Examining State Support for Large Families in Kazakhstan: The Case of Mothers With Many Children

Mothers with many children often face various difficulties in finding and maintaining employment. The ongoing economic crisis in Kazakhstan, combined with insufficient government intervention, has contributed to unmet household needs and a decline in quality of life. The research aims to analyze measures of state support and protection of mothers with many children in various spheres of their life activities. Special attention was paid to how beneficiaries evaluate public assistance, offering insight into public trust and the perceived adequacy of social protection mechanisms. The study combined a survey of 50 mothers with semi-structured interviews of 10 low-income mothers of four or more children and provided insight into the difficult yet hopeful lives of mothers in rural Mangistau, Kazakhstan. These mothers struggle to pay for preschool or extracurricular activities, have restricted access to education, food, and clothes for their kids, and face other financial challenges. Despite these hardships, public sentiment remains cautiously optimistic, as many women view their children as societal assets and pursue entrepreneurship as a means of economic improvement. Even though they value the advantages provided by the state, many of them consider themselves to be socially vulnerable and intend to use small businesses to improve their circumstances. The practical significance lies in the use of the research results by scholars and governmental organizations in the field of political science.