the socio-political, economic, and spiritual life of our country is increasing day by day. Today, they actively participate in state administration bodies, parliament, local councils, entrepreneurship, and scientific fields. Systematic measures are being implemented to create new jobs for women, develop their knowledge and potential, and widely involve them in entrepreneurial activities.
Within a short period, a national legislative base corresponding to international standards in this field was created. In particular, more than 100 normative-legal acts have been adopted over the past eight years. Among them, such important regulatory documents as the Law « On Guarantees of Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men » and the Law « On Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence » are of particular importance.
Today, Uzbekistan consistently continues to cooperate with international organizations such as the UN, OSCE, and UNESCO in implementing its gender policy. This cooperation is creating new opportunities for protecting the interests of women and allowing them to fully manifest their potential in our country. In order to properly establish the gender equality policy and ensure its full implementation, the “Strategy for Achieving Gender Equality until 2030” was adopted. Work on its introduction to all spheres and sectors is being carried out rapidly.
The “Uzbekistan – 2030 Strategy” defines important goals and tasks for strengthening the system of supporting women, ensuring their rights and legal interests, increasing their social, economic, and political activity, and ensuring gender equality.
First, to continue the policy of ensuring gender equality and increasing the share of women in leadership positions by boosting their socio-political activity;
Second, to create an environment of intolerance toward harassment and violence against women in society, and to ensure the rights and legal interests of women;
Third, to establish a transparent mechanism for targeted work with the “Women’s Notebook” and establish public control over these efforts.
Concepts such as gender analysis of regulatory legal acts, adopting a gender-responsive national budget, and gender auditing are being introduced into legislation and put into practice.
The Commission on Increasing the Role of Women in Society, Gender Equality, and Family Issues has been established. Furthermore, regional commissions on increasing the role of women in society, gender equality, and family issues are operating under local Councils of People’s Deputies. To effectively implement state policy on ensuring the rights and interests of women, a vertical system has been created that reaches down to the lowest level – the neighborhood and household.
In order to elevate state policy regarding families and women in the Republic to a new level, the “Committee for Family and Women” was established along with its divisions. The « Family and Gender » Research Institute under the Committee has created the electronic platform for studying and monitoring gender issues in Uzbekistan. In addition, online platforms have been launched to provide our people with consultations and information on relevant topics. Advisory councils on ensuring gender equality have been established under state bodies, economic management structures, the private sector, and civil society institutions. Today, the number of these Gender Advisory Councils has reached 4,000 nationwide. Attention is paid to increasing women’s activity in political life: the Electoral Code legally stipulates that at least 40% of candidates nominated for deputy positions by political parties must be women. A norm was also introduced in the Family Code establishing the marriage age for both men and women as 18 years. The list of occupations with unfavorable working conditions where the use of women’s labor was fully or partially prohibited has been abolished.
Currently, women make up 35% of leadership positions, 45% of entrepreneurship, 49% of political parties, and 53% of higher education. Many leading women are working in several key positions in our country – including the Chairperson of the Senate, Head of the Presidential Administration, Deputy Prime Minister, Ombudspersons, ministers, and heads of agencies and committees. 15 women who received the highest Key Performance Indicators at the “School of Preparation for Khokim Positions” were selected and involved in special training programs. Within the framework of these reforms, the issue of increasing the role and activity of women in state governance is designated as a special priority. Specific target indicators have been set for the active recruitment of women into public service for the period up to 2030. In particular, the goal is to increase the share of women in the civil service as well as in the “National Personnel Reserve” to 40%.By relevant decision of the Government, it has been established that, as a rule, at least 30% of the total number of candidates recommended for admission to the master’s program of the Academy of State Policy and Governance under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan must be women.
Starting from 2020, a system was introduced to admit women from needy families to higher education institutions on the basis of state grants. As a result, over the past 5 years, nearly 13,000 women were admitted to higher education institutions on the basis of state grants under this privilege.
The number of quotas for women who have 5 years of work experience but do not have higher education was increased 5-fold, reaching 2,500.Since 2022, contract fees for all women studying in master’s programs at State Higher Education Institutions have been covered by the state budget.
A system of interest-free educational loans for up to 7 years has been established for female students studying in higher education institutions, technical schools, and colleges. As a result of these opportunities and privileges, the share of women among students in higher education reached 53.2%, and in master’s programs 65.8%. For example, girls make up 51% of the youth trained under the « One Million Coders » project.
Based on the decrees of our head of state, it is planned to ensure the employment of 2 million women and to train 250,000 women in professions and entrepreneurship this year alone.
Also, within the framework of the “HAMROH” program for supporting businesswomen, the goals are set for allocating grants up to 50 million soums to 1,000 “mentor” female entrepreneurs, allocating collateral-free loans up to 100 million soums to women with a positive credit history, and forming entrepreneurship skills through the launch of the « Partner Entrepreneur » program.As a result, in 9 months of this year, assistance was provided to secure lucrative employment for 2 million 48 thousand women across the Republic. Commercial banks allocated credit funds amounting to 15.7 trillion soums to 203 thousand women to support entrepreneurship projects.
The activities of centers for ensuring employment and strengthening the health of women were launched in 2,876 mahallas. “Family and Women Centers” were established in 197 districts and cities based on new approaches. The public council “Women’s Enlightenment” was established, uniting women in the scientific and creative fields. This council implemented about 10 projects. The « Responsible Parenting » project was introduced. 2,000 families were awarded the « Exemplary Family » badge.
Propaganda groups consisting of more than 145 thousand active women were re-formed.To award active women, the “Mo’tabar Ayol” badge was established, and 2,090 women have been awarded to date. 480 talented girls were awarded the Zulfiya State Prize.
Completely new and unique mechanisms such as the “Iron Notebook”, “Women’s Notebook”, and “Youth Notebook” were created. Through the system of working with the « Women’s Notebook » alone, practical assistance was provided to 4.5 million needy, low-income women in 2021-2025. While the coverage of children with preschool education was 38% in 2018, as a result of reforms, it was increased to 78%.
Subsidies are being paid from the State Budget to cover the wages of educators in preschool education organizations established under organizations where women work evening shifts.
A mechanism for taking women victims of harassment and violence under state protection and issuing protection orders has been created. In order to prevent gender-based violence, separate articles on domestic violence, harassment, and disclosing information that humiliates a person’s honor and dignity or reflects confidential aspects of human life were included in the legislation.
Centers for Rehabilitation and Adaptation of Women operate to provide socio-legal and psychological assistance to women who have suffered from harassment and violence or fell into difficult social situations, and to provide them with targeted support.
The Committee for Family and Women and its territorial divisions:
Are exempted from paying state fees for lawsuits filed in courts to protect the rights and legal interests of women;
Can submit mandatory representations to heads of state bodies and organizations to eliminate violations of legislative acts, as well as the causes and conditions giving rise to them, in the field of ensuring the rights and legal interests of women and strengthening families;
Benefit from a newly created system to release women from punishment ahead of schedule on bail (surety).
Family and Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan
