Feature: More mothers in Kyrgyzstan choose a working life

In Kyrgyzstan, traditionally, a nomadic muslim country in central Asia, many mothers still follow the tradition of staying at home to take care of their children.

However, more and more Kyrgyz mothers prefer to strike a better balance between career and family.

LATE COMING MOTHER'S DAY

Kyrgyzstan did not have a Mother's Day until Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev promised to create one on March 7, 2012.

In a decree the president signed on April 23, 2012, the Mother's Day was initiated in a bid to raise the social status and role of Kyrgyz women and mothers.

Initially the Mother's Day was set on the second Sunday of May. But as the first half of May is full of holidays, the Mother's Day was set on the third Sunday of May.

On the Mother's Day, people in the country prepare hand-made presents or buy gifts for mothers, even hold events or parties for mothers.

FULL-TIME MOTHERS

Every family in Kyrgyzstan hopes to have many children.

In November 2015, Kyrgyzstan welcomed the 6,000,000th citizen to the country, where the increasing population is seen as an important index of the comprehensive national power.

Having four children is the norm for a regular family in nowadays Kyrgyzstan,

National statistics in Kyrgyzstan show the average reproductive age of Kyrgyzstan women is 23-24 and each Kyrgyz woman has two or three children.

"Young, full-time at home, no babysitter, having many children is a common life for many mothers in Kyrgyzstan," said a member of a women's NGO in Kyrgyzstan, who was called Safina.

"Traditionally, Kyrgyz women should quit their jobs and stay at home waiting to have babies after marriage," she said.

Gulnara, in her 30s, is a full-time mother of three boys and a girl in Kyrgyzstan.

Her eldest son is a college student in China while her youngest daughter just turned 10 years old.

Gulnara said that she is not "a superwoman" and that it was really crazy to take care of so many kids at the same time.

WORKING MOTHERS

As a result of much better education for girls, more and more Kyrgyz mothers choose to work and pursue a career while taking care of their children.

"Although a full-time mother is a practice in line with traditional family concept in Kyrgyzstan, a large number of full-time mothers look forward to having a job again and temporarily escaping from household chores," Safina said.

Tamara works in the media and has two children. She felt lucky having an open-mined husband.

"I was lucky, but many of my female friends are not. Some of them have to quit their jobs after having a baby, and some who did not want to compromise had to divorce and became a single mother," Tamara said.

Tamara said she has been to many countries.

"Not surprisingly, I found all mothers from the world are the same, regardless of work and nationality, children always occupy the most important place in the mother's heart," she said. Endi