Uzbekistan Country Gender Assessment: Update

On Extension of the State Affordable Rural Housing Program.
decree of the president #2728 (13 January 2017). 
On Financing of Construction, Reconstruction and Sale of Apartments 
in Apartment Buildings for Young Families, Residents of Old Houses and Other Categories of Citizens Needy in Housing 
Conditions Improvement
. decree of the president # 2812 (02 March 2017). 
The Program on Construction of Affordable 
Houses on the Updated Model Projects in Rural Areas by 2017-2021
. decree of the president # 2858 (30 March 2017). 
The Program of Construction of Official Residential Houses for Heads of Executive Authorities and Territorial Subdivisions of 
State Bodies for 2017-2018
. decree of the president # 2906 (20 april 2017). 
The Program on Construction of Housing for 
2017-2018 to the Internal Affairs Inspectors, Located Directly on the Territory of their Service
. decree of the president #2660 
(22 November 2017). 
On Measures for Effective Implementation of the State Program of Construction and Reconstruction 
of Affordable Apartment Buildings in the Cities for 2017-2022
. decree of the president # 2859 (30 March 2017). 
On 
Additional Measures for Effective Implementation of the State Program on Construction and Reconstruction of Affordable 
Apartment Buildings in the Cities for 2017-2022
.
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e.g., tax exemptions for graduates of vocational colleges during the first 6 months of private entrepreneurship.

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Mainstreaming Gender in ADB Operations, by Sector
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project. the HIRdIp acted as an engine of local development in diverse sectors of the national 
economy, including (i) banking; (ii) construction; (iii) construction materials production; 
(iv) communication and roads; (v) electricity, water, and gas supply; (vi) furniture production; 
(vii) carpet weaving; (viii) textile and home appliance production, etc. Interestingly, 75% of all 
construction materials for the HIRdIp are produced locally, and with accompanying ramified 
service networks. all these produce thousands of jobs, including many for returning migrants 
who used to work as construction workers and could contribute their skills and experience in 
innovative technologies.
In September 2016, the government amended the State affordable Rural Housing program 
(SaRHp) and extended it to 2021. adB and the government agreed to process the SaRHp 
(a $500 million loan project) using a results-based modality to minimize transaction costs and 
bring a sharper focus on results. In late 2017, the construction of 15,000 homes started in the 
rural areas. the results-based program will cover 29,000 houses in 9 of Uzbekistan’s 13 regions; 
adB will collaborate with three of the six banks working on the SaRHp.
4. Key Gender Equality Issues
From a gender perspective, real estate loan and housing ownership issues continue to be a 
challenge. pCB statistics indicate that most home owners are men, compared with to less than 
two-thirds of women who borrow to pay for real estate.
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Social and gender surveys bring out 
several reasons why men make up the majority of home owners.
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Gender stereotypes have a significant impact on home ownership. as main breadwinners in 
the traditional family model, men are considered heads of their households and owners of real 
estate. Registering property in their name is a sign of respect from the women.
Women do participate in mortgage decisions, usually within a larger or extended family, but 
mainly with the husband’s parents. to secure a loan, a woman must have her own assets. But 
even then, she will not decide independently, without discussing the matter beforehand with 
her husband and getting his consent, and without involving her parents-in-law. Given the 
increasingly tough competition for housing loans, however, a quota for women could make 
husbands and mothers-in-law more willing to see the brides as borrowers.
Resources to cover the mortgage down payment usually come from the cumulative family 
budget, the sale of family livestock, or, less often, loans obtained from banks or from relatives 
or friends. Very rarely are the funds sourced from the married woman’s parents or family.
Other barriers to women’s home ownership are as follows:
• 
fear of nonperforming credit related to prospective maternity leave;
• 
underemployment of women, whose salaries are insufficient for creditworthiness;
• 
lack of information about the 30% quota for targeted female borrowers;
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adB. 2014–2015.