Gender data quiz reveals lived realities of women and girls in Kyrgyzstan

Over 100 representatives from the media, civil society, and educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan participated in a data quiz contest under the theme "Women of Kyrgyzstan: Facts and Figures" aimed at promoting women's and girls' rights through gender data and statistics. 

Hosted in Bishkek on March 17, the event was organized as part of the launch of the report "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Gender in the Kyrgyz Republic," published by the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic (NSC KR) in cooperation with UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia.

Journalists, bloggers, activists, and other data enthusiasts formed 18 teams to compete in the quiz. Prior to the game, the teams took part in a preliminary workshop where participants familiarized themselves with national and international sources of data and learned about progress in achieving the SDGs and gender equality in the country. 

During the workshop, UN Women Regional Gender Data Specialist for Europe and Central Asia, Ala Negruta, emphasized the importance of gender data and statistics in ensuring visibility of inequalities and providing evidence-based data for developing gender policies. "Without gender data, different forms of gender inequality remain invisible. Gender statistics play a key role in revealing a real picture of existing problems in advancing the rights of women and girls."

According to the report, on average, women in Kyrgyzstan marry at an earlier age than men. Women also spend 4 hours and 20 minutes a day on domestic work, while men spend only 55 minutes. Meanwhile, the number of cases of domestic violence has almost tripled since 2015, with 96% of cases perpetrated against women¹. These and other gender-related data were referenced during the contest.

"During the workshop, we discussed with the teams important aspects to look for when visualizing gender data, such as the source of data, the context of inequalities, the choice of colors and graphics. All these elements must be considered to avoid reinforcing existing stereotypes,” said Altynai Mambetova, founder of the School of Data, a co-organizer of the quiz.

Upon completion of the quiz, three teams became finalists. The first place was awarded to the "Aisuluu” team, named after Aisuluu Tynybekova, a Kyrgyz athlete, two-time world champion in women's freestyle wrestling. The second and third places were awarded to "Press House" a team of journalists and “Double Aidai” a team of journalists from media organization Kloop, respectively.

"I learned about statistics on the Sustainable Development Goals and how different indicators, statistics are divided by gender. This was a very useful material, and I will use it in the future," said activist Yulia Babyuk, one of the quiz participants. 

At the end of the quiz, some of the most active participants received special mentions. Activist Yulia Babyuk was awarded as "Quiz Guru," journalist Leyla Saralaeva became the "Master of all figures," and journalist Baktygul Islambekova was named "Data Star."

The event was organized by the School of Data in collaboration with UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia under the programme “Making Every Woman and Girl Count” on gender data and statistics, in partnership with the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic and youth organization IDEA Central Asia.

¹ In 2017, temporary protection orders were introduced and the capacities of law enforcement bodies to respond to domestic violence reports were expanded.