Imagine you are working for a government agency, undergoing training, improving your qualifications, and building a career. Then comes maternity leave — six months, maybe three years. You return only to find that everything has changed: your skills are treated as outdated, colleagues see you as a “less reliable employee,” and a child’s illness becomes a reason to question your professionalism. For thousands of women in Kazakhstan, this is not a hypothetical scenario, but reality.
Assel Gutova, a graduate student of the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy
Today, women make up 55.8% of all civil servants, but only 39.1% hold senior positions. On paper, we have equal rights. In fact, maternity leave often becomes the point at which career growth either stops or goes backwards. The public sector, which is supposed to set an example of equality, reproduces inequality.
Every year, more than 235,000 women in Kazakhstan go on maternity leave. But returning to work after it is rarely accompanied by real support. The employer is not obligated to offer flexible hours, adaptation programs, or remote work opportunities. Moreover, cultural stereotypes reinforce barriers: according to the UNDP, 67.9% of men and 53% of women in Kazakhstan believe that a woman’s place is at home. If society initially does not believe that a mother can be a successful civil servant, then her career chances decrease before she even has a chance to prove otherwise.
What does this lead to? To the fact that we are losing a huge amount of human capital. Women are not just half of the employees. This is half of the ideas, solutions, and management strategies. In the meantime, they are facing invisible barriers, the state apparatus is working at half capacity. The World Bank has calculated that in Kazakhstan, the wage gap between men and women reaches 25.2%. In other words, women on average earn a quarter less than men. This gap often widens precisely at the point when a career is interrupted by maternity leave.
Skeptics may say, “But this is a personal choice.” But should personal choice punish women and the state at the same time? After all, it is the state that spends money on training specialists, on their education and advanced training. And what happens? A civil servant takes maternity leave — and all the investment in her development is wasted. This is irrational both from the point of view of the budget and from the point of view of the effectiveness of the state apparatus.
The world has long found answers to this problem. In Norway and Sweden, there is a step-by-step approach to work: first, a mother works several hours a day, gradually returning to a full schedule. In Germany, it is beneficial for employers to support young mothers: the state compensates for part of the costs if a woman returns after maternity leave. In France, there is a practice of gradual adaptation and a massive system of nurseries and kindergartens, which makes it possible to return to work in a few months.
What about us? In Kazakhstan, there is not even systematic data collection: we know how many women take maternity leave, but we do not know how many lose their jobs or are forced to move to the private sector. We are acting blindly.
It’s time to admit that supporting women after maternity leave is not charity or benefits. This is a matter of strategic sustainability of the public sector. What steps are needed?
First, to introduce flexible working hours and the possibility of remote employment in government agencies, at least for a transitional period. The digitalization of public services makes this possible.
Secondly, to develop skill refresh programs — courses, training and internships for women returning to service after a long break.
Thirdly, to ensure access to nurseries and kindergartens in government institutions. Without infrastructure, childcare falls only on the shoulders of the family, and most often on the mother.
Fourth, to collect and publish statistics on how many women return after maternity leave and under what conditions. Without data, it is impossible to make the reform effective.
Kazakhstan strives for modernization and digitalization but if we do not learn how to support women mothers, no reform of the state apparatus will be complete. We risk losing an entire generation of talented managers just because they chose motherhood.
The public sector should be an example. An example of equality, respect and rational use of human resources. If returning after maternity leave becomes the norm, not a struggle, everyone benefits women, families, and the state.
Today in Kazakhstan, maternity leave can be a bridge. A bridge that connects motherhood and career, rather than tearing them apart. All it takes is political will and the courage to admit the problem.
The author is Assel Gutova, a graduate student of the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Astana Times.
