By Abi Cole
It’s a man’s world, or is it? Abi Cole tells of her once in a lifetime research trip to Kyrgyzstan and the reality of being a woman in STEM in Central Asia.
I am very lucky to say that I am working in Kyrgyzstan with the Snow Leopard Trust as part of my masters degree. Before this opportunity arose, I had no idea where this small mountainous Central Asian country was. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of it.
I didn't know what to expect, and couldn’t even say it correctly for the longest time. But having been here for a while now, there are several things I have learnt about working within the unique Kyrgyz culture.
Culture Shock
My first day in the office here in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s small capital city, I was meeting lots of people and I didn't notice it until a little way into the day that only the men were shaking hands with each other. They didn't offer to shake hands with me. They still introduced themselves, just without the handshake. At first, I thought it was because I was new, or maybe it was the language barrier, but Raul the other intern who started the same day as me, was being offered a handshake. It seems this is just part of Kyrgyz culture, that only men shake hands with men, and women just get a cursory nod.
As I got to know my colleagues a little more, I was having lunch with one of the ladies from the office and she was telling me about her family. She was saying that traditionally in Kyrgyzstan when you tell people where you’re from, or the region your family is from, you only refer to your father’s side. That is where you are considered from, despite ignoring half of your origins. Again, very strange for me to grasp.
A friend of mine who is from Germany and working here for a tourism company was telling me about a lunchtime with her co-workers when she was out in one of the villages. One of the guys in her team had been out to buy things for lunch, but instead of preparing them, he left them on the side and waited for her to do it. Men here don’t deal with food, or anything domestic, that is all left to the women.
One day, I was having a meeting regarding my project and I noticed that around the table, I was the only female. All the people sat around the table making these decisions were male. It’s not that the office itself has a gender imbalance, quite the opposite actually, it’s pretty much even. However, the women are in more secretarial or administrative roles, compared to the men who are making the decisions. Again, it could be a Kyrgyz thing, as several of the international staff who are working with us are women and internationally the balance is pretty even.
A very modern and progressive city
Despite these anecdotes potentially giving you a slightly warped image of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek is a very modern and progressive city, with women being able to wear what they want and do as they please, which can’t be said for some of the other major cities in central Asia. Neighbouring Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe is much more traditional, with women being expected to cover up and look after the house.
Don't get me wrong, things are of course different in the villages, but the city itself is a very forward-thinking place for the area in which the country is situated.
Hopefully the rest of my time here will allow me to experience more of the culture, as well as carve my own role as a female ecologist, despite being outnumbered by males.”
Stay tuned for more insights into Abi’s research trip abroad in the coming weeks.