Gender Disparities Among Ethnic Minorities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
Category Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan Ethnic MinoritiesAddressing Gender Disparities Among Ethnic Minorities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: A Policy Brief
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Background: About Gender Disparities Among Ethnic Minorities
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are the former Soviet Union member states. During the era of the Soviet Union, ethnic identity was formally established and ingrained in the system. After Josef Stalin's leadership, in the so-called "Titular Nations," such as Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Russians, who were associated with the fifteen union republics of the Soviet Union, language played a pivotal role in an ethnonational policy, where minority communities had fewer privileges compared to the majority populations, and enjoyed fewer rights than majority populations. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the fifteen republics regained independence as individual states but remnants of Soviet Union customs still affect attitudes towards national minorities. There are various ethnic groups in all three South Caucasus countries.
Azerbaijan accommodates a diverse array of over 15 ethnic groups, collectively comprising 8.4 percent of the population in 2009, which subsequently decreased to 5.4 percent as per the 2019 census (the latest census). These ethnic communities tend to be concentrated in specific regions. Over the past decade, a significant population decline has been observed among most of Azerbaijan's ethnic minorities, except the Talysh and Tats.
Notably, both the 2009 and 2019 census data point to a marked reduction in the Russian and Armenian populations within the country, primarily attributed to the aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which led to Armenians leaving Azerbaijan, and economic factors motivating the emigration of many Russians. As a result of these demographic transformations, the Lezgins have now emerged as the largest minority group in Azerbaijan.
