THE WOMEN’S QUESTION IN THE UZBEK SSR

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Abstract

This article examines Soviet state policy toward women using the case of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic from the 1920s to the 1980s. The study focuses on the goals, mechanisms, and social consequences of Soviet women’s policy implemented in the context of a traditional Central Asian society. The author argues that the officially proclaimed principle of gender equality was closely connected not only with social modernization but also with ideological and political objectives of the Soviet regime.

The article analyzes institutional mechanisms for involving women in public and political life, including women’s departments, clubs, delegate meetings, and the “Hujum” campaign. Particular attention is paid to the contradictory outcomes of these policies: alongside increased literacy, employment, and civic participation among women, coercive methods, social resistance, and tragic consequences for many local women were observed.

Based on archival materials, legal documents, statistical data, and scholarly works, the study reveals the real impact of Soviet policies on women’s social status. The article also highlights the contribution of Uzbek women to industrial development, agriculture, and especially to the wartime economy during World War II, when women became a key labor and social resource for the state.

The author concludes that Soviet women’s policy in the Uzbek SSR played a significant role in accelerating social modernization and expanding women’s public roles. However, it simultaneously served as a tool for ideological control and economic mobilization, which determined its complex and controversial nature.