Appreciating women’s spaces in Kazakhstan

ALMATY — Exploring the many female spaces in Kazakhstan has been a breath of fresh air from what I’m used to in the United States.

Women-only spaces are virtually unheard of in the area I grew up in Pennsylvania, but here in Almaty, there seems to be an abundance of them — from women-only transportation to coffee shops.

Our group arrived on March 8, which is International Women’s Day.

This is the second time I’ve had the opportunity to celebrate the holiday abroad, something I was eagerly anticipating.

International Women’s Day has Soviet roots. In 1922, Vladimir Lenin declared March 8 as International Women’s Day to honor the role women played in the 1917 Russian Revolution. Since Kazakhstan is a post-Soviet country, I was expecting the celebrations in Almaty to be larger than anything I had ever experienced.

Feminist organizations were frustrated that the government banned them from holding outdoor marches, but a festive atmosphere nonetheless pervaded the city as it celebrated the national holiday. Activists came together to hold an indoor event and sew a feminist flag.

Similar to Mother’s Day in the United States, restaurants were filled with family gatherings and many women carried bouquets of roses or tulips–the signs of spring–that they had been given by appreciative friends and family. I received four flowers from strangers throughout the day.

Throughout the week, I’ve also had various liberating experiences navigating women-only spaces in the city.

On Monday, I visited the Arasan Bathhouse, a Soviet-era wellness spa in Almaty, with a close friend. On the side of the Bathhouse reserved for women, friends, mothers, daughters and grandmothers come to spend time together and bond.

The bathhouses required complete nudity and it was a completely liberating experience for me. It was the first time in my life I’ve ever been able to walk around nude in a setting where I didn’t feel worried about being sexualized.

I left Arasan feeling more confident in myself as a woman and wanting to return again.

Yesterday, I went with a friend to a women-only coffee shop in the city named Coffee Original.

According to their Instagram, Coffee Original’s mission by opening a women-only location is to create a “comfortable and luxurious space where every woman feels special.”

Inayat Itamovva said she has worked at the women only location of Coffee Original for two months and has loved the experience of working in a female space.

“It’s very comfortable and fun,” Itamovva said. “You can discuss personal things and you can be yourself — no one will judge you.”

Her co-worker, Akniyet Shalkar, has been employed by Coffee Original for just two weeks, but she said it’s been a “very good” experience so far.

“It’s a very comfortable environment for me,” Shalkar said.

I also felt comfortable and safe within the walls of the coffee shop.

My experiences this week have made me wish that there were more female spaces back in my hometown — it’s been a very memorable and heartwarming part of Almaty for me.