Gender and Corruption in Uzbekistan: New Research Calls for More Inclusive Transformational Changes
On 25 May 2026, representatives of government institutions, civil society organizations, academia, the media, and international partners gathered in Tashkent for a roundtable to discuss the research study “Gender and Corruption in Uzbekistan: Towards Transformational Change.” The research was completed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Agency, with the financial support of the European Union.
The research was conducted to better understand how the population views and experiences corruption in Uzbekistan and to explore how gender-sensitive approaches can be integrated into anti-corruption reforms and policies. The study was based on both qualitative and quantitative methods, including analysis of international policy documents and Uzbekistan’s legal framework, a sociological survey involving 539 respondents (268 women and 271 men), and 10 focus group discussions conducted across several regions of the country.
One of the key findings of the study was the strong influence of informal social practices and traditional norms on public perceptions of corruption. Nearly 70% of respondents stated that practices such as ‘suyunchi’, ‘tanish-bilish’, and expectations around expensive social ceremonies contribute to the spread of corruption in society. The findings suggest that corruption is often rooted not only in institutional weaknesses, but also in deeply embedded social behaviors and attitudes.
Another important area examined by the research was sector-specific vulnerability to corruption. More than half of respondents (54.4%) identified healthcare as the sector where women are most vulnerable to corruption, followed by education at 28.4%. Participants noted that women are more exposed to corruption risks in areas connected to caregiving responsibilities, access to healthcare, and family welfare.
The findings also showed that many respondents perceive women in Uzbekistan as vulnerable to sexual extortion, or sextortion, recognized internationally as a gender-related form of corruption. Meanwhile, shame, fear of social stigma, and limited legal awareness remain major barriers preventing victims from reporting such cases. This underscores the need for safer, more accessible, and gender-sensitive reporting and protection mechanisms.
In addition to public perceptions, the research assessed Uzbekistan’s anti-corruption legislation against international recommendations on gender mainstreaming. The analysis concluded that although the national legal framework generally aligns with core international standards, gender-sensitive approaches remain insufficiently reflected in anti-corruption legislation and policy implementation.
Based on these findings, the research proposes a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening the human-rights-based approach in and the effectiveness of anti-corruption reforms. These include integrating gender-sensitive approaches into anti-corruption legislation and policies, improving coordination between institutions responsible for anti-corruption and gender equality, raising awareness and legal literacy, addressing harmful social stereotypes, expanding women’s economic opportunities, and creating safer mechanisms for reporting corruption and sexual extortion. The recommendations also call for recognizing sextortion as a corruption-related offense within the legal framework.
A summary of the research findings is available in the accompanying One-Pager.
The research and roundtable were organised within the framework of the joint project of the Anti-Corruption Agency and UNDP, funded by the European Union, “Strengthening the National Anti-Corruption Ecosystem in Uzbekistan.” The contents presented reflect only the point of view of the authors and are not the official position of the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, UNDP, and the European Union.