Women and children belong to the poorest groups in Tajikistan with women earning just over half of what men do on average. Tajik women are 6 times less likely to be employed in different sectors of the economy than men. The result is the feminisation of poverty and limited opportunities for women to develop their careers and increase their income. Invisible ceilings prevent women from advancing their careers and occupying managerial and executive positions. Most women resort to seeking employment in the informal market, with little guarantee of securing a sustainable livelihood.
Girls are at greater risk than boys of not completing secondary education: in 2001, 36.7% girls completed 11 years of schooling compared to 63.3% of boys. Gender statistics reveal that young women, especially from rural areas, have limited access to education. There is sharp decline in school attendance by girls beyond grade 9, that is, after the nice years of compulsory education.

Women face serious difficulties in exerting their rights to use natural resources including land. Existing legislation tends not to be gender sensitive and the social context does not guarantee women equality in using natural resources. Furthermore, women in rural areas are usually not very aware of their economic rights and, specifically, their land rights. Women also usually have a lesser stake in decision making in water related issues, in spite of being the ones to bare the hardships linked to supplying their families and fields with water.

Indicators of maternal and infant mortality and women's access to reproductive healthcare have plunged since 1990. The under 5 mortality rate according to a UNICEF estimate has been 118 per 100,000 live births in 2004 and the maternal mortality rate has been 50.6 deaths per 100,000 live births according to national statistics in 2002. The current conditions in the health sector are putting women and children in particular at risk.

Domestic violence is prevalent in many households; 30% of women report having experienced some form of domestic violence. There is a widespread lack of awareness about gender equality and the existing policy measures aimed at preventing discrimination against women by government employees, the legal and judicial sector, health workers, the police, and the private sector. While a small number of crisis centres and help lines offer counselling and temporary protection to women suffering from violence, they are not being integrated into the public service system and cannot cover the majority of women in need, especially women living in rural areas.

(Based on: PRSP Monitoring Department 2005. Report on the 2nd phase of implementation of PRSP; UN 2005. MDG Need Assessment Report, Overview; MDG Report Tajikistan 2003)