Abstract
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 transformed the lives of the people of Uzbekistan. The last 20 years have witnessed the bankruptcy of collective farms, the degradation of the social security system, and a reassessment of traditional gender roles, the last of which dictated that men should be financial providers for their families and women should be mothers and homemakers. This thinking has re-emerged since Uzbekistan was freed from the Soviet ideology of gender equality.Recent studies have described women as marginalized during post-Soviet Uzbekistan’s social transition. Ideologically, women are expected to remain at home; however, most women have to work to support their family, e.g., as day laborers on private farms.This paper focuses on rug production in northern Qashqadaryo Province to explore how women use this activity as a means of vercoming marginalization. Rug production is performed only by women, and it allows women to socialize and take a break from housework. It was found that women voluntarily lived according to the traditional gender roles but were occasionally able to depart from such roles.
