2.1. Women’s Movement in Kazakhstan as a Subject of
Political Processes: Basic Stages of Formation
In the former socialist countries there were no conditions, under which similar
forms of political and social activity could develop into social movement or
public phenomenon worth mentioning. In fact political leadership in socialist
countries would attempt now and again to initiate socio-political movement as a
form of people’s initiative related to the creation of a communist society.
Some examples of such movement could be the movement for the successive Party
Congress celebration by way of achieving outstanding results in different
spheres of life or for the communist attitude to labour. Such types of movements
claimed for their positive impact upon industrial production and life style of
the working people. It
is only after some
shifts towards democratisation and pluralization of political life in the former
Soviet Union and other post socialist countries has been made that new
socio-political movements emerged. They differed from all the former types of
political activity by their independence of any political leadership.
Election system reforms and the first election of the USSR People’s Deputies
in 1989, especially in 1990, that took place on the alternative basis for the
first time and in this way made it possible the participation of new political
figures turned out to be one of the factors contributing to new social movement
development. This factor and growing positive expectations of political and
economic reforms triggered unprecedented activity of electorate and served as an
incentive to mass participation in politics.
Traditional structure that dealt with different women’s issues was the
Committee of Soviet Women, which was the only organized form of women’s
movement with vertical structure of women’s organizations. Political measures
and their direction reflected etatistic nature of public patronage in social
sphere. The activity of the Committee of Soviet Women was rather formal and
lacked both real political power and influence in society though it possessed
basis necessary to consolidate female population – a wide network of its units
across the entire territory of the Soviet Union.
Gaining independence by Kazakhstan and extensive socio-political transformation
in 1990s stimulated political activity of Kazakhstan society. Extension of the
scope and levels of political pluralism resulted in the formation of new
institutional forms of political participation of the people in general and that
of female electorate in particular.
Formation of women's movement in Kazakhstan could be conventionally split into
several stages.
The first preparatory stage - 1991-1995 – is characterised by the primary
institutional formation of women’s movement in Kazakhstan, fragmentary
activity of women’s NGO oriented at tackling social and economic problems in
the first place, at business and protection of interests of family and children
(Republican Council of Women, Union of Women of Kazakhstan, Feminist League of
Almaty, “Zhanar” – foundation aimed to support women-entrepreneurs,
“Taukemet-Misery” - Republican Association of Disabled Women With Dependent
Children, a Union of Soldier’s and Sailor’s Mothers, League of Muslim Women,
Association of Mothers With Many Children and etc.)
At this stage the policy of the Government in relation to women is characterised
by the automatic application of principles and mechanisms of the Soviet system
when social role of a woman was limited to social issues and was linked with
family, motherhood and childhood.
At that
time women’s movement was not characterised by any notable political activity,
which can be proved by the fact that during 1994 elections to the Supreme
Council and local representative bodies the Women’s Council had only six
nominees. On the whole only 90 women took part in these elections (out of 756
candidates), which makes up 12% of the total number of those participating in
the elections.
The 2nd stage covering 1995-1998 is the time of real development of
women’s movement in Kazakhstan. In the space of a three-year period the number
of women’s NGOs in the Republic has increased by threefold.
The beginning of this stage in our view was linked with the IV World Conference
on Women in Beijing that took place in September 1995. It is since that time
that strategy and priorities of the Government policy in relation to women
started being developed. That very year the Council on Family, Women and
Demographic Policy was set up. Despite certain achievements in this field
women’s issues were related to the problems of family, childhood, youth and
demography.
The goals of democratic civil society and legal state eliminated traditional
approaches (quota mechanisms in election bodies) to participation and
involvement of women into the country social-political life. Leaders of
women’s NGO come to recognise that expression of social-political interests
must be the responsibility of women themselves.
The third stage started in 1998 and is still going on. It is the period when on
the one hand formation and implementation of the state policy in relation to
women has got its further deepening alongside with the creation of motivation
for women’s political participation. On the other hand there was the dynamic
development of women’s NGOs, their political activity and institutional
formation of women’s political parties.
At the governmental level the Council on Family, Women and Demographic Policy
has gone through modification in the first place. On December 22, 1998 it was
transformed into the key institutional mechanism on gender issues in Kazakhstan
– the National Commission on Family and Women under the President of the
Republic of Kazakhstan. According to its legal status it is a consultative body
under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
This Commission has been set up to protect family, to ensure the participation
of women in political, social, economic and cultural life of the country. There
are 28 members in it – representatives of scientific and cultural communities,
industries, small and medium businesses and civil servants. The chairman of the
Commission has the status of a minister, member of the Government of the RK.
The structure of the National Commission is vertical and covers all the regions
of Kazakhstan because similar commissions exist under Akimats in oblasts
(provinces) and in the cities of Astana and Almaty. Information on the activity
of women’s NGOs is to be found in the magazine “Women: East and West”.
Besides that major periodicals publish columns on gender issues.
Basic tasks of the Commission have been determined as follows: priority areas
identification in the field of family, women and children and introduction of
relevant proposals into state programs based on the Strategy “Kazakhstan-2030”;
development
of a complex of measures to ensure economic, social, psychological and legal
support for the family, women and children, facilitation of their implementation;
situational
analysis in the field of mother and child protection, economic and social status
of the family, the health of the people; formation
of informational basis as to the status of women in society, their political,
social, economic and cultural level;
expansion
of the representation of women in state management bodies of the RK
/83/.
At community level –
facilitation
of the activity of women’s NGOs, development of one’s own ways to involve
women into politics, provision of resource conditions, including educational
ones, for women to be able to improve female political leadership.
At this stage political initiative of women’s NGOs was targeted at the
following tasks:
-
To contribute to civic structure development in the Republic and to
ensure women’s support to democratic reforms;
-
To protect and implement the rights and freedoms of women in Kazakhstan
together with the governmental and non-governmental organisations;
-
To contribute to matching legislation in the RK related to women’s
problem with international legal documents;
-
To promote life improvement of socially vulnerable groups of the
population, to bring down the level of female unemployment.
Specific
feature of this stage is the initiative of the largest women’s NGOs in
Kazakhstan to consolidate women’s movement in Kazakhstan and to ensure social
solidarity of women.
In
1998 on
the eve of elections to the representative power bodies there was set up a
Coalition of NGOs that united under its umbrella twenty largest NGOs in Almaty.
The
program of concerted activity aimed at consolidation of women’s movement was
developed and adopted at the conference “Pre-election Policy of Women’s
Organisations. Women and Election Right” (December 30, 1998), the major
directions of which are the following:
-
Addressing registered presidential candidates with an “open letter”
(signed by 38
-
Support to women at presidential and local elections;
-
Listing women – leaders in Kazakhstan (similar to American “Emily
List”);
-
Promotion and lobbying of women included into the list.
The key motivation for political activity proved to be pre-election situation in
Kazakhstan in 1999. It was then that the first parties oriented at promotion and
protection of women’s interests have got formed.
Such NGOs as Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan, Feminists’ League of
Almaty, Almaty Women’s Information Centre, International Ecological
Association of Women of the East and etc. turned out to be the most active. In
the middle of July “Women’s Electoral Block” founded by Almaty Women’s
Informational Centre, Crisis Centre for Women and Children, International
Ecological Association of Women of the East and Feminists’ League of Almaty
was formally registered.
The key goal of “Women’s Electoral Block” was defined as the increase of
female representation in all the power bodies, facilitation of women’s
participation in the country social life, democratisation process promotion and
development of open society in Kazakhstan.
To implement the aforementioned goal the Foundation has come up with the task to
form donor network based on which there has been developed «Kazakhstani Tomiris
List» (similar to «Emily List» of the USA Democratic party). Politically
promising women – potential candidates able to effectively lobby women’s
interests at all the political levels were to be united under its umbrella.
It was supposed that the activity of “Women’s Electoral Block” would
include holding workshops and training seminars on election campaigns for women
– candidates to elective bodies.
At about the same time (June 21, 1999) constituent congress of leaders of
Republican women's organisations took place, which passed the decision to form
«Political Alliance of Women's Organisations of Kazakhstan» (PAWOK). After its
registration in August 1999 the Party convened the First Congress, in which 150
women delegates, representing all the country regions, took part. During the
congress of women’s political party there was held the First Kazakhstani Fair
of Goods and Ideas “Kanatty Ayel” (“A Wined Woman”).
However due to organisational reasons «Political Alliance of Women's
Organisations of Kazakhstan» was unable to take part in 1999-election campaign
because it has failed to fulfil the requirement of Central Election Committee
(Centrizbirkom) on the number of registered local party units.
Later on “Political Alliance of Women's Organisations of Kazakhstan” was
renamed into Democratic Party of Women of Kazakhstan with R.Sarsembayeva as its
leader. Regional affiliates of
Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan, the network of which covers the
majority of large cities of RK (Aktau, Atarau, Almaty, Zhezkazgan, Karaganda,
Kokshetau, Kostanai, Kyzal-Orda, Pavlodar, Shymkent and etc.) has become party
social basis. Party membership a present amounts more than three thousand
people.
Not a single woman that has nominated herself on the part of NGO (PAWOK alone
nominated 10 candidates from different single mandate districts of the Republic)
has become a Mazhilis member regardless serious preparation for elections and
the use of modern election technologies in political campaigns. Only one woman
– the leader of “Balausa” Foundation has become Senate member. According
to what she has said the only social organisation that supported her was her own
one. Basically, women – former representatives of executive power that have
been supported by Akimats, i.e. by local state power bodies, have become MPs.
That means that women willing to risk and go through elections encounter
obstacles not only due to their own political ‘ignorance’ or immaturity but
also and predominantly due to the influence of external forces and unfavourable
political environment. Another important factor is the lack of consolidation,
cohesion on the part of different social associations during election campaign.
This is one of the biggest mistakes of women’s movement regardless declared
initiatives and disconcerted efforts of coalitions that become active from time
to time. However the initiative of setting up the coalition of NGOs -
“Women’s Electoral Initiatives” deserves research and its activity
evaluation in view of possible replication of similar initiatives all over the
country.
In August 1999 the Coalition addressed the parties participating in elections
with the Memorandum (signed by the Almaty Women's Information Centre,
Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan, Association of Single Mothers
(Almaty), Gender Information-analytical Centre (Karaganda), Crisis Centre for
women and children «Podrugi»),
International Ecological Association of Women of the East, Taldykorgan Regional
Centre for Women Support an Feminist League, in which it was proposed to form
50% female party lists. This proposal found support on the part of only one
women's party «Vozrozhdeniye Kazakhstana» (Revival of Kazakhstan), in the
party list of which women accounted for 60%.
The goal of the party
«Vozrozhdeniye
Kazakhstana» (which considers itself to be a female party only because its
leader is a woman) is the fight and improvement of social standing of vulnerable
population (women, disabled children, pensioners, representatives of
intelligentsia). However
after the elections the activity of the party has dramatically decreased, which
reflects general trend in the post-election political life of many
social-political associations.
In 1999 the coalition “Women’s Electoral Initiatives” devised a Program
for 1999 – 2000, the aim of which is to bring up female representation level:
-
In the Parliament – up to 20-30%;
-
In oblast, rayon and city Maslikhats – up to 25-35%;
-
In local self-governance bodies – up to 35-45%.
Basic directions of program implementation, developed by the working group of
the Coalition “Women’s Electoral Initiatives” (Ye. Kozyreva (Feminist
League), Yu. Zaitsev («Malvina» magazine), A. Bakeneyeva (Almaty Women’s
Information Centre), G.Tlegenova (Crisis Centre for Women and Children) were as
follows:
-
To facilitate female electorate and to identify potential women –
leaders through cascade workshops: training of trainers (local level) and female
electorate in all the regions of Kazakhstan (general level – based on the
principal – one workshop for 7000 potential female voters or 1000 workshops a
year).
-
Preparation and dissemination of information that would influence the
activity of female electorate.
-
Step-by-step training of women – leaders along the programs of female
leadership (1 stage) and methods of running election campaigns (2 stage).
-
Brining up the image of women – leaders.
-
Amendment of election legislation to ensure real fair possibilities for
women – candidates.
The tasks of the Coalition have been determined by the specific date –
December 31, 2001. On the one hand the implementation of these tasks reflects,
in our opinion, a bit too high level of future tasks and on the other hand
demonstrates adequacy of gender development and reality of political activity of
women’s and feminist organisations in Kazakhstan. Despite the fact that
political outcomes of women’s movement in the Republic have not reached the
level of women’s political activity in the neighbouring Russia, quality
characteristics of system multilevel gender development, institutional formation
of women’s NGOs, parties and their strategic development are much higher in
comparison with other post-soviet countries.
A key factor of gender policy in Kazakhstan is that bringing up representation
level of women in all the power bodies, reinforcement of the measures aimed at
combating violence against women considered to be a priority. This is due to the
activity of national women’s movement.
If in 1996 only 6% /84/ women declared their wish to take part in the state
politics then prior to parliamentary elections of 1999 women's movement became
more active. Survey data for 2001 reveal that at present 82% of interviewed
women insist on their participation in political activity. It should be
mentioned that males have recognised the fact of female discrimination in the
field of politics (72% of all the respondents) and in access to power (76%)
/85/.
At present women’s political activity is developing, new social-political
associations are being formed. For example, in autumn 2000 there was registered
a new political movement “Women of Kazakhstan” (leader – B.Bekturganova).
The priorities of its activity are linked with social standing of women,
consolidation of women’s organisations and women representing different social
groups and layers. This movement, according to the leader, is going to boost its
female political activity and make women a real political force in the Republic,
based on which there will be formed a party in future. At present “Women of
Kazakhstan” movement has a network of regional affiliates in 10 largest cities
of the country.
In November 2001 a founding meeting of “Coalition of Independent Women’s
Organisations took place in Almaty. Its tasks are related to the protection and
lobbying the interests of female social organisations (in the first place the
regional ones) and improvement of women’s status in Kazakhstan society. The
Coalition will deal with the expansion of legal rights of female population, its
real representation in all the spheres of professional and social life, with
support to women’s crediting programs. Coalition has committed itself to
promoting educational, legal and financial support of women’s rights for
development, creativity, and freedom to realise their capacity.
Women's organisations have been at the stage of active participation in
social-political processes for quite a time now and this is proved by the task
they put forward as to the civil society development in the Republic and by
practical outcomes of woman's movement. Institutionalisation of women's movement
in Kazakhstan is a fact and at present it is subdivided into several
social-political associations and non-governmental organisations:
а) Women's parties and movements oriented at protection and lobbying
general women's interests, political, economic and social right, increase of
political representation of women and their participation in national decision
making («Democratic Party of Women of Kazakhstan», movement «Women of
Kazakhstan», party «Revival of Kazakhstan»);
b) Women's non-governmental organisations, the activity of which is aimed at
tackling social-economic problems of society, family and children. Their field
of activity – social adaptation, treatment, training and employment of
socially vulnerable population groups (Association
of parents of disabled children, Centres of social adaptation SATR (SALR) and
«Kenes», Association of single mothers, Association of large family
mothers, Republican society of women invalids with dependent children «Bibi-Ana»
and etc.);
c) Women's business NGOs that carry out active educational activity aimed at
developing business skills of unemployed women (Association of Business Women of
Kazakhstan, Association of «Women entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan» and their
branches in different regions and etc.);
d) Women's NGOs, priorities of which include implementation of social-cultural
tasks («League of Women with Creative Initiative», «Association
of Muslim Women» and etc.);
e) Women's NGOs engaged in charitable activity (Charitable organisation «Special
Olympics» and etc.);
f) Feminist NGOs (Feminist League of Almaty, Feminist
League of Kokshetau);
g) Women's NGOs specialising in scientific-analytical, informational and
sociological support of women's movement (Alliance of Women of East-Kazakhstan
oblast «Status», Almaty Informational Women's Centre, NGO «Nadya»,
Association of sociologists and political scientists of Almaty and etc.);
h) Women’s organisation in the field of health care of women (National
Association of Family Planning and etc.);
i) Crisis centre to support women and girls that have been subject to violence
(Crisis centre for women and children, Crisis centre «Women friends»,
Feminists League and etc.);
j) Women's organisations aimed to boost women's activity (Almaty Women’s
Information Centre, «Women's
Election Block», Centre to support women of Taldykorgan and etc.)
k) Organisations carrying out gender education and gender research (Almaty
Women’s Information Centre, Feminist League, Association of Women of
Intellectual Labour, Gender information-analytical Centre in Karaganda and
etc.);
l) Ecological NGO (International Ecological Association of Women of the East).
The majority of women's NGOs carry out diverse activity, which exceeds the
framework of their specialisation. For example «League of Women with Creative
Initiative» together with the authorities of the National Female Pedagogic
University is successfully implementing project on counselling female students
on all the issues related to reproductive health. NGO «The Union of Nuclear
Tests Victims» and «Women of the East» work in the field of rehabilitation of
women and children that have suffered from nuclear tests.
Characteristic feature of contemporary women's movement is that as a result of
their activity a number of women's associations managed to set up resource basis
for their wide regional network all over Kazakhstan. At present organisation and
holding training on female political leadership with the support of
international organisation are major practical directions of women’s NGOs.
Nowadays NGOs are basic mechanisms, through which women are able to socialise
and get political education that fosters skills of political activity,
competition and election campaigns.
Unfortunately such form of activity of women's organisations is basically of
sporadic character despite the urgency of such education.
At present the most pertinent and disputable issue in Kazakhstan is the problem
of gender quota at the level of political representation. Women's NGOs address
the government with the requirement to consider this question and introduce
quota system via the Law on equal rights and possibilities that is being
developed by the Parliamentary group «Otbasy».
Women have equal rights to take part in political life of the society especially
given that women's NGOs are in the majority. Rapid growth of women's
organisations started in 1995. Political practice based on the election
campaigns of 1994 and 1999 allowed accumulating considerable political
experience, which is the prerequisite of women’s influence upon state policy
and social processes.
«On the one hand the growth of women's NGOs is the result of accumulation of
women's problems and on the other hand it is the growth of political
self-consciousness of women. Today women understand that they need to be
integrated into the society, they are trying to participate in the new regime
political structures. Today NGO have the possibility to work together with the
government in order to increase the level of civic activity and societal
integration of women» /86/.
Strong nation-wide women's movement as a political subject, able to consolidate
female community, possessing adequate resource and information-organisational
infrastructure and able with time to become independent political force may be
considered as the most promising and flexible model of democratic institutions
in Kazakhstan.
In the opinion of the leader of «Women of Kazakhstan» B.Bekturganova: The task
of the movement is to influence politics not «top-downwards» by way of
pressurising on the central power institutions (this is the task of the later
stage) but rather from the «bottom», i.e. through female population as a
social basis of a democratic right. This is very important because the
'bottom-upwards' activity of women in the field of their political rights
protection has gone down» /87/.
In order to widen the scope of women's movement and its results it is important,
in our mind, to create necessary conditions and encourage regional and local
women's parties and NGOs, informational-educational and advisory centres.
In order for women's movement to become important political force it is
necessary to ensure further consolidation, especially in the view of future
election campaign.
However at present the following factors as female conservatism, female
competition, unwillingness to give up to a woman competitor even if the latter
comes up with a noble initiative, the implementation of which will require
concerted efforts, are an obstacle. This is confirmed by the survey results
among women – parliamentary deputy candidates at the elections of 1999
(detailed analysis is given in the next chapter of this research).
Besides that conservative approach to women both on the part of society and on
the part of female population itself hinders further consolidation of women. In
our opinion women's movement will not achieve any tangible results unless women
themselves get to understand the importance and necessity of their participation
in social-political life and start fighting for their real promotion into all
the power and management structures.
Gulsara Tlenchieva points out some of the negative factors that hinder effective
development of women's movement: «influence of old structures and leaders upon
political activity of new women leaders; lack of financial support in promoting
women into power bodies; immaturity of public opinion and women – potential
politicians to overcome gender balance». In her opinion women themselves think
that among «major reasons of that are: lack of political participation of women
in Kazakhstan (women are afraid of negative judgement on the part of the family,
society and are waiting to be invited to take part in the politics); women find
it difficult to combine such type of activity with family responsibilities;
women are not allowed or pushed out from managerial and prestigious positions;
women are not very well informed about political and social processes /88/.
In our opinion implementation of constructive norms, brining them up to the
level of every day life is the key prerequisite of basic women's movement
formation. We think that power structures in the present day Kazakhstan should
be gender balanced. Prevalence of males in them causes misbalance and disharmony
in decision-making, since interests and priorities of women are not taken into
account by such a power. With mentality like that it takes time and efforts to
resolve issues of social, ethical and moral nature.
Training women to promote them to the upper decision-making level – is a
multistage and multifaceted work. It requires a whole system of measures. It’s
place is within the entire system of managerial staff training but at the same
time it is necessary to take into account obvious peculiarities determined by
the prevailing stereotypes, psychology and experience. Women's NGOs can play
rather a significant role in this field. Working in these organisations means a
good school for women on top of seminars, workshops, courses and traineeship for
them.
One of the first steps to be made is networking. These networks do not
necessarily need to have general political goals. They will be just groups of
women that will get together to decide how to promote specific issues like, for
example, women's reproductive rights or the rights of business women. For
instance the Fair of Goods and Ideas conducted by women's organisations in
Almaty in 1999 had the final goal to promote women to the decision making level
by way of economic policy.
A key role in self-organised women's political movement in Kazakhstan in our
opinion is to be played by women's political party able to lobby women's social
interests through parliamentary activity. Such a party should implement centrist
policy to achieve gender balance.
In the course of general election campaign in 1999 and during the first
Kazakhstan Fair of Goods and Ideas the Association of Sociologists and Political
Scientists in Almaty carried out a survey to determine the rating of deputy
candidates and parties participating in the elections. The results of the survey
turned out to be quite encouraging for women’s party “Political Alliance of
Women’s Organisations of Kazakhstan”. Interviewed women proved to be in
favour of youth movement “For the
Future of Kazakhstan”, next to it is the women’s political party (Attachment
E, F) /89/.
In the opinion of leaders of Association of Business Women of Kazakhstan the
capacity of women's NGOs «should be reinforced in such a way that they have
adequate institutional and political force to ensure powerful women's movement.
This will contribute to education reinforcement in the field of gender
discrimination at work and finally will push the governments to wards meeting
international human rights standards. Wide scale movement for women's rights
will provide people with the means to determine independent policy and community
mobilisation for changes, which will contribute to the creation of civil society
and a more viable democracy» /90/.
Analysing different stages of women's movement formation and development in
Kazakhstan alongside with the aforementioned positive factors it is possible to
determine the causes of insufficient political reputation and weight. In the
first place current women's movement reflects general trends in political
pluralism and party development in Kazakhstan.
Based on the criteria of West and Blumberg, which determine the forms of «women's
social protest» («participation and leadership in organised barrier
elimination, which threatens women’s economic development, well-being of their
families and children; participation in social protest movement of nationalist
or racial-ethnic character; leadership and mass participation in wide-scale
movement like peace-keeping, environmental and movement for the improvement of
social education system and etc.; active fight for the rights and for different
specific women's groups (divorced, elderly
and etc.») /91/, it is possible to state that regardless active
functioning of women's organisations in Kazakhstan, their potential will allow
them in future to overcome a number of factors, hindering political activity of
women's movement.
The following factors hindering women's movement in my mind are as follows:
- almost total lack of clear political position on issues of political and
social-economic development of society;
- lack of specific mechanisms aimed at elimination of gender misbalance in
society in general and at decision making level, quotas limiting political
representation of the number of women;
- inadequate level of political consolidation of women's organisations;
- lack of clear identification of women's organisations with both specific
common social-political interests of female population and women's electorate
with women's movement;
- insufficiency of financial-material resources of women's NGOs that rely mainly
upon international organisations and funds;
- lack of
active political initiatives on the part of female electorate;
-
lack of general idea able to consolidate both women's organisations and female
population.
In
order to reinforce women's movement in Kazakhstan it is necessary to develop and
implement the following program measures:
-
To set up the basis for the national system of integration of women's
population into the processes of social development.
-
Promotion and education of female population on urgent political
problems, legislative basis to ensure the rights of women, including political
ones.
-
Expansion of political activity at the regional and local levels,
reinforcement of the activity co-ordination of women’s parties, movements and
NGOs.
-
Introduction of parliamentary hearings on gender policy and human rights.
-
Encouragement of bottom-upwards initiatives, lobbying women's interests
at the level of representative and public bodies.
-
Organisation of monitoring in the field of gender relations.
-
Education-methodological and training activity (schools of leadership,
business, training courses and etc.);
-
Introduction of gender courses into the system of education;
-
Organisation of general legal education of female electorate.
-
Development of social order practice, implementation of projects jointly
with the public bodies.
Besides that women's movement should pay special attention to collaboration with
«male» political parties. The latter while understanding the importance of
bringing over women's electorate nevertheless do not try to develop adequate
strategy or simply study the experience of related western democracies. Most
probably this happens because of the lack of knowledge about the ways to
involve these or those population categories that are not within the structure
of the given party. Again, men are not willing to share even a part of their
party power responsibilities and give away «their» places in party lists.
However, while bearing small losses parties could gain more: mass participation,
reputation, and competitiveness and hence access to power. Byelorussian
researcher Irina Chikalova states that «since gender causes obvious interests
among political parties in Western countries the study of the extent it is taken
into account in politics and in practical actions on the one hand helps to
better understand peculiarities of their work and on the other hand specific
nature and diversity of its interpretation determines the ways, peculiarities
and direction of political actions» /92/.
Democratic processes going on in Kazakhstan cover all the spheres of social life, in which women's movement is acting, in order to overcome traditional myths about the role of women in society. At present a new model of social development is being formed and elimination of public paternalism must become a motivation for self-actualisation of women's movement. At present in Kazakhstan there are about one hundred women's NGOs. Participation of women in political processes broadens democratic basis of Kazakhstan society. However at present it is necessary to promote and to form women-politicians based not only on gender but select promising from political point of view and competent women – leaders. The policy of «positive discrimination» (or positive preference) will make it possible to considerably increase resource potential in order to ensure higher women’s political representation.