When 28-year-old Akbilek Abdirova started making videos for her TikTok and Instagram profiles in 2022, she was still living with her husband's family in a rural area of the Mangistau region.
Late last year, the family moved to a new home in the region's administrative center, Aktau.
This move was made possible in part by the income Abdirova generates through modeling, advertising, and other commercial opportunities associated with her growing influence as a content creator on Instagram, writes the English-language editorial staff of Radio Free Europe (RFE).
"When I started creating content, I didn't have any support. People said: 'You're wasting your time, this doesn't bring in any income, it's not necessary,'" Abdirova, who currently has 18.000 followers on Instagram, told RFE/RL.
"Later, when my followers increased and I started making money, my relatives understood and supported me."
Many of Abdira's videos creatively recall the enormous number of tasks that kelin (daughter-in-laws in traditional families) perform in a single day.
In her case, that work – from preparing offal for the family meal, as shown in the video below, to routine tasks like sweeping and cleaning – is done alongside the three to four hours she spends a day filming and editing videos.
Moreover, moving to Aktau allowed her to work part-time as a social media manager for a bakery in the city. In addition, she launched educational courses or "marathons" aimed at Kazakh women on maternity leave who are interested in creating their own social media videos.
"No one charges you to post videos on social media. If your content has a lot of views and you manage it properly, you can make money. This contributes to financial independence," said Abdirova.
'Versatile daughter-in-law'
In Kazakhstan, many young women combine paid jobs with "daughter-in-law duties," dedicating the best years of their lives to caring for their husband's parents as well as their own children.
This "unpaid, invisible, unrecognized and unacknowledged work at home" is known in economics as the "second shift," explains lawyer and researcher Aigerim Kusainkizi.
"They say, 'I can do it; it's not that hard.' But when it goes on for a long time, it can lead to depression," Kusainkizi told RFE/RL's Kazakhstan Service.
This could partly explain the increasing popularity of profiles run by women with similar experiences.
Aigerim Omirzakova (34) comes from the village of Kulan in the southern province of Zhembil.
As of 2020, she has gained 175.000 followers on Instagram and 163.000 on TikTok, where she introduces herself as "zhan-zhakty kelin" (versatile daughter-in-law).
Like Abdira, Omirzak, a mother of five, runs video editing courses that have already been attended by hundreds of students.
Omirzakova told RFE/RL that she started creating content "as an inspiration to avoid depression while on maternity leave" and received motivation through all the supportive comments under her posts.
Using voice-over narration, her videos are mostly light-hearted, focusing on "life hacks" for women overwhelmed by household chores.
They also include important advice on caring for elderly family members, as Aigerim's father-in-law lost the ability to speak after a stroke two years ago.
"There is nothing a woman can't do," says Aigerim. "Today you shouldn't have to depend solely on your husband's salary or child support."
Sausage sales
Karliaš Bakhit (31) is in the early stages of developing her online presence, but she has already amassed over 15.000 followers on TikTok.
Her husband's family has been involved in livestock farming for generations.
However, Bakhit recently decided to take a course in making halal sausages and won a government grant of 1.400.000 tenge (about $3.000) to start a small business in Almaty province, outside Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty.
Her colorful social media posts - including videos of the sausage-making process - have ensured that the business is sustainable. The sausages are sold to Almaty residents via delivery.
"After I introduced myself on social media and shared my life (with followers), people started to trust me. Even though we are a four-hour drive from the city, I still have customers there, and new ones are constantly appearing," Bakhit said.
Bakhit, who has four children, was encouraged to try her hand at content creation by her husband's younger brothers.
In the summer, she posts videos of her family's life on the lofty summer pastures, where they live in a yurt and make fermented milk for tourists.
However, during these warmer months, the roles of pastoral farmer and TikTok entrepreneur often clash.
"The mobile signal is bad in the pastures, so this year we brought our blue trailer to climb on it and get a signal," she said.
"Because of the children's schooling, we return to the village in the fall, while my father-in-law and mother-in-law stay there to look after the winter camp."
Bonus video:
