Accelerating women’s digital inclusion through experimentation in Kazakhstan
Published by UNDP Kazakhstan on April 19, 2022
Kazakhstan has made progress in gender equality in all sectors, but challenges remain. Young women in Kazakhstan are not well represented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), which generally pay better than occupations in other sectors. Although the overall educational attainment of women in Kazakhstan is high, this is not reflected in the enrollment in STEM degrees and professions. Only 25% of women choose a STEM career. There are several reasons for this, most notably the lack of representation of women role models in STEM fields, gendered role expectations, and societal norms that assume these professions are more suitable for men. Recent studies also suggest that women experience a "confidence gap" about the skills they need to master and that there is low awareness of career opportunities that narrows women's pipelines in STEM fields.
In December 2021, young women from the cities of Satpayev and Zhezkazgan had an opportunity to participate in a two-week "Alga!" ["Go for it!" in Kazakh] bootcamp organized by the UNDP Kazakhstan Accelerator Lab. The experiment aimed to develop digital and leadership among women in remote areas of Kazakhstan to enhance their employment opportunities in ICT (information, communication, technology) and STEM.
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