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Just as Mongolia is one of the only post-soviet countries whose populations practice traditional culture outside of the tourism sphere, it is also one of the only Asian countries in which women are empowered outside of the domestic sphere. Angie’s research has to do with Mongolian daughters, and whether they are viewed by their families as as valuable as sons. In Mongolia, daughters are sent off to study more often than sons, and their families are as invested and proud of them as they are with their sons. This is a rare thing in Asia. Once again (as if on needs reminding), Mongolia proves an outstanding place, endlessly distinct from its neighbors.
There is, of course, a glass ceiling for women here: few women parliament members, etc. But it’s really something to hear as I did the other day in a bar from an expat corporation executive who works here, “the women are carrying this country. If I want something done, I ask a woman. If I want someone reliable, I turn to the women in the firm or the corporation or the business, without question.”