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Abstract

This paper addresses the following research question: why do structural barriers persist in limiting women's meaningful political participation in Uzbekistan despite formal legal reforms and increased numerical representation? Drawing on a mixed-methods design, the study combines qualitative and quantitative data collected from three sources: focus group discussions with 54 women deputies across five regional centers (Tashkent, Fergana, Samarkand, Karshi, and Nukus); semi-structured interviews with 32 participants of political leadership training programs; and an online survey of 29 female parliamentarians at national and local levels. These primary data are triangulated against international legal frameworks and secondary literature to situate Uzbekistan within broader comparative trends.

The paper finds that barriers operate across three interconnected domains. Socio-culturally, entrenched gender stereotypes and family resistance delay women's entry into politics, with many entering only after the age of 40–45, once domestic obligations ease. Socio-economically, the unpaid nature of local deputy work, combined with transportation costs and exclusion from high-paying professional networks, disproportionately burdens women. On security, focus group and interview data document harassment, workplace retaliation, and online abuse targeting women who challenge political authority. Together, these findings demonstrate that formal legal equality alone cannot dismantle structural inequalities - an argument tested through firsthand accounts that reveal persistent gaps between policy commitments and lived political realities.

The paper contributes to comparative gender studies by challenging approaches that equate numerical representation with substantive inclusion, and by offering empirically grounded analysis of how gendered power structures function in a transitional, post-Soviet context.