Gender equality in Uzbekistan: what the law already guarantees and what will change by 2030

**Gender equality in Uzbekistan: what the law already guarantees and what will change by 2030**

In recent years, Uzbekistan's legal framework regarding equality between women and men has expanded significantly. Women have been granted additional guarantees in the spheres of labor, politics, civil service, and protection from violence. Now, the key question is how well these norms function in everyday life and what will change by 2030.

Today, gender equality in Uzbekistan is no longer discussed merely in terms of women's rights. The topic is gradually becoming practical: how many women hold leadership positions, how easy it is for them to build a career, whether they can balance work and family, and whether they know where to turn when their rights are violated.

In May 2026, the Senate Council of the Oliy Majlis approved the target indicators for the Strategy for Achieving Gender Equality until 2030. For the first time, this document defines in such detail the results the state expects to achieve in the coming years.

However, before moving to the 2030 figures, it is important to understand what rights women and men already possess today.

### Equal rights are enshrined in the Constitution

The constitutional foundation for gender equality appeared in the new edition of the Constitution adopted in 2023.

Article 58 explicitly establishes that women and men have equal rights. The state also undertakes to ensure equal rights and opportunities for them in managing state and public affairs, as well as in other spheres of public life.

This is not just about formal equality of rights between women and men. The state must create conditions under which these opportunities can be implemented in practice.

Specific guarantees are also provided for the labor sphere. In particular, the legislation protects women from discrimination related to pregnancy and having children.

The main special document remains the Law "On Guarantees of Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men," adopted in 2019. In subsequent years, amendments were made to it, including those concerning mechanisms for gender audit and public control.

### Equality at work is not just about salary

One of the most sensitive topics is employment.

The legislation guarantees women and men equal rights and opportunities in labor relations, vocational training, and career progression. Special attention is paid to the principle of equal pay for equal work.

In practice, however, legal norms alone are not enough. A woman may have the right to career advancement, but at the same time face the expectation that she should primarily take care of the children and household chores.

Therefore, in recent years, there has been increasing talk not only about equal rights, but also about equal opportunities.

This approach is also reflected in government documents. Among the tasks listed in the Gender Equality Strategy are expanding women's participation in the economy, politics, and public administration, as well as developing gender statistics and gender-responsive budgeting.

### A woman in a leadership position is no longer an exception

Perhaps one of the most noticeable changes is the appearance of women in professions that were previously considered predominantly male.

A good example is Olga Shaumarova, an employee of the National Guard of Uzbekistan. In an interview with the National Information Agency, she spoke about having to face stereotypes regarding a woman's role in such a field.

"There are stereotypes, for example, that a woman should not hold leadership positions," Shaumarova noted. According to her, women are capable of achieving high results in technical professions as well, including IT and engineering specialties.

At the same time, she drew attention to another side of the issue—the need to balance professional life and family. According to her, the support of loved ones plays a big role here.

Such stories show that the conversation about equality is gradually going beyond the wording of the law. What matters for a woman is not only that she is permitted to hold a certain position, but also the opportunity to genuinely compete for it and continue her career after having children.

### 40 percent of women among candidates

Specific mechanisms are provided for the political sphere.

The Electoral Code of Uzbekistan establishes that the number of women among parliamentary candidates nominated by political parties must be at least 40 percent. Another rule applies to party lists: at least two out of every five candidates in sequence on the list must be women. A similar minimum proportion of women is set for candidates to local Kengashes.

This means that the issue of women's representation in politics is regulated not only by the general principle of equality, but also by a specific legislative mechanism.

According to data presented in May 2026 by UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan Akiko Fujii, the proportion of female deputies in the country reached 38 percent. She also noted the expansion of women's participation in public administration and the development of women's entrepreneurship.

Fujii stressed that women's participation in making important decisions is of great importance for further changes.

### What do women themselves say?

When it comes to gender equality, it is easy to reduce everything to statistics. But behind the percentages are concrete stories.

Diyora Keldiyorova, an Olympic judo champion who is also involved in women's support issues, shared her own experience.

According to her, stereotypes and mistrust toward women still persist in society. She believes that a woman should have the opportunity to get an education, build a career, and develop in her chosen field.

For the athlete herself, this topic is not theoretical. Keldiyorova recounted that after winning at the 2023 Asian Games, when the issue of rewarding athletes was resolved unequally, she perceived it as a manifestation of discrimination and openly voiced her disagreement. After that, according to her, the situation changed.

"You need to believe in a woman and support her," the athlete said, explaining her attitude toward female leadership.

At the same time, her own story shows that career and family do not necessarily have to contradict each other. After starting a family, Keldiyorova continued her sports career, receiving support for her professional plans from both her husband and his parents.

Another example is Olga Shaumarova, an employee of the National Guard and a mother of three children. In a conversation with UzA, she emphasized that women need not only the opportunity to work, but also social and legal support. Among the necessary measures, she mentioned the development of consultation centers and training programs for female leaders.

### The law provides protection against discrimination

The legislation of Uzbekistan distinguishes between direct and indirect discrimination.

Direct discrimination is a situation where a person's rights are restricted directly because of their sex. Indirect discrimination can occur when a formally equal rule creates less favorable conditions for one of the groups in practice.

The law also provides for special temporary measures if they are necessary to achieve factual equality.

If rights are violated, a citizen can apply to authorized bodies or to court. Thus, gender equality is not only a state policy, but also a legal right that can be defended.

The issue of equality cannot be considered separately from women's safety.

A special law on the protection of women from harassment and violence has been in force in Uzbekistan since 2019. It provides for various measures to protect victims. One of the tools is a protection order.

Following the 2023 amendments, the protection order mechanism was further expanded. The document may provide, in particular, a ban on committing violence and certain restrictions on contact with the victim.

In 2024, additional mechanisms for providing social services to victims were also introduced. In particular, reports of cases of harassment and violence can be registered by internal affairs bodies, and in designated cases, emergency assistance is provided to women and their minor children.

However, specialists and human rights advocates draw attention to another problem: a woman must not only have the right to protection, but also know where to turn and be confident that applying will actually lead to help.

### What will change by 2030?

The target indicators of the Gender Equality Strategy approved in May 2026 make it possible to evaluate changes no longer just by general statements, but by concrete numbers.

Thus, the share of women in leadership positions should increase from 30.2 percent in 2026 to 35 percent in 2030.

The share of women in the national talent pool should increase from 27 to 40 percent. The share of women among judges—from 15.4 to 30 percent.

Separate indicators are also set for the supervisory boards of enterprises with state participation: from 7 percent in 2026 to 9 percent by 2030.

Indicators are also provided for the appointment of women from the national talent pool to leadership positions—from 10 percent in 2026 to 22 percent in 2030.

This means that it is no longer simply an intention to increase the number of female leaders. The state has established specific intermediate values by which results can be tracked.

### Why statistics alone will not be enough

Experts note that for real equality, not only quantitative indicators are important.

In an interview published in 2025, Dilnoza Muratova, Deputy Director of the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights, emphasized the importance of data for decision-making in the field of gender policy.

That is why gender statistics, audits of state bodies and organizations, as well as analysis of legislation for possible discrimination, will be of great importance in the coming years.

In other words, the question will sound not only like: "How many women work in leadership positions?"

It is equally important to understand why some women reach leadership positions while others end their careers, what obstacles arise after the birth of children, how accessible professional retraining is, and whether women know about their legal rights.

### A few years remain until 2030

Today, Uzbekistan already has a fairly broad legal framework regulating equality between women and men. The Constitution enshrines equality of rights, a special law prohibits discrimination, the Electoral Code establishes minimum representation of women among candidates, and individual norms regulate labor and family relations.

There are also mechanisms for protection against violence.

The next stage is to check how well all of this works in real life.

The targets approved for 2026–2030 allow for such verification in specific areas: civil service, leadership positions, talent pool, the judiciary, political parties, and women's participation in decision-making.

At the same time, an increase in the number of women in positions does not in itself mean that all problems are solved. For many women, the question of equality begins much earlier—with the opportunity to get an education, choose a profession, get a job, continue a career after the birth of a child, or obtain protection if their rights are violated.

It is precisely on how effectively these mechanisms work in practice that the result of the strategy by 2030 will largely depend.

In the meantime, it can be said that Uzbekistan is moving from a general principle of equality to a system of specific indicators and control. And now the main indicator will not be the number of adopted documents, but how noticeable these changes turn out to be in the daily lives of women.