Kyrgyzstan Lifts Professional Bans for Women 

Kyrgyzstan’s decision to lift professional bans for women marks a significant commitment to strengthening gender equality in the workplace. This reform marks a shift from outdated employment restrictions, lifting a long-standing ban that prohibited all women from working in more than 400 professions deemed too arduous or dangerous. Now, job restrictions apply only to pregnant and breastfeeding women in hazardous environments, allowing greater access to various career opportunities. The new Labor Code came into force on January 28, 2025. 

Equality Now’s involvement 

Equality Now contributed to advocating for this change. In 2023, a Kyrgyz lawyer, Ainura Osmonalieva, challenged the government’s list of banned professions before the Constitutional Court, seeking support from Equality Now.

“Women have the right to decide for themselves what is more important to them: to be mothers (i.e. to fulfill the reproductive function [as it was referred that prohibited professions were dangerous for the reproductive health]  that the authorities care so much about) or to be successful professionals, to work at the height – to do other things that interest them, to have success, to achieve career growth. This list was the legacy of the USSR, and it was the discrimination for women,” underlines Ainura Osmonalieva, calling the legal amendment  “historical.” 

Legislative Reform

In response, Equality Now submitted an expert opinion, arguing against the restrictions. Although the Court did not declare the ban unconstitutional in its November 2023 ruling, it acknowledged that the restricted job list was outdated and called on the government to revise it in line with modern labor conditions. 

Recognizing a new opportunity for change, Equality Now acted again in mid-2024 when Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament was considering a new Labor Code. On June 20, 2024, the organization sent a letter urging lawmakers to lift professional bans for women, reinforcing the argument with its previous legal submission. Our local partners’ persistent advocacy and joint forces contributed to a significant policy shift, opening new doors for women in the workforce and challenging deep-rooted gender barriers in employment.