Quality of Life: Expectations and Achievements of Middle Class in Kazakhstan

The improvement of quality of life is the main visible integrated indicator of state well-being. More and more states pay attention to define and to achieve social standards of quality of life as social-economic strategy of development. These standards are determinate by state features, complex of needs and interests of individual, family and society. It still remains in open question: “What is middle class" in contemporary Kazakhstan. Appearance of new social standards of quality of life is important indicator of its successful establishment. The middle class as agent of social, politic and economic reforms promotes to improve the quality of life of the country. But if consider a low and a middle stratums of middle class, we can see that high social expectations and real achievements are still significantly different. The article relies on the sociological data, collected during of search of household-s standards of living in Almaty city and Almaty region, and case-study of cottage city “Jana Kuat".

Authors:

• Nazym Shedenova
• Aigul Beimisheva

Keywords:

• the quality of life
• the social standards of life
• the middle class of Kazakhstan
• the economic behavior of households.

References:

[1] Miroedov A. "To assessment of quality of life of the middle class
Russia". http://www.evrodol.ru/vladimir/vladimir_39.htm.
[2] A.Aldashov. "Quality of life in the context of a market economy".
Almaty, Kazakh University, 1993, p.15.
[3] A.Ovchirova. "The social standards of quality of life". Moscow:
MaxPress, 2008. pp. 5-9.
[4] N. Nazarbayev "The social modernization of Kazakhstan: Twenty steps
to society of general work" in Kazakhstan Truth. June 10, 2012. pp. 2-
10.
[5] B. Rakisheva "The problems of definition of identification criteria to
studying a middle class". Conf. Rec. The social structure of
contemporary Kazakhstan society. June 12, 2003. Astana. p. 158.
[6] M. Veber. "The main concepts of stratification" in Sociological
Research. Ôäû5. 1994. pp. 147-156.
[7] L. Belyaeva. "In search of the middle class". Sociological Research. Ôäû7.
1999. pp. 72-77.
[8] G. Mataev. "Economic and social context of the rise of the middle class
in Kazakhstan" in journal Kazakhstan-Specter.Ôäû2.2001.pp.75.
[9] G. Diligenski. "The methodological aspects of studying of the middle
class" in Con.Rec. The middle class in Russia: problems and prospect,
Moscow, 1998, p.45
[10] www.almaty.stat.kz
[11] O. Yanitskiy. "The urbanization and social contradictions of capitalism",
Moscow, 1975, p. 200