Gender - The Times Of Central Asia

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Healthcare

What’s Behind the Rising Infertility Rates in Kazakhstan?

The number of people diagnosed with infertility in Kazakhstan has nearly tripled over the past five years, according to a recent study by Finprom.kz. While the numbers are stark, experts say the increase reflects improved diagnostics and wider access to reproductive healthcare rather than a sudden rise in medical infertility. Threefold Increase in Five Years According to data from the Ministry of Health, cited in the “Kazakh Families - 2024” report by the Institute for Social Development, the number of patients officially diagnosed with infertility rose from around 10,000 in 2019 to 29,200 by mid-2024. Nearly all of these cases involve women; only 102 men are recorded. The sharpest increases occurred in 2021 and 2022, with patient numbers rising by 51.8% and 49.7% respectively. Analysts attribute much of this growth to the state-funded Aңsaғan Sәbi ("Longed-for Child") program, which offers around 7,000 quotas annually for in vitro fertilization (IVF). To qualify, couples must first be registered at a medical facility, which has incentivized greater diagnostic activity. Geographic and Gender Disparities The highest official incidence is in Almaty (4,200 cases), followed by Astana (2,600) and the Zhambyl region (2,500). Experts caution that these figures likely reflect differences in diagnostic availability and public awareness, rather than actual regional variation in infertility rates. Men remain drastically underrepresented in official statistics. For instance, 39 men are registered in the Zhambyl region, compared to just three in the more populous Turkestan region. In four regions, North Kazakhstan, Zhetysu, Pavlodar, and Astana, there is no available data on male patients. Experts attribute this to a lack of andrological screening and persistent cultural taboos. Yet at the XIV International Congress of Reproductive Medicine in Almaty, it was noted that male factors account for up to 40% of infertility cases requiring assisted reproductive technologies (ART). In 2024, just one IVF clinic in Kazakhstan treated approximately 2,000 men for andrological conditions and performed surgeries on 1,500 of them. IVF Program Success and Medical Tourism Kazakhstan's IVF sector has seen major advances. Over the past 30 years, ART procedures have resulted in the birth of 39,000 children in the country, 11,000 of them under the state program. The first IVF laboratory in Kazakhstan was established in 1994. Success rates for ART in Kazakhstan have risen from 12% to 42%. Some private clinics report rates as high as 54%, while the national “take-home baby” rate, the percentage of live births per IVF cycle, stands at approximately 30%. These achievements, along with competitive costs, have turned Kazakhstan into a regional hub for fertility treatment. Analysts from the Institute for Social Development also link rising IVF demand to the post-pandemic surge in medical screenings, as many women delayed care during COVID-19 lockdowns. But broader social shifts are also at play. Reproductologists note a growing trend toward delayed marriage and childbirth. As ovarian reserves typically begin to decline after age 35, this delay contributes to fertility challenges. In response, the practice of social egg cryopreservation is becoming increasingly popular as a proactive measure. While...

Society

In Kazakhstan, Gender Imbalance Persists Even Among Teenagers

A recent study by Finprom.kz, conducted in partnership with the National Statistics Bureau, sheds light on how Kazakhstani citizens allocate their time across work, leisure, and household duties. The findings reveal significant gender disparities that begin in adolescence and continue into adulthood. Unequal Distribution of Labor at Home The study was based on data from a modular survey conducted every five years, involving approximately 12,000 respondents nationwide. Participants maintained daily activity logs, including both weekdays and weekends. On weekdays, men in Kazakhstan work an average of 9 hours and 7 minutes, about an hour longer than women. However, when it comes to household duties and childcare, women spend more than twice as much time: 2 hours and 13 minutes compared to 48 minutes for men. The gap widens on weekends, with women spending 4 hours and 44 minutes on domestic tasks, compared to 1.5 hours for men. Meanwhile, men spend more time on social media, television, and reading the news, around 1.5 hours on weekdays and nearly 3 hours on weekends. Women engage in these activities roughly an hour less. A similar trend appears in general leisure and relaxation time, where men again lead. Gender Norms Form Early Gendered patterns in domestic labor emerge as early as adolescence. Boys aged 10-14 spend about 1 hour and 6 minutes a day on household chores, while girls dedicate 1 hour and 52 minutes. Cooking accounts for a large portion of this difference, with girls spending an average of 44 minutes on meal preparation. The study also found that parents with higher education levels spend more time with their children, regardless of employment status. Interestingly, unemployed men spend three times less time with their children than employed men, regardless of the day of the week. This correlation was not observed among women. Despite traditional assumptions, men dedicate nearly as much time to personal care as women. On weekdays, men spend 1 hour and 17 minutes on hygiene and grooming, just 3 minutes less than women. On weekends, they spend even more: 1 hour and 40 minutes, compared to 1 hour and 29 minutes for women. Unemployed men consistently surpass women in this area. Regional Disparities and Stress The study highlighted notable regional differences in time use. In North Kazakhstan, residents spend about 1.5 hours daily on cooking and eating, while in Shymkent, the figure is nearly double. Shymkent residents also spend just 8 minutes a day on rest and reflection, compared to over an hour in Mangistau. Cleaning and laundry take up 1.5 hours a day in Shymkent, one of the highest rates in the country. In contrast, residents of Astana spend just 39 minutes on these tasks. Screen time also varies significantly. On average, Kazakhs spend 2 hours and 3 minutes daily on digital content. In North and East Kazakhstan, this climbs to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Residents of Almaty, Ulytau, and Shymkent average 2 hours and 14 minutes, while those in Kyzylorda and Mangistau spend the least, 1 hour and...

Society

Uzbekistan Allows Name Changes Following Official Gender Correction

Uzbekistan has updated its civil status regulations to allow individuals who have officially changed their gender to also change their first name, last name, and patronymic. The change follows a June 12 Cabinet of Ministers decision that amends the country’s procedures for registering personal status documents. According to the Ministry of Justice, the update is part of broader efforts to streamline legal documentation related to marriage, family, and civil status. Under the new rules, citizens aged 18 and older, who do not have minor children, may apply to change their names via the Unified Interactive Services Portal. The ministry clarified that the changes have been misinterpreted online as introducing broad legal provisions for gender transition. In fact, officials stressed, the amendment only affects the process of updating civil records after a gender change has already been made and recognized through medical documentation. Previously, individuals who had changed their gender could correct key documents such as birth, death, and marriage certificates. However, name changes were restricted and typically permitted only under cultural or national naming exceptions. Under the new rules, a recognized gender transition now constitutes sufficient legal grounds for a name change, provided that a medical statement confirming the change is submitted. The Justice Ministry also noted that each year, approximately five to six children in Uzbekistan are born with indeterminate gender characteristics. In many such cases, gender is assigned based on early medical assessments, though the child's actual gender identity may only become clear years later, sometimes not until adolescence. Officials cited one example involving a child born in 2008 who was initially registered as male. At age 16, medical evaluation confirmed the child was female. While her gender record was corrected in civil documents, existing laws at the time did not allow her to change her name and patronymic accordingly. To address such legal gaps, the government passed Decision No. 362. It ensures that once a medical institution verifies a gender correction, the individual may also update their full name to reflect their gender identity. The regulation is intended to improve consistency across civil documents and prevent identity mismatches for individuals who have undergone gender transition.

Sports

Uzbek Chess Player Apologizes to Indian Opponent After Handshake Stir

A chess grandmaster from Uzbekistan who declined to shake hands with his Indian female opponent ahead of their game and later cited “religious reasons” has kicked up debate and criticism of his conduct on Indian social networks and media. Nodirbek Yakubboev, a Muslim, later tried to atone for what had looked like a snub by giving flowers to grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu in a filmed street encounter on Jan. 30 after she had beaten him days earlier at the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Masters, in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. “I’m sorry,” Yakubboev, 23, said in the video posted by ChessBase India. “It’s very understandable. I didn’t take it that way,” replied Vaishali, who is also 23. She was accompanied by her brother Praggnanandhaa, 19, who is also a grandmaster and went on to win the Masters category in Wijk aan Zee. The tournament there ended on Sunday. The polite exchange among the three chess players, who were bundled against the cold, might have been the end of it. But some Indians felt that Vaishali had been disrespected, and they said so on social media, while also reveling in Vaishali’s fourth-round victory over the Uzbek in the tournament’s Challengers category. Vaishali was playing with the black pieces. “You absolute queen,” one admirer said. The Hindustan Times said Vaishali had the “last laugh” by winning and that the video of Yakubboev’s apology was “like a Bollywood movie,” but The Times of India thought the apology was “heartfelt.” A few online commentaries mused on the interaction between sports and religion, in particular the display of religious faith or symbols during competition. International chess luminaries also gave their opinions. One perspective came from Hungary-born Susan Polgar, who was the women’s world chess champion for several years in the 1990s. “This is my opinion: I have less of an issue with the religious excuse. Others may disagree,” Polgar said on X. “BUT, he could have informed the organizers, chief arbiter, and/or his female opponents in advance. This is NOT an Open Swiss event. This is a prestigious invitational when he knew in advance that he would face 4 female opponents. If he wanted an exception then be proactive. Otherwise, he has to expect criticism.” In the ChessBase India video, Yakubboev is interviewed about what he acknowledged was an awkward situation. “I didn’t shake her hand because of religious reasons,” he said. “It was my fault that I could not inform her or the arbiter” before the game. Yakubboev was asked about a 2023 incident in Abu Dhabi in which he shook the hand of another Indian female opponent, Divya Deshmukh. Photos of that handshake circulated online in the last week, prompting comments that the Uzbek grandmaster was inconsistent in encounters with women facing him across the chess board. Yakubboev clarified that, starting in 2024, he began “following the rules of my religion” and that he now considered it wrong for him to shake the hands of other women. He said the fallout since his game with...

Gender Society Gender Equality

Turkmenistan Participates in Meeting on Ending Discrimination Against Women

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) convened for its 87th session in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 29th, and Turkmen delegates once again made the journey to take part. Myakhri Byashimova, Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, headed the delegation. The gathering covered the country's 6th intermittent report on its fulfillment of the Convention on the Elimination of All Types of Discrimination Against Women, according to the press office of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Turkmen delegation provided data on improvements that took place between 2018 and 2023 in the spheres of legislative issues, economy, regulation, and society and culture. The CEDAW’s current working session will run until February 16th. The United Nations General Assembly ratified the international convention known as CEDAW in 1979, requiring member nations to fight all forms of discrimination against women. CEDAW comprises one of the eight principal United Nations human rights conventions. Its mission is to underline that women's rights are tantamount to human rights overall.

Gender Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan: Activist reports being attacked in Bishkek

BISHKEK (TCA) — A prominent activist in Kyrgyzstan has reported being attacked in Bishkek by unknown assailants against a backdrop of recent protests by anti-feminism groups, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported. Continue reading