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I know a young professional couple who are expecting a child. They have no plans to marry.
He is moving to KZ very soon where he has a job and contract. She will want to move there as well after the child is born. They will probably not live together as his housing, for a single person, is included in his pay and benefits.
How are unwed mothers viewed in this 70% Muslim country? Will she be discriminated against trying to find a job as a single mother even though she has a sought after profession? What about housing?
The muslim religion is not nearly as forgiving regarding unwed mothers as we are in America. I fear the best scenario would be outright ridicule and disdain. I don't think her life there would be pleasant at all, unless they decide to marry before they get there.
Kazakhstan isn't like Afghanistan or even Saudi Arabia... It's a post-Soviet country that's hardly western, but not a Sharia-abiding caliphate either. It would be a bit odd to them - Islam aside, the Soviet Union encouraged marriage when there were children - but I doubt she would face difficulty finding an apartment.
Her best bet is probably to say something like, "my husband's company only provides housing for one person, so we can't live with him." Most people will understand and accept that, and it will mitigate further prodding. If she were to explain "we don't believe in marriage," or a similar motivation, that would be just as backwards to a Kazakh as saying "well we had to get married so we could have sex" to a Western urbanite. TBH most people probably would care less even if she was unwed and unattached but when in Rome, as they say...
Kazakhs never been "true" muslims. Before Soviet Union era which was totally unreligious, ancient tribes believed in tengri, amd only in 19th century islam started to spread in the region. 70 years of Communists rule turned most of the population into atheists. That's why here in Kazakhstan we don't have those "islamic" issues as in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc. The only important issue you have to care about is climate. If they are moving to northern part of KZ then it means they should expect winters like in Minnesota or even colder.
That you Daur. I 'm happy to hear from somebody actually there. They will be in Astana and young man is professor there. He can't even fathom the degree of cold he is hearing about. When does it start getting cold there?
That you Daur. I 'm happy to hear from somebody actually there. They will be in Astana and young man is professor there. He can't even fathom the degree of cold he is hearing about. When does it start getting cold there?
Actually I'm from southern city Almaty with climate like in Boston/Chicago. In Astana I guess it starts getting cold in late October/early November. Though it depends on what do mean by "getting cold". For us it is when night temperatures start fall below 0 Celsius.
OMG he is in for a big shock as he was raised in the South and has lived in Singapore for the past 3 years and she is from Philippines and also lived in Singapore for 7 years. But if true love wins they will be happy there.
This morning here it was 62 at 7 a.m. and we considered it chilly! Everything is relative isn't it?
OMG he is in for a big shock as he was raised in the South and has lived in Singapore for the past 3 years and she is from Philippines and also lived in Singapore for 7 years. But if true love wins they will be happy there.
This morning here it was 62 at 7 a.m. and we considered it chilly! Everything is relative isn't it?
Right! Everything is relative. When I was in Kuala Lumpur in March local climate felt very oppressive with all that humidity and 38 Celsius.
Climate in KZ: cold winters, hot summers and no humidity like in SEA.
I know a young professional couple who are expecting a child. They have no plans to marry.
He is moving to KZ very soon where he has a job and contract. She will want to move there as well after the child is born. They will probably not live together as his housing, for a single person, is included in his pay and benefits.
How are unwed mothers viewed in this 70% Muslim country? Will she be discriminated against trying to find a job as a single mother even though she has a sought after profession? What about housing?
Thank You.
Single mothers were very common during the Soviet period, and probably still are. I wouldn't worry about it. It's much more likely that people will ask her whether she's in a relationship, whether she has a man. That's much more important in that part of the world.
They should buy very warm down jackets before they go. Arctic down jackets will be on sale at Eddie Bauer and other vendors this time of year, end of summer. Buy fur hats after you arrive. They really keep you warm.
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