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.