Women in Turkmenistan comprise Study of women's rights in the country is made difficult by government censorship and lack of reliable, official data. Under Article 18 of the Constitution of Turkmenistan, women are guaranteed equal rights to men. Women are not allowed to form independent women's organizations, and all such organizations must be registered under the Women's Union of Turkmenistan.
Most women work in the home, as mothers or homemakers, or in the markets as sellers. Turkmen women have always been more outspoken and more socially active than women in neighbouring countries. Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia. Throughout the centuries, the territory of present-day Turkmenistan has been subjected to numerous civilizations, such as Persian empires, the conquest of Alexander the Great, Muslims, Mongols, Turkic peoples, and Russians. Throughout most of the 20th century it was part of the Soviet Union, until its fall in As with other former Soviet states, in the s the economy collapsed and the country experienced social problems.
During the Soviet period, women assumed responsibility for the observance of some Muslim rites to protect their husbands' careers. This had led to increasing numbers of women confined to the home and dependent on their male counterparts. Cooking is the main field of work for women. Neighbours or relatives sometimes arrive unasked to assist in housework, or they may bring their own household tasks to work on together and socialize.
Food preparation is done in the open air ad well as in-house kitchen. Tasks, such as smoking meat and popping corn, are done by men and often turn into a social opportunity. Men and women might sit and eat in one place, but they are segregated during social occasions. The wife clenches the corner of her scarf in her teeth to show a significant barrier toward the male guests and to show respect to her parents-in-law.
The scarf also stops her from communicating. Women are garbed in ankle-length garments of silk or velvet, which are commonly a mix of bright oranges, purples, yellows, blues, and greens. The necklines are embellished with elaborate gold-thread needlework that drops down, decorating the neckline right to the navel.
