The main aims and social status of rural women (on the example of regions of Uzbekistan)

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The main aims and social status of rural women (on the example of regions of Uzbekistan)

Nurullaeva U., Mahalla and Family Research Institute

Abstract

Based on data from the study “Life goals and value orientations of rural women”, the article analyzes the sociocultural attitudes of women that determine their social well-being and mood. Against the background of consideration of social values, an analysis of the well-being of women is carried out from the point of view of their socio-demographic characteristics. The study was carried out by researchers of the Family and Women Research Institute with the support of the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan. The main methods for collecting empirical information were interviews among respondents -- women in rural areas aged from 18 to 60 years and older, expert surveys (in-depth interviewing) among specialists, as well as secondary sociological analysis of relevant data from the Mahalla and Family Research Institute and other research on the topic being studied. The sociological survey covered a total of 819 respondents.

Social surveys of the main contingent of women were conducted in remote villages of the Republic of Karakalpakstan (86), Kashkadarya (148), Bukhara (88), Fergana (171), Samarkand (177) and Tashkent (130) regions. Duration of the sociological survey and analysis of the collected empirical data: from January to April 2023. The study revealed that women in rural areas are characterized by optimism, regardless of their living conditions and nominal parameters. The analyzed data made it possible to consider women in rural areas of Uzbekistan as a special socio-demographic category.

Keywords: rural women, family, value system, sociocultural attitudes, women's social wellbeing.

Аннотация

Жизненные цели и социальное положение женщин сельской местности (на примере регионов Узбекистана)

Нуруллаева У., Научно-исследовательский институт «Махалля и семья»

На основе данных исследования «Жизненных целей и ценностных ориентиров женщин сельской местности» в статье анализируются социокультурные установки женщин, определяющие их социальное самочувствие и настроение. На фоне рассмотрения социальных ценностей проводится анализ самочувствия женщин с точки зрения их социально-демографических характеристик. Исследование проведено со стороны сотрудников НИИ «Махалла и семья» при поддержке Комитета женщин Узбекистана. В качестве основных методов сбора эмпирической информации были использованы: интервью среди респонденток - женщин сельской местности в возрасте от 18 до 60 лет и старше, экспертные опросы (глубинное интервьюирование) среди специалистов, а также вторичный социологический анализ соответствующих данных НИИ «Махалла и семья» и других исследований на изучаемую тему. Социологическое обследование охватило в общей сложности 819 респондентов.

Соцопросы основного контингента женщин проведены в отдаленных селах Республики Каракалпакстан (86), Кашкадарьинской (148), Бухарской (88), Ферганской (171), Самаркандской (177) и Ташкентской (130) областей. Сроки проведения социологического обследования и анализ собранных эмпирических данных: с января по апрель 2023 года. Исследование выявило, что женщинам сельской местности характерен оптимизм вне зависимости от их жизненных условий и номинальных параметров. Анализируемые данные позволили рассмотреть женщин сельской местности Узбекистана как особую социально-демографическую категорию.

Ключевые слова: женщины сельской местности, семья, система ценностей, социокультурные установки, социальное самочувствие женщин.

Women are an integral part of life and the future development of any society. By studying their social status and roles, it is possible to judge the position as well as the capabilities of women in general. The study of vital goals, core values, along with lifestyle and degree of life satisfaction is a particularly important stage in the formation of effective family (in particular, women's) policy that contributes to the stable development of the entire society [4].

According to the Statistics Agency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, women make up 49.4 percent of the country's population (17.9 million), of which more than 8.6 million live in rural areas [8]. According to the study, 60 percent of respondents live in large families (two or more families together), 36 percent in nuclear ones, and the rest (5%) alone. Many of them are married (72.6%) and mostly (82.2%) have 2-3 or more children. Almost every third woman (31.9%) had experience of living in an urban environment due to work, study, or temporary change of residence of family members. When analyzing the research data, this type of women was conditionally labeled as “urbanized” or “more urbanized,” since in their socialization and the formation of value orientations, in addition to the rural lifestyle, urban life, studying at a higher educational institution, and work occupy an important place. The rest of the respondents (68.1%) spent most of their lives exclusively in rural areas, where they live to this day. In shaping the worldview and value systems of women of this type, the main role is played by family upbringing, relatives, fellow villagers, as well as the rural way of life. Based on sociological research, it can be confidently noted that the woman of Uzbekistan is still focused on family and home comfort, which is determined by her value system associated with these concepts. For the majority of rural women, regardless of their level of urbanization, education and age, creating and strengthening a family (72.3%) is the main task in life. Having children (48.4%) and maintaining a stable family climate (34.8%) are also a defining life responsibility (duty). According to many experts, this circumstance can also be observed by analyzing the reproductive behavior of women in Uzbekistan, who are not prevented from obtaining higher education, the financial well-being of the family in creating large families, as well as in having 3 or more children [9]. This can be explained by the socio-cultural characteristics of the peoples of Eastern countries and the mutual support of large families. Intergenerational solidarity and interfamily support networks have always been strong in Uzbekistan [7]. There are traditions that include lifelong cohabitation between parents and children as one of the main options for providing care for children and the elderly [5].

When analyzing the value orientations of the respondents, depending on their sociodemographic characteristics, specific aspects of the lifestyle of a rural woman were identified.

These idiosyncrasies are more pronounced in the areas of national values, stereotypes, social activity, achieving a certain status, a healthy lifestyle and the desire to be independent. When analyzing the opinions of respondents, a direct relationship was revealed between the level of education and the importance of ensuring and maintaining a healthy family lifestyle, the desire to be socially active, to assert oneself, and the desire for innovation. While national traditions (respect for elders, continuation of traditions) prevail among less educated respondents. For respondents with incomplete-secondary education, honoring older people (81.8%) as well as continuing traditions (27.3%) turned out to be more important. Women with higher (9.1%) and secondary education (7.9%), in addition to fulfilling their family responsibilities, also pay special attention to achieving social recognition and a certain status in society, which clearly shows the influence of higher education on the life goals of rural women.

Despite the fact that an increase in the level of education contributes to the emergence of additional social roles, family responsibilities and roles still remain the main ones in their lives. Most of them consider themselves first of all mothers (40.9%), secondly spouses (27.3%). Their assessment of roles varies depending on their age and the importance of the family responsibilities they perform. Respondents aged 25-30 еars identify themselves more as mothers, since during this period women mostly become mothers and try to pay more attention to their children. For the next 10 еars (31-40), the status of wife and mother is equally important, which is reflected in the respondents' answers. At the age of 41-50, women again define themselves more as mothers, since during this period they mainly marry off their daughters and marry off their sons. At the same time, great attention is also paid to the duties of the wife. Women over 50 ears of age are more likely to play the role of grandmother (24.2%), which can be seen in the table below. To summarize, we can say that children are the main value of women in Uzbekistan throughout their lives [6].

A certain established way of interaction with the surrounding social environment determines the behavior of rural women. Based on the above data, we can confidently say that a woman in Uzbekistan determines her opportunities and place in society through her family. In addition, their behavioral preferences are determined by the ability to change their actions under the influence of internal and external factors. It should be noted that the behavior of rural women has enormous adaptive significance, allowing them to avoid negative environmental factors. In particular, many of them emphasized that politeness and modesty are the main distinguishing features of a woman, which, together with caring for the family and hard work, have a beneficial effect on social, in particular, family relationships. The majority of respondents noted politeness (36.5%), modesty (36.5%), caring (31.5%) and hard work (29.7%) as the most important female qualities that provide a favorable environment in the family. Resourcefulness (22.9%), conscientiousness and fairness (19.5%), together with intelligence, wisdom (19.2%) and attractiveness (19.1%) also contribute to the formation of successful relationships.

In particular, most women, by timely showing resourcefulness and wisdom, contribute to the peaceful resolution of various family misunderstandings. There is a relationship between the level of education of women and their behavioral priorities regarding a healthy lifestyle. Although all female respondents do not pay enough attention to health (16.7%), when analyzing the data, there is a direct connection between the level of education and the desire for a healthy lifestyle, wisdom, intelligence, and innovation, which shows the beneficial effect of increasing women's education on a healthy lifestyle, intellectual development and creativity of the rural population. More urbanized women and girls noted politeness (18.4%), caring for the family (13.3%), resourcefulness (10.4%), attractiveness (10.4%), as well as health (10.2%) as the main characteristic of a happy woman. While for typical rural women shyness (16.5%), hard work (11.9%), politeness (11.3%), and caring for family (10.9%) are more important. The results showed that the influence of urbanization and education on the degree of significance of women's life values, although they did not significantly affect the general system of values.

Shared decision making is especially important in strengthening family relationships, as the family should be a place where we receive support, love and understanding. The degree to which women participate in family decisions indicates their ability to express their opinions and manage their lives. Analyzing the respondents' answers, we can say that women have an important role in making family decisions. The respondents were told about their participation and the opportunity to express their opinions. In particular, every fifth woman (17%) plays a decisive role in her husband's decisions, and every fourth (25%) can often influence her husband in making joint decisions. 44 percent of respondents can sometimes change their minds, while 14 percent could not answer this question with confidence. When considering this issue from the point of view of the age of the respondents, in general, similar results can be observed. Significant differences are observed in the first age category (18-30 years), which indicates a less stable status of women in the family at this period of their life. The key role of discussion and joint decision-making in the family is to create an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding. According to the study, over the years, a woman strengthens her position, develops communication skills, which expands her ability to participate in discussing problems, finding solutions and compromise [1].

Life goals determine the vector of a person's movement. An aimless existence has a negative impact on a person, indicating a problem of adaptation and integration, as well as a poor social mood in general. During the surveys, the majority of respondents (94.6%) noted that they have plans for the future and are enthusiastically striving to implement them. Analyzing the data, it is necessary to note the special importance of education and religion in the lives of rural women. Every second respondent strives to provide her children with higher education, as well as fulfill her duty of hajj (pilgrimage). Studying the Koran (26.4%) and working with good material income (22.7%) essentially contribute to the achievement of the intended main life goals. Goals related to material wealth, self-improvement and caring for the older generation, in particular, buying your own home (15.9%), purchasing a car (12.6%), continuing your studies (11.2%), getting healthier (10.0%), providing for parents (8.3%) can also be classified as important life goals. In Uzbek society, respect for elders, in particular for parents, is still a core value. But the responsibility for financially providing for parents lies mostly with sons, which explains the relatively low rate on this issue among women [5].

Having children is also less relevant among the intended life goals. This circumstance can be explained by women's attitude towards starting a family, having children, and respecting parents as special responsibilities, which determine their life goals. This can explain the great desire of women to provide their children with quality education (47.1%). Significant differences in life goals are observed among the youngest (18-20 ears old) and oldest (51 ears old and older) age categories, due to their status, capabilities, responsibilities and health status. 18-20 ear old female respondents pay special attention to continuing their education (34.5%) and finding a well-paid job (31.0%). Next comes the desire to achieve a certain status (23.8%), which indicates that the younger generation of rural women understands the importance of education in a person's life and their desire to achieve financial independence.Among women in the older age category (51 ears and older), such needs as purchasing a car (50%), improving health (37.5%), and making a pilgrimage (37.5%) are becoming more urgent. At the same time, they are more likely to have such goals as teaching children (25.0%) and the desire to travel (25%). 12.5 percent of them want to study the Quran. Women in the age category between the youngest and oldest groups (21-50 ears old) have similar life goals, which determine the basic structure of the life goals of rural women. The study also examined the issue of barriers preventing women from achieving their life goals. Some stereotypes preserved in society, economic problems of families, lack of support from relatives limit the opportunities of women. In particular, about 40 percent of respondents, due to lack of funds, could not continue their education or purchase real estate and other expensive goods (a house, a car). Limited time, misunderstanding on the part of family members, including jealousy of the husband, in some cases, gender discrimination, localism and lack of required skills (higher education, knowledge of foreign languages, legal literacy, health) limit women's opportunities to obtain a well-paid job or further professional growth. When considering this issue from the point of view of the marital status of women, there is a pronounced need of divorced women for higher education and material wealth. This suggests that divorced women have a need to financially provide for themselves and their children [2].

The study noted a high level of optimism characteristic of the Uzbek people. The majority of respondents (85%) feel happy. During the interviews, the women talked about their lives in high spirits, although they had some problems that they would like to solve. Every third woman wants to provide her family with material resources to a greater extent (31.1%), every fourth woman wants sincerity and warmth in family relationships (23.5%), and some women living in large families want to live separately (17.6%) and own home (15.6%).

Women with higher education are more rational in their ideas about happiness. They prefer independent, separate living and maintaining trusting relationships. Although they also need parental support (most likely moral) and want a more prosperous financial situation. Among women with incomplete secondary education, desires for material wealth, independence and husband support are also relevant. But these desires are different from each other. If in the first case it can be observed that the woman relies on herself and her parents to achieve her goals, in the second the woman hopes for the support of her husband. This is most likely explained by the fact that women with higher education initially had support from their parents in their studies and self-development, which respondents with incomplete education did not have. Based on the results presented above and the opinions of the respondents, it can be argued that the life goals of rural women are in many ways directly related to their family life, family relationships and conditions. In particular, their main life responsibilities are marriage and raising children. At the same time, the formation of a stable desire to become socially active, highly educated and successful is observed. But these goals are usually achieved after a woman forms a family and gives birth to children. Study, work and contact with urban life influence the life priorities of rural women.

Source

1. Official site of Statistics Agency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan

2. An expert survey on the topic “Main indicators of women's social mood”, conducted by the author with socially active women, as well as specialists in the study of women's issues, from September to October 2023.

sociocultural women socio-demographic

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