VIENNA, Virginia, August 31, 2010 – D3 Systems has released its survey-based analysis of differences in the conditions and attitudes of women in the Talas region, where the April 2010 violence broke out, compared to women from other regions of Kyrgyzstan. The paper explores female perceptions on issues surrounding participation in government, gender barriers to health care, and the socio-economic status of women.

In a society which has experienced recent protests and inter-ethnic violence, Kyrgyz women cited they would like better health care (36%), more money or greater income (30%) and a better education (8%) in order to improve their lives.

The paper discusses the high levels of female political participation in the Talas region compared to their contemporaries across the country. While voter participation varies between regions, the Talas region has the highest female voter turnout of 74%. Osh, the city of current ethnic violence, reported a female voter turnout of 67%.

The paper, entitled “Regional Dissimilarities of Kyrgyz Women: How Talas is Different”, is the eleventh installment of D3’s Women in Muslim Countries (WIMC) Survey. Conducted in twenty-six Muslim majority countries, the WIMC Study is designed to measure women’s empowerment in actual daily practice, providing a deep look into the oft-perceived gap between current public policy and empowerment initiatives and actual practice on the personal and local level.

WIMC is conducted and sponsored by D3 Systems of Vienna, Virginia, USA. The survey was administered to a random sample of 1027 women in Kyrgyzstan via face-to-face interviews. Field work was conducted by El-Pikir, between November 14 and November 26, 2007, in Kyrgyzstan. Interviewing was conducted in native Kyrgyz and Russian. The margin of error is ± 3% at the 95% confidence level. The response rate was 89%.