Why More Women in Kazakhstan Are Working Beyond the 40-Hour Week

Excessive workload remains a serious problem in Kazakhstan. More than one million people regularly work beyond the established norm, affecting quality of life and health, Orda.kz reports, citing Energyprom.kz analysts.

In 2025, the number of Kazakhstanis working more than 40 hours a week exceeded 1.3 million. About 1.2 million people worked between 41 and 49 hours a week, roughly equivalent to a nine-hour working day. Over the year, their number increased by 5.5%. At the same time, analysts said the number of employees with extreme workloads declined.

Overall, the share of people working overtime fell slightly, by 0.2 percentage points. But the gender trends moved in opposite directions: over the past year, more women began working beyond the norm.

In particular, the number of women with excessive workloads increased by 6.4% over the year, while the number of men working more than 40 hours a week, on the contrary, decreased by 3.4%.  the report said.

Men still make up the majority of those working overtime: 871,200 compared with 468,300 women. About 18% of employed men work more than the 40-hour norm. At the same time, the number of men working more than 50 hours a week has declined significantly.

The share of women working under excessive strain last year amounted to 10.4% of the total number of employed women. Compared with 2024, the figure increased by 0.5 percentage points. The biggest increase was observed among women working from 41 to 49 hours a week: their number rose by 11.4%, to 444,600 people.

A significant share of those working overtime are employees. Among women, their share is 66.9%, but the number of self-employed women is also growing rapidly, up 16.5% year on year. This may point to a growing workload in microbusiness, services and freelancing.

The main reason for overtime remains employer demands, the analysts said. In particular, 63.5% of women worked beyond the norm on management’s orders. The desire to increase income was also a significant factor: 23.1% of women and 24.7% of men said this was the reason.

Experts noted that only a 40-hour working week meets the International Labour Organization’s standards for decent work. Exceeding that norm can reduce productivity and increase health risks for workers.

Original author: Daria Malkova

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