Women lead nearly 50% of Kazakhstan's SMEs

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva, who chairs the National Commission, delivered opening remarks at the session.

According to her, Kazakhstan is consistently enhancing its legal framework and fostering women's entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

"Kazakhstan is consistently implementing a policy of gender equality. The Constitution guarantees equal rights and opportunities for women and men. The Law on State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women is in force. The 2035 Family and Gender Policy Concept is being implemented. Thanks to this systematic work, women today are confidently taking leadership positions in the economy," Balayeva said.

The National Commission on Women Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan pays great attention to women's participation in the economy. Following the Head of State's instructions, the commission consistently promotes initiatives aimed at women's economic empowerment.

"The commission is working on a comprehensive plan to develop women's entrepreneurship, integrating state support, training, financing, and expanded economic opportunities for women under the new conditions," the minister said.

According to Aida Balayeva, more than one million women entrepreneurs are registered in the country as of today. Women lead nearly half of all active small and medium-sized businesses and account for more than a third of employment in the SME sector. At the same time, women's businesses remain concentrated in the services sector, with insufficient representation in large-scale entrepreneurship.

As written earlier, Kazakhstan ranks second globally in teacher recognition.