Kyrgyz Women: Fierce Feminine Power & Beauty

The nomadic way of life of the Kyrgyz and animal husbandry required great independence from women. The well-being of the family directly depended on the number of livestock and on the ability to process and preserve livestock products in time.

In poor families, spouses were partners, and the partnership was based on joint work on the farm. The work of a woman gave her a certain independence in managing the household.

Customary law and traditions protected and guaranteed the rights of women. Among the Kyrgyz, as well as among many other peoples, a woman was honored and respected as a keeper of the hearth, and as a mother.

The nomadic way of life contributed to granting the Kyrgyz woman a more favorable position compared to women of other Central Asian peoples.

A Kyrgyz woman was not a recluse in her home, no restrictions were imposed on her in clothing, a Kyrgyz woman walked with an open face, could freely be in a male society, and in exceptional cases had the right to vote on an equal basis with men.

The sphere of application of female labor is the house, the creation of comfort in it. A woman had to be efficient, hardworking, skillful. These qualities were laid down in the process of raising a future woman. The woman provided for the life of all family members with her work. Many well-known travelers and researchers noted the fact that among nomads, the share of women's participation in daily labor activity exceeds the labor contribution of men.

There were difficult moments in the life of nomads, ups and downs, but the strength of mind, wisdom, self-sufficiency of Kyrgyz women, as well as their creative nature, helped and continues to help carry the hardship of life through generations and centuries.