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UNFPA-supported Survey Analyzes the Role of Families in Uzbekistan, in Times of Transition

‘Family Relations in Times of Transition, Uzbekistan Model’ — is the theme of a Report that was published in Uzbekistan in 2010. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and Uzbekistan’s Social Research Institute under the Cabinet of Ministers joined issued the report, following a nationwide survey conducted during 2009–2010.

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Since Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991, the evolution of family relations during the transition to market economy has been closely followed. While new realities put new challenges in front of men and women, older and younger generations, the cultural traditions still greatly affect gender and age-based roles and responsibilities in Uzbek families.

The survey supported by UNFPA is first in quite a while to look at the issues of family relations, family and reproductive choices of young people, family budgets and distribution of incomes, as well as roles of men and women, parents and children in family-related decision-making. The survey was among the first to explore the sensitive issue of gender-based violence and analyze the typical causes and ways of settling family conflicts.

The survey was conducted in Tashkent city, the Republic of Karakalpakstan and 12 other regions of Uzbekistan. Altogether, it covered 2,200 households involving almost 3,330 families. Survey organizers ensured that urban and rural families were equally represented.

Along with survey results, the data of Uzbekistan’s State Committee for Statistics, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, as well as reports of international organizations, such as the UN Development Programme and World Bank, were used.

The survey has revealed some interesting facts about structure and role of Uzbek families. Particularly, it has shown that the importance of family as social institution did not diminish with the breakdown of the old system and the transition to new economy model. 90% of all respondents indicated being in officially-registered marriage, less than 1% in common-law marriage and only 2% were divorced. These figures demonstrate strong traditional patterns of officially-registered marriages typical elsewhere in Central Asia and south-Caucasian countries.

Interestingly enough, the survey results have demonstrated a slight change in perceptions regarding reproductive behaviors of couples. Younger generation thinks that ideally a family should have 2 children, as compared to that number of 3–4 preferred by elder respondents (30 years old and up). This shift in outlook may be the resulted of changing socio-economic conditions leading younger families to view «less as more».

The survey did not show big difference in perceptions of older and younger generations regarding gender-related roles and responsibilities. Almost half of respondents said they prefer ‘patriarchal’ model of families — where a man dominates in decision-making and income, while a woman is fully responsible for house chores, upbringing of children and care for elder family members. Only 7% think that spouses should be equal in their aspirations and opportunities regarding education and career, while their parents or domestics could help with children and house life. Unfortunately, the burden of house chores laid on women’s shoulders appears to grow in families with less income, where women also take responsibilities for family budget, shopping and small house repairs.

Women (64%) and children (23%) also appear to suffer the most cases of violence, while men in 69% of cases are aggressors. Almost half of all respondents say they have experienced some form of violence in their families, and in 40% of cases the reasons were of household-economic nature, e.g. neglect of house duties or taking independent decisions on important family matters. 79% of violence sufferers have sought help with district police officer, 19% — with community leader (makhallya adviser), while 2% say they did not seek help, because of financial dependency (14%), fear (21%), threat of divorce (27%) and shame (37%).

In addition to the analysis of survey results, the report provided policy recommendations on further strengthening of social programmes in support of family institutions, such as providing mortgage loans for young families, support of family businesses, creating favorable environment for working women and others.

UNFPA’s partner in this initiative, Institute for Social Research, was found in 2008, with a mandate to carry out research and provide policy advice on improving of population’s welfare, ensuring stability of social reforms and facilitating sustainable development. With Institute’s leadership, the results of survey have been widely distributed among government institutions, and will be used in designing of national programmes, primarily by the Cabinet of Ministers and Ministry of Economy. One of main partners of UNFPA, the Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan welcomed the report which it agrees to use for their initiatives dedicated to the empowerment of women.

For UNFPA, supporting the government on collection and analysis of population and development data is at core of its mandate. Information about a country’s population, growth, characteristics, living conditions, and physical resources is vital for policy formulation, planning and implementation.

The report goes a long way to filling an important gap in statistics on family-related matters in Uzbekistan, including gender-related data.