A UNICEF article In Focus: Striving for Gender Equality highlights persistent gender disparities and patriarchal norms in Europe and Central Asia, with significant challenges in Central Asia. Turkmenistan has not been mentioned in the article.
- Limited Political Representation: Women occupy just 26% of parliamentary seats, curbing their influence on policies and programs.
- Unequal Labor Burden: Women perform 2.5 times more unpaid domestic and care work than men, restricting their career opportunities and well-being.
- Sex-Selective Practices: An estimated 170,000 girls are “missing” due to sex-selective abortion, reflecting a preference for sons.
- Digital Divide: Women have 30% less access to the Internet than men, limiting their ability to acquire essential digital skills.
- Gender-Based Violence: Around 25% of women experience intimate partner violence, highlighting the urgent need for protection mechanisms.
Challenges Behind Gender Inequality:
- Patriarchal norms restrict opportunities for women and dictate traditional roles.
- Marginalized groups, including rural women, single mothers, and ethnic minorities, face heightened barriers.
- Women’s economic power remains limited despite excelling in education, as stereotypes push them into lower-paying fields.
- Harmful practices like child marriage and sex-selective abortion persist despite legal bans.
- Gender-based violence is widespread and often tolerated, with inadequate legal and social support for survivors.
Recommendations:
- Address the root causes of inequality by transforming harmful gender norms and fostering open dialogue.
- Empower women through education, skill-building, and enabling career environments.
- Engage men as allies in combating discrimination and challenging rigid masculinity norms.
- Strengthen systems with gender-focused legislation, policies, services, and budgets, while improving data collection and monitoring.
- Build partnerships with governments, civil society, and the private sector to drive collective action for gender equality.
