VOA常速英语2007年-Central Asian Women Still Struggle for Politica

By Navbahor Imamova
Washington
16 November 2007
 

In most of Central Asia women are still struggling to find their place in the political arena¹. Despite the Soviet² legacy³ of gender⁴ equality, women are still underrepresented in the highest levels of government. VOA's Navbahor Imamova looks at the political situation for women in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

In many parts of Central Asia gender stereotypes⁵ continue to hinder women's opportunities to pursue some careers outside the home.

While women are increasingly active in healthcare, education, culture and non-governmental organizations, in politics there are more suits than skirts. Finance, policy-making, and legislating⁶ are still controlled by men.

The highest political position held by a woman in recent years in the region has been in Kyrgyzstan where Roza Otunbayeva served as foreign minister. But today Kyrgyzstan - described by Freedom House as the most democratic in Central Asia - has no female parliamentarians.

Societal challenges are just some of the obstacles Kyrgyz women face in breaking into politics. Erica Marat, a Kyrgyz analyst⁷ based in Washington, D.C., says the cost of campaigns has also been a barrier. "(The) Kyrgyz constitution, adopted two years ago, was based on the majoritarian electoral system in which only wealthy and those with informal networks got elected. And they usually tend to be men. Now, with the newly amended⁸ constitution we will have an electoral system based on party lists. So there is hope that women who were squeezed out from the political process will be able to gain some support."

In neighboring Uzbekistan, where women represent 45 percent of the work force, only 10 women serve in the 100 member Senate and slightly more are members of the lower chamber⁹.

Uzbek gender issues expert Marfua Tokhtakhojayeva worries that these politicians are not doing enough for Uzbek women. "We need women policymakers and lawmakers who truly represent their people by talking to them, by listening to them. Our parliamentarians and public servants do not serve the public. We do not know them. We get to see them only before the elections. We could have a 100 percent women representation but if they do not care about the people, then it is irrelevant¹⁰."

Some observers believe progress is being made, as Dilorom Tashmukhamedova - a pro-government politician - becomes Uzbekistan's first female presidential candidate. However, with little chance of winning, political analysts¹¹ do not expect major political gains for women.

One of the greatest obstacles facing women across Central Asia is the lack of economic opportunity. Nazima Nurmukhamedova, an international aid specialist from Tajikistan, says women in her country have little time for politics because they are generally just trying to survive. "Men have left the country seeking jobs abroad. Women do everything in rural areas. Farming is mainly women's work today. They are not paid well. Gender inequality is rampant¹². Women do not own much. They have no financial security," she said. 

Women are often regarded as the agents of change, especially in transitional political environments. But in Central Asia, many experts believe change will take time and require strong support by the international community to create opportunities for women in the political process.

1 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 legislating   

v.立法，制定法律( legislate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Why are the senators sitting there without legislating? 为什么那些议员们做在那里不立法？ 来自互联网
• From legislating and protecting peasant's interests organizationally. " 从立法和组织上保护农民利益。 来自互联网

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

9 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

10 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。