They raise children, look after their husbands and in-laws, tend to the household chores, knit carpets, make felt rugs, milk the horses and tend to the sheep. They are responsible for milking and shearing them as well as delivering the lambs. Nevertheless, their social status has improved since liberation with its advocacy for gender equality and, since then, women have received higher positions. Women wear loose jackets that reach just above their knees with long skirts. They use bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings.
Men wear fur or felt hats with tall, square crowns and rolled up rims.
Their collars and cuffs are covered with embroidery. They do not have long hair or whiskers. Kirgiz play musical instruments. A distinctive instrument is the komuz, a type of three-stringed lute. From childhood on, all Kirgiz can play it.