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Abstract

The perception of gender and women's rights among young people in modern Kyrgyzstan directly depends on their identity. In turn, identity depends on many factors, such as education, ethnicity, social and economic status, regional characteristics, and religious beliefs. The same group of young people can have several identities and corresponding perceptions of gender and women's rights. The purpose of the study is the perception of gender and women's rights among university students with different ideological, regional, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. In Kyrgyzstan, traditional universities coexist with new types of universities financed by the USA, Russian, and Turkey governments. All of them significantly influence to identity of the new generation. This study does not claim to be comprehensive. Research among student youth cannot provide a complete picture of the perception of gender and women’s rights among all young people. It is also necessary to take into account that it is the sphere of education, especially higher education, that most correspond to gender parity. In Kyrgyzstan, in the field of education, the right of girls and women to education is fully completed, except for the daughters of radical religious parents. So on average, the ratio of girls and boys in upper secondary education is 56.7% to 50.2%. In universities, there is approximately the same ratio among genders. It is also necessary to take into account that the majority of teachers are also women, which can leave an imprint on the understanding of gender and women's rights while students are studying at university.

However, traditional stereotypes and patriarchal norms of Kyrgyz culture play an important role outside the university. According to the International Indicators on Gender Equality and many research, Kyrgyz women suffer from unemployment, poverty, bride kidnapping, domestic violence, and other form of discrimination.

The study will combine qualitative and quantitative methods: questionnaires, structured and unstructured interviews. Statistical data and research results conducted by the Asian Development Bank, UNFPA in Kyrgyz Republic, UNWomen, the World Bank, etc. will be used. Comparative analysis of the views of students from different universities on the issue of perception of gender and understanding of women's rights in modern Kyrgyzstan take place.

Keywords: gender, women's rights, feminism, patriarchy, identity.

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Abstract

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is a gender-segregated field where men have dominated for decades. Despite the progress of females in STEM in recent years, Kazakhstani women still face employment and career advancement barriers. The women's underrepresentation in STEM in a Central Asian (CA) republic is, in many respects, engendered by gender inequality stemming from gender stereotypes (GS).

Notwithstanding the growing interest in gender and STEM students in CA, the existing studies are mainly grounded on exploratory methodology and secondary data analysis. Another research gap relates to a scarce knowledge of internal barriers – STEM students' GS and perception of gender equality - since existing studies accentuated the external barriers such as decision-makers' gender bias, public support programs, and gender equality at the macro level.

This research aims to fill the mentioned gaps and identify STEM students' awareness of gender equality challenges and gender bias in the profession. The methodology is rooted in Role congruity theory (Eagly and Karau, 2002), the Vicious cycle linking stereotypes and social roles (Eagly and Koeng, 2021) concept, and the mixed research method embracing the survey (N=1085) and focus groups. We used the SurveyMonkey software to collect respondents' answers and the Social Science Statistical Package to design the linear multifactor regression model.

The study's results indicated the influence of gender, rural/urban status and language of instruction on STEM students's GS. The research revealed that students' perception of gender equality directly depended on their gender stereotypes: the higher students' GS, the less likely they were to recognize signs of gender inequality. Women students had substantial confidence in their inclination to STEM and were more aware of gender inequality and challenges in the STEM profession than men.

Theoretical implications are associated with extending scientific knowledge on how the Western theory of the Vicious cycle manifests in CA. As for practical implications, faculty, businesspeople, and politicians will benefit from the proposed recommendations for promoting gender equality in their environments in Central Asia.

References

Eagly, A. & Karau, S. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), 573-

598. https://doi: 10.1037/0033-295x.109.3.573

Eagly, A. & Koenig, A. (2021). The Vicious Cycle Linking Stereotypes and Social Roles. Current Directions in Psychological

Science, 30(4), 343-350. https://doi: 10.1177/09637214211013775

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Abstract

This study aims to explore undergraduate women’s perspectives on the challenges they face and success strategies they use in pursuing their academic degree in IT, and what they see as important factors to successfully navigate through the pipeline. The proposed Research questions are:

1. What factors do undergraduate women see as important for their success in IT majors?

2. What are the challenges that undergraduate women in the IT field face when pursuing their academic degrees?

3. What are their success strategies?

The primary participants in this research proposal are undergraduate women in IT recruited from universities in Kazakhstan. The data collection process involves two stages. First, the recruited participants are asked to use an AI tool to graphically visualize the desired but possibly “missing ingredients” to successfully pursue their studies and career in IT as a woman. The participants will be asked to create graphic images using Midjourney, a text-to-image generator that is able to create highly customizable and high-quality images. Second, in-depth semistructured face-to-face follow-up interviews are planned in order to probe further into the participants' subjective interpretations of the AI-generated images. Beyond these interpretations, the interview questions might shed light to personal and institutional factors that impact young women's choices to major in computer science and information technology, continue their education, or possibly leave the field altogether. This multifaceted research design ensures a holistic understanding of the experiences and factors influencing the academic and professional trajectories of IT undergraduate female students.

The outcomes of the research might be useful for stakeholders and influence education policy by advocating for targeted initiatives supporting female participation in IT education, potentially leading to more inclusive policies in Kazakhstani higher education institutions. Revealing potential challenges and success strategies of undergraduate women in IT, and the factors that they see as needed for their success, might prompt the integration of support mechanisms within educational practices and policies, promoting a more supportive environment for pursuing an IT degree in Kazakhstan.

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Abstract

This research work, based on a qualitative study using an integrated method, examines perceptions about ideal upbringing and the influence of family upbringing on the development of children in Uzbek culture. The article is based on data collected during participant observation, surveys, and individual interviews among Uzbek families (n=454) of different generations and social strata in Tashkent. The study showed gender differences in parenting and the importance of parental coherence in raising children. The results showed that parents had similar self-perceptions in raising children and shared common cultural beliefs and values towards children. However, mothers felt more involved in raising children than fathers and found it easier to balance different roles in their lives.

The analysis shows that growing economic instability and inequality, as well as the spread of intensive parenting ideology, were the main social contexts of child rearing. It was revealed that the process of urbanization and industrialization led to the spread of undivided families and an increase in the number of nuclear families, which, in turn, led to changes in the traditional Uzbek family upbringing system. The study also showed that over the past 5 years, interest in psychology has sharply increased (first among women, then among men), where parents were looking for an answer (reading psychological books and various social channels, going to training seminars, in rare cases to a psychologist) to this, what an ideal upbringing should be like. Despite this, it was revealed that most parents do not have pedagogical knowledge and experience that meet the requirements of the present time and raise children on the basis of deep-rooted stereotypes.

The study showed that the practice of effectively using the upbringing potential of the older generation in Uzbek family upbringing has not yet lost its importance. This emphasizes the importance of continuity of national traditions in the upbringing process. In addition to stressors, there is also a misconception about physical and psychological violence, which is associated in their understanding with tradition and is considered the norm.

The study also found an increase in the use of corporal punishment in family education, which is directly related to the level of family education, socio-economic status, family form and migration. In addition to stressors, there is also a misconception about physical and psychological violence, which is associated in their understanding with tradition and is considered the norm.