Career aspirations of emerging young female journalists in Uzbekistan in light of the sociocultural shift

Abstract

In the context of global efforts to achieve gender equality, enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the activities of the government of Uzbekistan aimed at legal consolidation and practical provision of gender equality, the issue of professional education and career development of women is of particular importance. The authors of the article analyze how future journalists (both women and men) perceive the problems and prospects of professional development of women in the media industry. The researchers of this article also focus on the career expectations of bachelors of the "Journalism" program at universities in Uzbekistan in the context of socio-cultural transition. The main research methods used are "snowball" to form a sample of respondents, as well as semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study demonstrate that values inherent to the traditional way of life and gender stereotypes continue to exert an influence on the career expectations of young women who have chosen journalism as their profession, as well as on men's assessments of their professional prospects. At the same time, the study notes a weakening of this influence within the context of ongoing socio-cultural transformation. The study was conducted within the framework of the "Collaborative Research Projects" initiative of the ORBICOM-UNESCO.