Women

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Chechnya

Woman denied passport in Chechnya for not having ‘male guarantor’

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•2 min read

Chechen authorities have reportedly refused to issue a woman a passport because she was not accompanied by a male relative. On Tuesday, NC SOS Crisis Group, a queer rights organisation operating in the North Caucasus representing the woman, reported that their lawyer had filed a complaint in connection with the refusal to issue a passport. ‘Employees of the Migration Department demand that the girl’s “guarantor” — an older male relative — be present,’ the group’s statement read, adding that

Analysis

Datablog | Support for gender equality in parliament is rising in Georgia

by Eto Gagunashvili

•2 min read

Despite the introduction of gender quotas, Georgia’s parliament remains an unequal place in terms of gender. However, the data suggests support for more women in politics is rising. Women have been and are underrepresented in Georgia’s parliament, with only 17% of seats held by women as of March 2021. This is despite the passage of gender quotas in 2020, according to which parties must nominate at least one woman for every four candidates. The discrepancy stems from a mixture of the mixed e

A protest outside parliament on 12 May 2018 against police raids on nightclubs. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli/OC Media.

Analysis

Datablog | Conservative gender mores are changing in Georgia

by Otto Saldadze

•3 min read

Gendered norms prevail In Georgian society, which often translates into deprecation of women for smoking, drinking alcohol, having pre-marital sex, and even living with a boyfriend. However, attitudes appear to be shifting. CRRC’s Caucasus Barometer survey asked people what they thought about several such activities. The data showed that the public are least accepting of women smoking, with 80% reporting it is never acceptable at any age. Sexual relations (63%) and cohabitating with a man befo

Lali is a self-taught beekeeper with 14 years of experience. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli/OC Media.

Agriculture

Georgia’s women farmers battle a changing climate

by Tamuna Chkareuli

•6 min read

In Georgia’s patriarchal countryside, women are starting to take more leading roles in agriculture — but climate change threatens even the modest gains that women have made so far. Lali Sukhitashvili inherited a number of beehives from her mother-in-law, one of the first beekeepers in the village, 14 years ago. She has worked as a beekeeper ever since. ‘My profession was maths, and bees are mathematicians too. I’m fascinated by their biology. When a lot of bees died in my first year [as a

Elections

Is there a place for women in local government in Nagorno-Karabakh?

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•5 min read

As of September, women have the lowest representation in Nagorno-Karabakh’s local administrations in decades; and the number of women competing in elections is hardly better. The Council of Elders of Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, is for the first time in decades without a single woman member. Municipal elections held on 8 September in 228 communities of Nagorno-Karabakh showed that women in Karabakh seldom put themselves forward for election and, in turn, make up only a t

hijab

Voice | ‘I have finally accepted myself’ — an Ingush woman’s coming-of-age tale

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•7 min read

Growing up in Ingushetia, Zarina (not her real name), struggled with traditions that she felt restricted her. After fights with her family, a brief marriage, and a religious awakening, Zarina says she has now finally accepted herself for who she is. ‘When I was younger, I was not allowed to cut off my braid even though I was awfully sick of it. I couldn’t even cut my fringe. When I became a student, I was told: “Now you can have a haircut — just do it neatly, as we love”.’ ‘So I went to g

Armenia

‘I keep silent and put up with it’ — surviving domestic violence in Armenia

by Armine Avetisyan

•6 min read

Despite a new law being passed to tackle domestic violence in 2018, women’s rights groups say not enough is being done. ‘We got married at the end of 2017. The wedding was not luxurious, but our love was strong. We were both over 30 years old — that is, mature and accomplished people — and we knew very well what having a family meant and had a clear vision of the future’, Sona (not her real name) says. Just a week after the small wedding feast, Sona’s husband attacked her for the first ti