Study in Tashkent: Corruption Exacerbates Discrimination Against Women

According to a study conducted in Uzbekistan by the UN in collaboration with the local anti-corruption agency, only 22.5% of men believe that women can be competent leaders. This confirms a gender imbalance in access to resources and power that reinforces the social, political, and economic marginalization of women..

Tashkent (AsiaNews) - Corruption has a different impact on men and women, and in many areas, women face particular and disproportionate challenges. Therefore, anti-corruption policies must be gender-sensitive, and a study, whose findings were presented in Tashkent, aims to improve this situation.

The differing impacts of corruption on women and men, exacerbated by gender stereotypes, require the integration of a gender-sensitive approach into anti-corruption policies in Uzbekistan. This is one of the main conclusions of the study “Gender and Corruption in Uzbekistan: Toward Transformative Change,” prepared by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with the Uzbek Anti-Corruption Agency, with financial support from the European Union.

As the study’s authors point out, in many countries women face particular and disproportionate challenges due to social roles, systemic inequalities, and gender asymmetries in access to resources and power. This situation reinforces the social, political, and economic marginalization of women. Therefore, international organizations and documents emphasize the need to consider gender vulnerabilities in the development of anti-corruption policies, recognizing the disproportionate impact of corruption on women.

The study aimed to examine how the population perceives corruption and experiences its practices, as well as how gender-sensitive approaches can be integrated into anti-corruption reforms and policies. International documents and Uzbek legislation were reviewed, a survey was conducted among 539 people (268 women and 271 men), and 10 focus groups (five for men and five for women) were organized in different regions of the country. In addition, specific questionnaires were sent to the Ministry of Justice, the Bar Association, the National Agency for Social Protection, and other organizations.

Uzbekistan still has much work to do to institutionalize anti-corruption reforms, including improving national legislation (adopting a law on the protection of whistleblowers, strengthening legal protections for journalists, etc.) and consolidating civil society institutions, independent media, and public oversight, the authors note. At the same time, considering the intersection between gender issues and the fight against corruption, the report highlights the need for legal frameworks that not only guarantee gender equality but also ensure a gender-sensitive approach in the implementation of anti-corruption policies.

Gender stereotypes regarding women’s ability to be competent leaders are widespread in society; according to the survey, 41.4% of women believe they can be impartial leaders, while only 22.5% of men agree. Fifty-five percent of men and 35.8% of women disagree. Skepticism about women’s leadership qualities is more pronounced among people with lower levels of education, private-sector employees, and those with higher incomes.

Public perception of the most common forms of corruption in Uzbekistan has been shaped by traditional norms of conduct. Women and men responded almost identically: 42.5% of respondents believed that the most common form of corruption was officials accepting money or gifts, while 30.8% believed it was the promotion of the interests of relatives or friends.

Earlier this year, Gazeta.uz published an article by Irina Matvienko, founder of the anti-violence project Nemolchi.uz in Uzbekistan, on the “gender blindness” of the draft “Uzbekistan 2030” strategy. The article noted that the document concentrates indicators related to women’s participation in a single agency, while key ministries set targets that imply women exist separately from the economy, healthcare, science, digitalization, industry, and other sectors.