Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 23 Issue 3

© 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue III Version I 52 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 C Research of Social Inequality of the Population in the Regions of Kazakhstan This means that despite the increase in women's wages over the past 6 years in 10 regions, gender inequality remains significant, which reduces the opportunities for inclusive social development. There are many reasons for the persistence of gender inequality. First of all, women's labor, as a rule, is involved in lower-paid sectors of the economy, which is why women in our country as a whole have lower wages. Women in Kazakhstan have to combine work with household management, with the birth and upbringing of children, so it is more difficult for them to compete with men for effective jobs. Women are still insufficiently involved in Government, political and public structures. Thus, the main reasons hindering the achievement of gender equality in Kazakh society are as follows: − unbalanced remuneration of men and women; − lack of specialized knowledge and skills among women entrepreneurs; − weak activity of women in the economic sphere. The difference in the levels of economic activity of men and women is primarily shown by the unemployment rate. The share of unemployed women in 2021 was 53.3%, with the highest rate observed in Almaty (57.7%), Karaganda (58.9%) and Mangystau regions (64.9%). Therefore, despite the higher proportion of women in the total population of the country (51.48%), their contribution to the formation of gross domestic product (GDP) remains quite low compared to the contribution of men. In Kazakhstan, the situation is gradually improving due to the State importance of gender equality issues. According to the UNDP, Kazakhstan fulfills its obligations on gender equality, encourages measures that open up more opportunities for women to participate in decision-making, be more competitive in the labor market, occupy leadership positions in business and unite against gender-based violence. Thanks to these measures, Kazakhstan has risen by 15 positions in the field of gender development and ranked 65th out of 146 countries in the ranking of the Global Gender Gap Index in 2022. Including in the field of education, the country rose from 63rd place in 2020 to 27th in 2022, in health and survival - from 74 to 44, in women's participation in economic activity - from 37th place in 2022 to 29 in the same period. However, in the field of women's political empowerment, Kazakhstan ranked 103rd in 2022 against 93rd in 2017 (UNDP, 2023). The process of ensuring gender equality is still one of the rather complex phenomena. Therefore, ensuring gender equality, including in the context of the regions of Kazakhstan, implies further improvement of the institutional framework in order to strengthen state guarantees for the provision of equal opportunities for men and women in the exercise of their rights. VI. C onclusion The conducted research allows the authors to draw the following conclusions and suggestions. a) Reduction of social inequality in Kazakhstan requires constant monitoring of social and economic levels in the regions. We propose a methodological approach that can become a reliable tool for public authorities when developing regional programs and making managerial decisions on the development of the country's regions. It allows you to get a general picture of the social differences between regions in general and on individual grounds. The indicators complement each other, allowing not to smooth out the picture, but to identify individual contradictions within and between regions. In Kazakhstan, it is necessary to improve the institutional foundations of macroeconomic and regional policy in the direction of taking regulatory measures for a more equitable distribution of resources between territories and layers of society, strengthening social support measures for the population in various aspects: to ensure access to public goods and social services, to provide effective jobs, infrastructure. b) Today, significant risks for the implementation of the principles of inclusive regional development in Kazakhstan are the imperfection of the institutional framework. For example, in the National Project "Strong regions - the driver of the country's development", only 3 out of 20 indicators are focused on socio-economic development. At the same time, this document does not provide indicators for increasing the income of the population, providing high-quality medical, educational and other public services. In other words, it can be stated that this program document of Kazakhstan on the development of regions has a low level of inclusiveness and does not yet meet the goals of reducing social inequality in the regions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a National Program to combat poverty throughout Kazakhstan with measures and mechanisms differentiated by region. c) In order to fully solve the problems of poverty in rural areas, it is recommended, along with strengthening the stimulation of agricultural production, to actively introduce a mechanism of local self-government. d) It is possible to overcome large regional differences in the levels of socio-economic development, reduce the poverty of the population and ensure the transition of the regions of Kazakhstan to an inclusive development model by using the existing potential in the following areas: