Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of institutional factors on women's participation in civil law and public administration, and to identify areas for modernizing civil legislation to reduce gender inequality. The analysis covers the period from 2012 to 2023 and is based on official statistical data from the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan and institutional indicators from the Worldwide Governance Indicators. Correlation analysis, dual comparative assessment, and structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were employed to examine the relationships between gender-disaggregated labor market outcomes and institutional quality. The results confirm that democratic indicators are predominantly shaped by male employment and income (β = 0.910, p < 0.01), while the impact of women on democracy remains marginal (β = –0.044). In contrast, governance indicators demonstrate a strong association with women’s participation in the labor market and managerial positions (β = 1.096, p < 0.01), underscoring their role in enhancing transparency and accountability. The persistence of the gender wage gap and unstable female employment reflects structural barriers that are insufficiently addressed by institutional reforms. The findings suggest that modernizing civil legislation requires introducing gender audits, expanding women’s access to decision-making, and institutionalizing gender diversity in state structures. This research contributes to the literature on governance and legal modernization by providing empirical evidence of institutional determinants of gender inequality and offering policy recommendations for strengthening equality in public administration.