ASTANA – In a world where patriarchy is still prevalent and an invisible ceiling keeps many women grounded, women – from the remote villages in the Kyrgyz Republic to cities in Kazakhstan – are pushing back to redefine what it means to be successful. Professor Shumaila Yousafzai has witnessed this firsthand. In an interview with The Astana Times, she shares the stories of resilience, the barriers women face, and the profound care they share in their work and families.
Shumaila Yousafzai hails from Pakistan. She has been living in Kazakhstan for the past five years. Photo credit: screenshot from The Astana Times YouTube channel interview
Shumaila Yousafzai, a professor at the Graduate School of Business of Nazarbayev University, researches entrepreneurship, particularly entrepreneurial pathways for disadvantaged groups.
This year, she published a book, “Trailblazers of the Steppes: Inspiring Narratives of Women in Business in Kazakhstan,” unveiling the stories of 50 women entrepreneurs.
She also recently authored the monograph “Together We Have It All: Women Entrepreneurs in the Tourism Sector, a Case Study of the Kyrgyzstan Community,” which offers an in-depth exploration of the experiences of women entrepreneurs leading community-based tourism in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Real hero entrepreneurs
Yousafzai stressed there is a strong belief, primarily stemming from Western theories of entrepreneurship, that for one to become an entrepreneur, he or she needs a substantial capital, and a brilliant business idea. She pointed to the effectual theory of entrepreneurship, proposed by Saras D. Sarasvathy, which, on the contrary, suggests that anyone can become an entrepreneur by starting with whatever resources are available.
“It is in each one of us to be an entrepreneur. You don’t need a lot of money; you don’t need a lot of connections or a brilliant business idea. You just start with what you have in hand. You share your idea with others, and whoever wants to join you in this journey, you bring them in,” she explained. “I have traveled to many countries. I see in Thailand, for example, a very entrepreneurial country, in Africa, and in Uzbekistan, people are out there doing businesses on the street, small businesses.”
She also questioned the Western notion of entrepreneurship, which often revolves around the image of a “hero man” who “comes and solves big problems, creates a big company,” “creates a lot of jobs,” and “becomes a millionaire.” This idea of success, she noted, is narrowly defined and does not resonate with everyone.
“The idea of success and value that we attach with entrepreneurship – I did not like that idea. I had a chat with a lot of women entrepreneurs. I would look at them and the value that they were creating for their family and for the women around them. The refugee entrepreneurs, for example, how they come to a new country and create a new life for themselves. So I just started to think, what is value?” she said.
Through these conversations, she observed a different kind of value creation – one that focuses on family, community, and the well-being of others.
“We have to reevaluate the concept of value and success. For them, value is giving to their community, to the other people around them, and that is what drew me more towards these people. Because we need to talk about their contribution to the society, to their own families, to the culture, and to the nature. They are real hero entrepreneurs,” she said.
Stories of resilience
Yousafzai advocates for more women entrepreneurs. Women’s innate willingness to share and support others is a unique strength that sets women apart in business. The professor stressed the concept of feminine capital, which refers to these unique qualities, skills, and perspectives that women bring to entrepreneurship and leadership.
“When she does business, she cares for her employees, customers and competitors. We had so many stories of women – they are competitors and they are teaching them the tricks of the trade. They are sharing their resources with them. That’s not what a man would normally do. They keep things to themselves. This is the woman’s nature to share and to care,” she said.
Yousafzai shared stories of her experience as a tourist in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2020. Most of the homestays were owned and run by women. “These women were amazing. I was just thinking how strong they are,” said the professor, describing how women handled various tasks—from milking cows and preparing meals to interacting with tourists.
The Astana Times Senior Editor Assel Satubaldina and Professor Shumaila Yousafzai. Photo credit: Photo credit: screenshot from The Astana Times YouTube channel interview
Drawing parallels with Kazakhstan, Yousafzai told stories of other remarkable women, like Bulbul Kapkyzy, a Kazakh from Mongolia who built a business teaching Kazakh crafts to the next generation.
Another memorable story was about a woman from southern Kazakhstan who has 10 children and runs a business that exports bamboo as a construction material to Europe.
“They are trailblazers. They are doing amazing things. At the same time, they are nurturing their families. They have not lost touch with their feminine side. They are doing what nature has asked a woman to do – to take care of their families,” she said.
For Yousafzai, the goal has always been to tell stories. She believes in the power of storytelling to change mindsets. Telling stories acknowledges the hard work women do, and that is something all people seek —acknowledgment and appreciation.
“What happens when we start acknowledging, that starts the process of legitimizing. These women make value, but the value is not legitimate. Why? Because it is not in monetary terms and intangible,” she added.
For example, Bhutan measures GDP per capita by happiness, and New Zealand has started considering well-being in its metrics. According to her, that is a positive step toward valuing things that aren’t traditionally measured.
Patriarchy is a universal challenge
Yousafzai noted patriarchy is a universal challenge. “All women face barriers. Some more, some less. There is patriarchy everywhere. We are fighting this. There are invisible ceilings and sticky floors that do not let us go up or do not let us go higher,” said the professor.
She noted societies often tell women they need to change or become more like men to be successful.
“We don’t need to become like a man to be successful. That is what I find very interesting. All these women give me hope about the future. They make me proud of being a woman. I do it also for my daughters. My daughters go with me everywhere when I do these interviews. I want them to see all these women showing so much resilience everywhere,” she said.
Reflecting on her extensive travels across Central Asia, she noted that Kazakh women stand out as the most empowered.
“Financially, education-wise, and in terms of being out and having more rights, you are in a good position to move forward,” she said.
She attributes this partly to Kazakhstan’s nomadic heritage, which she believes offers women more empowerment than the settled cultures of neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan, where rigid gender roles are more prevalent.
Male allies in women’s journeys
According to Yousafzai, men are crucial in helping break barriers and supporting women. Because men more often possess significant resources and contacts, they could be “cheerleaders,” speaking on behalf of women and telling about their struggles.
“Men are not always creating barriers. They are helping women. It could be a father, it could be an uncle, it could be a neighbor, it could be a politician in your neighborhood. There are always these characters. We need more of them to come and to be cheerleaders, because they are sitting in places where women are not. These are the places where decisions are being made, resources are distributed, and we don’t have much say over there,” said Yousafzai.
She called on men to advocate for women, open doors, and bring women’s stories to the forefront rather than being afraid of strong, successful women.
Yousafzai said there are, however, stories of women in power who, upon reaching a higher position, do not always help other women.
Stay tuned for the full video interview, which will be coming to The Astana Times’ YouTube channel in September.
