Assessing gender differences in managerial roles, wages, education, and soft skills in Kazakhstan

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Gender disparities affect employment, education, social interactions, and managerial roles. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a complex analysis of differences based on representation in managerial positions, wage levels, educational opportunities, and soft skills. The analysis combines both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data were collected from 2009 to 2022 from the Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Bank, and the World Bank. Qualitative data were obtained through surveys of 652 respondents filtered based on their correct understanding of the soft skills concept. Further, the Index for Stereotypes in Women’s Employment (ISWE) was developed by identifying key indicators and gathering relevant data, followed by assigning weight coefficients based on their significance and ultimately combining these weighted impacts to compute the total index. The most significant impact on gender disparities was shown by the assessment of soft skills, contributing 13.1115, highlighting the need for their recognition in the labor market. Educational opportunities had a significant impact, contributing 2.1945, emphasizing equal opportunities for women and men. Differences in wages contributed to 1.394, indicating the pay gap. The low representation of women in managerial positions in state financial institutions (including second-tier banks) contributed 0.685, while barriers for women in managerial positions in state holdings across various sectors contributed 1.485. The findings offer actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders committed to promoting gender equity.

Acknowledgments
This study has been funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Grant No. BR18574240.

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    • Figure 1. Research stages
    • Figure 2. The ratio of wages by gender
    • Figure 3. The dynamic in managerial positions by gender
    • Figure 4. The ratio of educational opportunity realization
    • Figure 5. Impact of various factors on soft skills
    • Figure 6. General regression tree
    • Figure 7. The impact of three environments on the formation and perception of soft skills for women
    • Figure 8. The impact of three environments on the formation and perception of soft skills for men
    • Table 1. Soft skills assessment
    • Table 2. ISWE calculation
    • Data curation
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva
    • Formal Analysis
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva
    • Funding acquisition
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Nazym Ainakul
    • Investigation
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Anel Kireyeva, Nazym Ainakul
    • Resources
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Nazym Ainakul
    • Software
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva, Nazym Ainakul
    • Validation
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali
    • Visualization
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva, Nazym Ainakul
    • Writing – original draft
      Yerkezhan Kenzheali, Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva
    • Conceptualization
      Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva
    • Methodology
      Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva
    • Writing – review & editing
      Gaukhar Kenzhegulova, Anel Kireyeva, Nazym Ainakul
    • Project administration
      Anel Kireyeva
    • Supervision
      Anel Kireyeva