The Priorities of Women-led Businesses in the Economy of Kazakhstan: Gender Aspects in the Labor Market

Abstract

In this article, the authors analyze the specifics of women’s entrepreneurship as a separate phenomenon that is gaining momentum in the modern world. Women are increasingly striving for self-realization and economic independence, and entrepreneurship is becoming one of the strategies for achieving these goals. The purpose of this article is to analyze the main characteristics of women’s labor in Kazakhstan. The gender statistical data describing the representation of women in the Kazakhstani labor market, the level of income of women and men, the number of women managers and women entrepreneurs, and regional specifics of labor serve as a methodological tool for realizing the goal. As an additional method of analysis it is proposed to consider the results of questionnaire survey of female students of economic specialties of higher education institutions of Kazakhstan, which showed the level of girls’ preparedness for entrepreneurship. The collected data demonstrate that Kazakhstani girls do not perceive the presence of gender inequality in both the labor market and business. They do not take into account the lack of equal starting opportunities, institutional restrictions on doing business, and gender stereotypes that limit the scale of female entrepreneurship in the country. It is especially important to note that the surveyed girls are ready to combine business activities and domestic labor. They believe that such a combination is quite organic and obligatory for Kazakhstani women, and family should be a higher priority than business. The article was made within the framework of the project: Grant No. AP14871920 Keywords: female entrepreneurs, pay inequality, female executives, second shift, income levels, motherhood.