Breaking Invisible Barriers: The Glass Ceiling in Uzbekistan
On the bustling streets of Tashkent, Saodat Shermatova confidently grips the wheel of a city bus, navigating through morning traffic jams. She is 45 years old, has three children, and is one of the first women in the country to officially become a public transport driver. Until February 2024, women were simply prohibited from operating heavy vehicles. This ban was inherited from Soviet times. When the restriction was lifted, Saodat didn't hesitate: she underwent training, passed exams, and got behind the wheel. "I've always dreamed of this, but society said it wasn't a woman's job," she recalls in an interview with UN Women. Saodat and her training partner remain the only female bus drivers in Uzbekistan so far. But she is confident: "In the future, there will be more of us." Saodat's story is a vivid example of what the "glass ceiling" looks like in everyday reality. This term was coined in 1978 by American management consultant Marilyn Loden. During a panel discussion at the Women's Exposition in New York, she described invisible cultural barriers, subtle biases, and systemic obstacles that prevent qualified women from rising to the top of their careers, even though they are quite visible from below. The phrase caught on quickly: in 1986, the Wall Street Journal dedicated a major article to it, and the "glass ceiling" metaphor became widely accepted. In Uzbekistan, the glass ceiling is particularly important because it hinders the potential of half the population, preventing the building of a modern inclusive economy during a period of reforms. According to the International Labour Organization data from February 2025, women in Uzbekistan who are employed earn on average 25–35% less than men. This gap has remained stable since 2018 and is considered high by international standards. In 2022, the average monthly salary for women was about 2.13 million soums, while for men it was 3.119 million soums (a difference of about 31.7% on average and up to 35.7% on median). Some sources, including recent publications, indicate 33%—men earn a third more. Women are more often found in low-paying sectors: education, healthcare, and social services. Men dominate in govermental sector, construction, transportation, and finance, where salaries are higher. Young women suffer from unemployment more severely: 15.5% versus 10% for men, and 42% of girls aged 15–24 are not working, studying, or in training. Closing the gender pay gap alone could lift more than 700,000 people out of poverty and increase national income by 29%, according to World Bank estimates. In Uzbekistan, cultural factors reinforce the barriers. Society holds persistent traditional views: a woman is primarily the keeper of the house. And women who build careers are expected to perfectly balance them with home life. The double burden of paid work plus household chores leaves little time for growth and even undermines psychological and physical health. In rural areas, where conservatism is stronger, women are more often engaged in family farming or crafts, without access to professions and education due to societal pressure and adherence to destructive dogmas from family members, especially the male side. Stereotypes steer girls away from STEM, although women make up more than 40% of university students. In politics, women hold 34.6% of seats in parliament in 2024, compared to 16% in 2017, but their share in real decision-making is 16–25%.
The glass ceiling in Uzbekistan is not just about salaries and positions. It's about expectations, prohibitions that are lifted one by one, and stories like Saodat's, which show that barriers are real but surmountable. To fully shatter the glass, it's not enough to have laws (like the new Labor Code of 2022 or the repeal of the list of prohibited professions), but also to change norms—in families, schools, and companies. While women like Saodat pave the way, remaining in the minority, the ceiling still holds. But every such journey brings closer the moment when it will crack for good.
https://www.ilo.org/publications/gender-pay-gap-uzbekistan-recent-trends-and-policy-implications https://stat.uz/img/news/ish-haqi--eng-21_01_p73184.pdf https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/uzbekistan/publication/country-gender-assessment-2024 https://data.ipu.org/parliament/UZ/UZ-UC01/data-on-women
On the bustling streets of Tashkent, Saodat Shermatova confidently grips the wheel of a city bus, navigating through morning traffic jams. She is 45 years old, has three children, and is one of the first women in the country to officially become a public transport driver. Until February 2024, women were simply prohibited from operating heavy vehicles. This ban was inherited from Soviet times. When the restriction was lifted, Saodat didn't hesitate: she underwent training, passed exams, and got behind the wheel. "I've always dreamed of this, but society said it wasn't a woman's job," she recalls in an interview with UN Women. Saodat and her training partner remain the only female bus drivers in Uzbekistan so far. But she is confident: "In the future, there will be more of us." Saodat's story is a vivid example of what the "glass ceiling" looks like in everyday reality. This term was coined in 1978 by American management consultant Marilyn Loden. During a panel discussion at the Women's Exposition in New York, she described invisible cultural barriers, subtle biases, and systemic obstacles that prevent qualified women from rising to the top of their careers, even though they are quite visible from below. The phrase caught on quickly: in 1986, the Wall Street Journal dedicated a major article to it, and the "glass ceiling" metaphor became widely accepted. In Uzbekistan, the glass ceiling is particularly important because it hinders the potential of half the population, preventing the building of a modern inclusive economy during a period of reforms. According to the International Labour Organization data from February 2025, women in Uzbekistan who are employed earn on average 25–35% less than men. This gap has remained stable since 2018 and is considered high by international standards. In 2022, the average monthly salary for women was about 2.13 million soums, while for men it was 3.119 million soums (a difference of about 31.7% on average and up to 35.7% on median). Some sources, including recent publications, indicate 33%—men earn a third more. Women are more often found in low-paying sectors: education, healthcare, and social services. Men dominate in govermental sector, construction, transportation, and finance, where salaries are higher. Young women suffer from unemployment more severely: 15.5% versus 10% for men, and 42% of girls aged 15–24 are not working, studying, or in training. Closing the gender pay gap alone could lift more than 700,000 people out of poverty and increase national income by 29%, according to World Bank estimates. In Uzbekistan, cultural factors reinforce the barriers. Society holds persistent traditional views: a woman is primarily the keeper of the house. And women who build careers are expected to perfectly balance them with home life. The double burden of paid work plus household chores leaves little time for growth and even undermines psychological and physical health. In rural areas, where conservatism is stronger, women are more often engaged in family farming or crafts, without access to professions and education due to societal pressure and adherence to destructive dogmas from family members, especially the male side. Stereotypes steer girls away from STEM, although women make up more than 40% of university students. In politics, women hold 34.6% of seats in parliament in 2024, compared to 16% in 2017, but their share in real decision-making is 16–25%.
The glass ceiling in Uzbekistan is not just about salaries and positions. It's about expectations, prohibitions that are lifted one by one, and stories like Saodat's, which show that barriers are real but surmountable. To fully shatter the glass, it's not enough to have laws (like the new Labor Code of 2022 or the repeal of the list of prohibited professions), but also to change norms—in families, schools, and companies. While women like Saodat pave the way, remaining in the minority, the ceiling still holds. But every such journey brings closer the moment when it will crack for good.
https://www.ilo.org/publications/gender-pay-gap-uzbekistan-recent-trends-and-policy-implications https://stat.uz/img/news/ish-haqi--eng-21_01_p73184.pdf https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/uzbekistan/publication/country-gender-assessment-2024 https://data.ipu.org/parliament/UZ/UZ-UC01/data-on-women
Abdutolibova Barchinoy.
