The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan in the third reading adopted a bill that proposes to introduce the definition of «women’s entrepreneurship» into the Law «On Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights».
The authors of the bill are deputies Kamila Talieva, Eldar Abakirov, Daniyar Tolonov, Taalaybek Masabirov, Elvira Surabaldieva, and Nilufar Alimzhanova. They say in the background statement that women’s entrepreneurship can be a driver of growth in the share of small and microbusinesses in the country’s gross product, and global experience confirms this.
«In 2020, the employment rate of working-age women was 43 percent, while the labor force participation rate of men was 70.9 percent. In urban areas, the female participation rate is 46.8 percent, while in rural areas it is 40.6 percent. Women accounted for 69 percent among the economically inactive population. Moreover, women made up 97 percent of all individuals engaged in household activities,» the background statement says.
According to the deputies, the existence of such a definition will allow identifying women entrepreneurs as potential recipients of state support. Recognition at the legislative level of women entrepreneurs as a special category of small and medium-sized businesses may become a necessary condition for stimulating women, involving them in business, increasing their participation in the country’s economy, as well as one of the factors in ensuring economic stability and increasing the well-being not only of families, but also of society as a whole.
