THE FAMILY AS A SPACE FOR THE REPRODUCTION ANDTRANSFORMATION OF GENDER NORMS IN THE ETHNICCOMMUNITIES OF KAZAKHSTAN

• Эльмира Отар

  Директор Центра исследований семейной и гендерной политики НАО «Казахстанский институт общественного развития»

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8803-4592

• Алем Несипбаева

  Евразийский национальный университет имени Л.Н. Гумилева

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7843-8236

• ayaulym mantayeva

  I.n.Gumilyov Eurasian National University

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0825-4193

This article examines the family as a space for the reproduction and transformation of gender norms in the ethnic communities of Southern Kazakhstan. The study aims to identify the mechanisms through which traditional family practices simultaneously preserve ethnocultural continuity while adapting to contemporary social conditions. The scientific significance of the research lies in advancing the understanding of women's role in transforming family relations within a multiethnic society, while its practical relevance is associated with the application of the findings to the development of family, gender equality, and educational policies.

The empirical basis of the study consists of 139 in-depth interviews and participant observation conducted among women from Uzbek, Tajik, Turkish, Kurdish, and Korean ethnic communities living in the Turkestan Region and the city of Shymkent. The data were reanalyzed using thematic coding with the MAXQDA software.

The findings identify four interrelated mechanisms of gender transformation: gender-differentiated child socialization, the asymmetrical distribution of domestic labor and family authority, the reinterpretation of education as a resource for women's security and social mobility, and the transition from directive family control to negotiated decision-making. The study demonstrates that women act not only as custodians of cultural traditions but also as active agents of their gradual adaptation to contemporary realities. Based on the empirical evidence, the article proposes a selective family modernization model that explains how ethnocultural continuity is maintained alongside the gradual expansion of opportunities for women and younger generations without undermining traditional family values.

1. Эльмира Отар, Директор Центра исследований семейной и гендерной политики НАО «Казахстанский институт общественного развития»

   PhD, и.о доцента кафедры социологии

2. Алем Несипбаева, Евразийский национальный университет имени Л.Н. Гумилева

   Докторант

3. ayaulym mantayeva, I.n.Gumilyov Eurasian National University

   докторант

• PDF (Russian)