Mashkhura Akilova

Dr. Akilova studies labor issues in Central Asia, especially the stress families experience when children work or fathers leave the home to become migrant workers.

Dr. Mashura Akilova has been a lecturer at the Columbia School of Social Work since 2010, where she has taught Social Welfare Policy, International Social Development Practice, and Advanced Generalist Practice & Programming. She has practical experience around the issues of school dropout prevention, child labor, inclusive education, and labor markets in domestic and international contexts.

Dr. Akilova has conducted qualitative studies on child labor in Central Asia and studied the effect of microfinance programs on child labor and education rates worldwide. She is working on a pilot study aimed at understanding the effect that the migration of household heads in Central Asia has on their wives’ and children’s mental, physical, and economic well-being.

Dr. Akilova holds a BA and MA from Khujand State University (Tajikistan), an MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, and a PhD from the Columbia School of Social Work.